Life is a symphony of sensations – the textures you touch, the scents you inhale, the sounds that surround you – they all play a part in shaping your experiences. Just like adding a pinch of spice can transform a dish, understanding your sensory profile can bring a new flavor to your journey of burnout restoration. Have you ever thought about how your senses guide your day? It’s not just about what you see or hear, but also how you interact with the world around you. We often ...

Discover the remarkable journey of Carole Jean Whittington, founder of Mind Your Autistic Brain, shortlisted for the Neurodivergent Achiever of the Year award. From overcoming burnout to championing Neurodiversity, her story is an inspiration. Dive in now! #Neurodiversity #CNDAwards23 #Inspiration

Carole Jean Whittington will share step-by-step strategies on how to support burned-out team members without falling into the burnout trap yourself as their manager.

In many countries, including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, there are laws that require workplaces to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. Failing to do so can result in legal action and penalties, and sadly, this is there to protect and support people in the absence of their employer doing it freely. However, to develop a culture of true inclusion, this should never be your ‘Why’ for focusing on accessibility and inclusion. However, it is sadly so often in the driving seat to make changes.

In an era where cross-pollination of disciplines result in the furthering of academic development, it is high time that our education system be reformed, not only to produce better students, scholars, researchers, and professionals, but also to include neurodiversity in the process of doing so.

Getting diagnosed with Crohn’s disease I was taken to the A&E unit I was there for a long time like 10 hours and I don’t like loud noise and people close to me I was unable to go into a quiet room I was prevented access with my autism I am sensory so it was very hard for me to adjust. 

Many teachers assumed my kids were lazy because they couldn't understand why such significant gaps existed between their cognitive abilities and performance. They didn't understand that they were working much harder than other children to keep up. In addition, many teachers didn't relate to them favorably because they assumed they were not trying. My kids were also repeatedly made fun of or bullied due to their low academic performance and neurodivergence.

Through personal encounters with my colleagues, teaching groups of students and healthcare professionals, speaking, writing and posting content in various forums, and participating in podcasts and panel discussions (such as the ones Carole Jean is hosting this month), my main aim is to promote empathy by telling my own story and weaving it into the stories of patients so that others can get a feel for what it’s like.

Prior to doing the work I do now, I worked in a lot of public spaces and whilst I loved the work I did in those spaces, I saw just how many barriers there were for autistic people being able to access them. I don’t like the injustice of these spaces being there and not being accessible, so I wanted to change that.

Making accommodations should be part and parcel of continuous improvement. If a significant proportion of your community tells you your processes aren’t working for them, you should adjust your processes.

Accessibility is not just for people with disabilities, yes, it has become synonyms with people with disabilities due to the fact, we are not provided access more than any other diverse group, but it is important to realize it is about providing access and giving access in ways the individual needs it, and not how you assume they need it. Listen to your disabled/ neurodiverse employees, and ultimately listen to disabled and neurodiverse voices and people.

Some autistic people may need specific instructions broken down into manageable chunks, and it can also be helpful to confirm expectations in writing. When interviewing someone, you may want to consider presenting the questions one at a time instead of asking a series of questions in one go. Breaking down information into manageable chunks, in fact, makes information more accessible for everyone.

When it comes to Neuro-Inclusive employee feedback having a conversation that includes both sides of the table, variations in neurotype communication styles, along with these top tips from Neuro-Inclusive Experts in the Workplace who also happen to be Autistic, ADHD, and Dyslexic will drastically improve your feedback outcomes.

Holiday Boundary setting tips to ensure your needs are being met. The basis of ND Burnout is when our needs and sensory profile needs go consistently un-met over a long period of time. The first step is to identify your biggest need and sensory profile need during the holiday season.

A function label perpetuated in the formal assessment process and in any form referring to an autistic is one of the biggest contributors to ND Burnout and the Chronic Cycle Burnout Loop.

One of the areas that many encounter along their boundary setting journey is fear.  Ali and I mentioned this in the video above and we have both experienced these feelings of fear when setting boundaries as we were first starting out.  Heck, I still come to places in my life where fear enters and I have to take a deep breath and remind myself it is a useful feeling that brings my attention to an area I have not yet uncovered in my awareness (it still feels uncomfortable to feel them but now they aren't scary.) 

July has always been the month that I find restoration and slow down.  Not sure if it is because of the heat and my POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), the realization that the year is half way over and I have done a good bit and need a break, that I have 6 months left to get things accomplished and need time to organize or just my natural slowing down and reflecting time.  I am on vacation this month playing, relaxing, creating, organizing my closet, de-furring my dog who ...

June 2022 is Sizzlin' Sexy Summer Series- Autistic Sex. Join in the conversations this month in live community events and workshops with special guests which include: Michael John Carley, Candice Christiansen, Amy Gravino and MORE. Autistic Sex is unique to our neurotype experience from sexual identification be it bi, pan, asexual, non-binary and beyond and our sensory and processing needs in sexual intimacy with ourselves and with others. Let's talk about it and explore what sex is to US. We are wonderfully wired, NeuroDistinct and how we have, don't have and enjoy or find sexual pleasure varies. ALL Autistic ADHD adults are invited to this conversation.

My greatest hope is that, by inviting others to follow alongside me on this journey, I may be able to offer some insight into how autism can present, hiding underneath the surface of mental illness or masking.

I was late diagnosed at nearly 31 and I want people to understand that this does not make me any less autistic.