28: Theo's Friday Neurodiversity Roundup

This week has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Language has bitten me in the bottom and I needed to respond.

Scroll down and get into this weeks content to explore more ;O)

BUT FIRST!

Linkedin community can you help me and show me some LOVE?

My Youtube page is close to 500 subscribers, I share weekly helpful, free content on Neurodiversity. Can you help me get it to the 500+ Mark?

There are so many benefits of hiring neurodivergent individuals

Research has proven from some of the top consultancies that we often have unique skills and perspectives that can greatly benefit organisations and their team. 🧠💡

What unique skills or perspectives do you think ND individuals bring to a team or workplace?

Mike Bedford 👉 Award 🏆 Winning and Neurospicey 🧠🌶️

Where to begin? Investing in a Neuroinclusive workforce is not just the right thing to do; it makes great business sense too. NDers have the skills of tomorrow today; our thinking 💭 is the future of work! 🙌

Nadine van Lierop

When on a role I can finish a week of work in 4 hours. Or less. Also known as the to-go person to ignite enthusiasm in people.

World Autism Awareness Day

We are pleased to announce Prof. Amanda Kirby will be our key speaker at the World Autism Awareness Day online event with the United Nations. She will be exploring neurodiversity in the home, life and within education. She will be joined by Theo Smith and our panellists - Maria Manalili, Jorn Bettin, Joan Pons Laplana and Ludmila N. Praslova. Don't miss this exciting event.

Register now at:

I can't remember your name

I just can't remember your name.

I'm sorry. It's true. Yes, I'm a bad father.

Oh. I'm pretty bad with dates. I couldn't tell you my kids' birthdays. Oh, what a poor guy I am. I just can't remember your name.

Hope you found this video helpful?

Please write a comment. Let us know your thoughts. We'd love to hear from you.

I welcome your thoughts

I've been challenged on the use of the word Evangelist to describe my neurodiversity advocacy work and I'm interested in the thoughts of others.

Here is the reason why I use it if you're interested:

I applied for a job at a large global organisation that was titled 'evangelist'. It in many ways was a dream job, that played to many of my strengths, at a time during Covid where I was really struggling at work.

I didn't succeed at getting the job, so when I became more independent and could call myself what I wanted I reappropriated the name for my own use. Basically creating the job and title I couldn't get in the corporate world.

I'm not tied to it, just started using it to give myself a boost, I'm happy to consider alternative options, please feel free to suggest some :O)

To all those people

Giving up their time and energy to help progress the conversation around neurodiversity and neuroinclusion.

I see you, I hear you, and if you need it: here is a big virtual HUG or LOVE HEART from me.

I think some people are really having a tough time as part of their Neurodiversity advocacy work, and often it's alongside their job/profession. It's also alongside their own struggles and challenges and that of their children

So please be kind to yourself and to all the

Teachers

Parents & Carers

Employers

Employees

Managers

Leaders

Solopreneurs

Clinicians

Academic researchers

Children

Politicians

And to anyone who truly cares about making our world a fairer and safer place to live and prosper in.

Often they come from a place of care, and compassion and from lived experience.

The beauty of neurodiversity

Is that it allows for a wide range of perspectives and ideas. Let's harness this diversity to drive innovation and creativity in our workplaces.

How do you think we can leverage neurodiversity at work to drive innovation and creativity in our workplaces and beyond?

We all deserve to work in an environment where

We feel valued and supported. That's often not the case for many!

Let's make sure that individuals have the same opportunities and resources to succeed in the workplace.

Things like :

✅ Additional training and resources - Not just for managers, employees need help in better articulating themselves and their strengths & needs

✅ Flexible working arrangements - Not just how many hours, but when, where and how

✅ Accommodations and adjustments - If you want me to write I can't do it productively with a pen, I need a computer. It's that simple

✅ Inclusive communication - The volume/variety of communication channels you use does not = inclusive, it can be overwhelming. Choose wisely...

✅ Peer support and mentoring - Having someone who understands the journey you're on and can empathise with your experience is a powerful way to empower individuals to succeed in their role

✅ Celebrate diversity - In all its beautiful forms...

In what ways do you think we can support neurological workplace equality?

Thank you :O)

Well I hope you've enjoyed my weekly roundup and I welcome your comments, thoughts, and insights or you're welcome just to continue quietly reading in the background.

Hope you have a great weekend, wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

See you same time next week :O)

Theo Smith

Neurodiversity Evangelist at Dynamis Group,

Neurodiversity advocate, founder of Neurodiversity at Work Ltd & Neurodiversity World, author of ‘Neurodiversity at Work: Drive Innovation, Performance and Productivity with a Neurodiverse Workforce’  and podcast host of Neurodiversity – Eliminating Kryptonite & Enabling Superheroes!