As workplaces strive to become more inclusive, Autistic people are often misunderstood. However, when empowered they brings a unique perspectives and strengths that can greatly enrich a team. In today’s episode we will hear from an autistic person, Chanelle, share their lived experiences and from Larah what are the practical tools a workplace can implement to better support autistic individuals effectively —from recruitment all the way through to everyday communication and collaboration. 

Autism NZ’s biography:

Larah van der Meer: Larah is the Research and Advocacy Manager at Autism NZ. She is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at Victoria University of Wellington. Larah is passionate about inclusion and making a positive difference to the autistic and autism communities, both at an individual level and in creating systemic change. 

Chanelle Moriah: Chanelle is neurodivergent (autistic, dyslexic and ADHD, along with pathological demand avoidance). She works as a Research and Advocacy Advisor and has written and illustrated two books on neurodivergence, one of which was listed for the New Zealand Book Awards. Chanelle was diagnosed in adulthood and is very passionate about creating more inclusive and understanding communities

In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions.

00:00 - Intro
02:45 - What is autism
03:45 - Understanding the autism spectrum
05:50 - How to determine the level of support someone needs
07:50 - Autistic people vs person with autism which is the right term to use
09:50 - Strengths based vs deficit based terminology
10:50 - What are the differences between an autistic person and a neurotypical person
12:00 - What are the barriers to getting a formal diagnosis
15:00 - Should people disclose their diagnosis with their employers
16:40 - What are signs a workplace is safe to disclose
17:45 - What should be on an employee checklist of accommodation
21:30 - How to deal with an inflexible workplace
24:00 - What are the barriers preventing employment of autistic people
28:15 - What are the changes to a recruitment process to make it more inclusive
32:00 - What are the benefits workplaces see when they are inclusive of neurodiverse employees
34:25 - How do you deal with conflict that can arise from diverse teams
38:15 - What do managers need to learn about their autistic employee
4115 - What actions can be hurtful to an autistic person
42:30 - What resources are available to support workplaces to create inclusive practices
44:50 - How do you support individuals who are masking their autism
47:10 - How can performance reviews be more inclusive
49:25 - Should workplace set up support groups for neurodivergent employees?
50:45 - How can employers prevent an autistic employee from experiencing burnout 
53:00 - what is Larah and Chanelle’s one wellbeing practice

Learn more about Autism NZ
https://autismnz.org.nz/ 

Learn more about Clearhead
https://www.myclearhead.com/