The impact of a younger diagnosis
Through my work I occasionally visit primary schools and I recently found myself sitting with an eight-year-old in a particularly rambunctious class who taught me a very interesting lesson. Whilst the class was well organised and the teacher in control, twenty excitable eight-year olds in an extra-curricular class was bound to be a little noisy.
All of a sudden, without any explanation the little girl got up, went to the other side of the room and retrieved some headphones which she put on and returned to our little desk and the task in hand. Obviously as an Aspie I understand why she did what she did so as to mitigate external noise, but it was the way she did it with such natural ease I realised that children today are so lucky to be able to be recognised in such a way where their needs are met.
This caused me to reflect on my own childhood, as an ‘80s child I never had the luxury of any diagnosis of neurodivergence
Whilst a highly sociable child, and as a girl probably masking a lot, when I reflect on my growing up, it was largely down to attending eccentric schools with very small classes which probably saved me from experiencing too many problems associated with neurodiversity. Had the situation been different I may not hold the cherished memories of school as I do. The only negative I can see to nurturing and facilitating for a child on the spectrum at school, as is the case now, is that the grown-up world may be jarringly different where such kindness and understanding may not always be present.
However on balance, I could have avoided some upsetting instances had it be known I was on the spectrum and while my talents were recognised and I was asked If I would like to move up a year so I wasn’t bored, the problems which with hindsight caused me sadness or meltdowns could have been at least mitigated.
This child I sat and worked with, happy in her own little world, especially after the headphones went on, showed me what it looks like to have your needs met in such a healthy easy manner.
I see a future where neurodiversity is as accepted and assisted in a standard and non-alienating way
Yet, is the world of work there yet?
My personal story tells of heartache in the workplace and a lot of isolation. A CV now so eclectic from chopping and changing, running away from jobs which broke me means that my own career stalled some time ago. Armed with my degree fresh out of university I had no obstacles or worries and achieved a lot in a short time. It is only with hindsight I can see mistakes and problems which armed with the knowledge I have now I could have avoided. But couldn’t any neurotypical say that?
Perhaps it is unfair to reflect from this place of knowledge, as I often think pre-diagnosis I just got on with things and never pondered such matters. In many ways not knowing made me more confident and didn’t hold me back. Had I known I was on the Spectrum and had the education system understood that back then would it have been different? I may have conducted my degree differently and achieved different things but the outcome would largely be the same I think.
We are where we are and it is the workplace which I am concerned with now.
When I think of the totally unsuitable work I undertook given my Aspie brain, it does sadden me, but it is my story and what makes me so there can be no regrets. It is interesting to reflect with modern ideas and my own experiences though what may have been different or improved upon.
Like the small child I met, I now know what I need to mitigate a bad situation, but how easy is it to do this at work?
I have learned to ask for certain measures which make work more pleasant for me or ask for other aspects to be lessened. That is more about age and confidence. Mainly I have just avoided jobs at all where I know I may not fit, and this sentiment also manifests during the recruitment process where jobs are painted as so neurotypical there seems no point in even applying. More can definitely be done in this area.
For children born into this climate, it will be easier, it will be assumed or implicitly understood. Employers and education bodies know all this. Yet, perhaps less is understood as we think. Neurodiversity training is all very well, but one size does not fit all. Maybe neurodivergent people, much like the gay or ethnic minority communities have done, need to speak up more and be the representative and agent for change.
If there is a face of neurodivergence in the workplace others can feel included or represented
In a world of virtual and hybrid work, it has become easier to work in a way in which one finds best. However, not all work is like this. There are still jobs which require one to be ‘normal’ in a very rigid and neurotypical way and still excludes people. There are so many measures and ideas which can be suggested and implemented but for many on the Spectrum, many jobs still pose obstacles. Perhaps this more to do with the rigid way society and mainstream media still operates.
As I have said in previous blogs, things are changing, but human evolution is but a speck in time and the neurodiversity movement and campaign for change is a slow process which is relatively recent.
That small child I sat with is the future in many ways, knowing she can be whoever she wants to be in whichever way suits her is a luxury many before her did not know. Whereas many neurodivergent people had to bend to the world around them, or not, now people know that society itself can benefit from being more neurodiverse and that neurotypical ideals are not ideal for everyone.
The world of work has and is catching up and adapting to this model because ultimately and maybe cynically, market forces bend to whatever will be of benefit and if that means having talented, intelligent people on the Spectrum working for them then they will not only accommodate, but seek out and nurture.
Charlotte Sabel
August 2022
