How I Work (Neurodivergently) - Burnett Grant

It's time for another entry in this series! If you don't know already, I've started this series to raise the visibility of?#neurodivergent ?people and particularly how they go about work. This week we're featuring researcher, advocate and fellow cat lover Burnett Grant ?? ! (and we're also featuring Bernard Grant ??, Ph.D. in an upcoming entry!). As a former lab tech I can definitely relate to this (and using safety ear protectors as a convenient sensory isolation).

As always, if there's someone you'd love to see featured, or you're interested in sharing how you work, please let me know! We all have something to share.

Name: Burnett Grant

Location: Cincinnati, OH, USA

Current gig(s): Quality Assurance Laboratory Technician

One word that best describes how you work: Methodically

Neurodivergent? Yes. Autistic, Attention Hyperactive, and Dyspraxic.

First of all, tell us a little about your work background and how you got to where you are today.?

My undergraduate education consists of a dual degree: BA in Film Studies and a BS in Molecular Biology. I’ve worked in several different laboratory environments and have worked in the food and beverage industry since I moved to Ohio several years ago.?

What are your job responsibilities??

Food quality and safety: analysis of liquid and semi-solid food products, as well as administrative support of food production lines.

Take us through a typical workday.

Each day differs, depending on the daily production schedule. At the start of each day, I gather information from passed-down notes and emails, so I can set up my work environments for the day. This includes paperwork, calibrating lab equipment, and developing a rough mental outline of how I will spend the next few hours.?

When production is running, I check the lines hourly by recording information about various processes, then take samples to analyze for quality and safety metrics: acidity, viscosity, salt, fat, and moisture content, and sensory evaluation.

When production lines are down for maintenance and cleaning, I test chemical compositions of water used to clean equipment, then swab equipment to test for microbes and adenosine tri-phosphate, a molecule left behind by living cells as an indicator of cleanliness.?

What’s your workspace setup like??

My time is split between two laboratory environments. A significant amount of my time is spent in a satellite lab near the department I support where the majority of my analytical work is done.?

The main quality assurance lab is where my desk is located in a shared workspace with other lab technicians. My cubicle desk space is kept clean and mostly bare—desktop computer, phone, water bottle, and a book or two. Unnecessary clutter is frequently cleared to prevent distractions.

What apps, gadgets, or tools can’t you live without?

Spreadsheets, word processors, calculators, and a pocket notebook.

Do you stim? If so, how and when?

I allow myself to stim freely and as frequently as necessary, typically by bouncing my legs, pacing, or tapping my fingers against each other. At home, I voluntarily stim through video games and exercise—indoor cycling, weight lifting, and bouncing on an indoor trampoline.?

Stim toys are useful, too! I keep one in my bag that looks like a miniature video game controller, along with colorful, stretchy noodles.

How do you align your neurodivergence with your work environment? (e.g. planning, supports, environmental)

At the start of each day, I create a mental outline and work to remove potential barriers that could slow me down as I set up my workspaces for the day. I also break down tasks into smaller steps and avoid moving on before I finish my current task, whenever possible, to avoid complications with short-term memory and context switching. When I visit the production floor, I wear safety ear muffs and take sensory breaks as necessary.?

Are there any challenges or misconceptions that you've faced in your work? How have you addressed them?

Challenges I’ve experienced at work generally have nothing to do with the job itself and largely revolved around mysterious social expectations and misconceptions outsiders have about neurodivergent people. My behavior has always been misinterpreted, with little consideration of my perspective.

I’ve been labeled rude and angry, accused of being “too serious”, “talking like a lawyer”, and criticized for not understanding social cues, as if my words were not a valid form of communication. It’s taken a long time to find an inclusive environment where I’m evaluated based on my work, rather than how I perform socially. I don’t have a performance.?

How do you keep track of what you have to do?

At work, I take frequent notes throughout each day to supplement my lack of working memory, primarily in two places—Sticky Notes on my desktop computer and a pocket notebook when I’m away from my desk. At home, I mostly rely on a wall calendar, onto which I transfer notes from my pocket notebook when I arrive from work each day.?

How do you recharge or take a break?

Yoga Nidra meditation, books, exercise, films, video games, and socializing with people who think like me, including my three cats.

What’s your favourite passion/interest/side project?

I enjoy publically speaking, writing, and discussing neurodivergence.?

What are you currently reading/listening to, or what do you recommend?

Since neurodivergence is the focus of this interview, I want to recommend some of my favorite books by neurodivergent authors:?

• Autism Industrial Complex: How Branding, Marketing, and Capital Investment Turned Autism Into Big Business by Dr. Alicia A. Broderick?
• Neurodiversity Studies: A New Critical Paradigm Edited by Hanna Bertilsdotter Rosqvist, Nick Chown, and Anna Stenning
• Neurodiversity: Birth of an Idea by Judy Singer
• Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes on the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal Possibilities by Dr. Nick Walker
• A Treatise on Chaos: Embracing the Chaotic Self and the Art of Neuroqueering by David Gray-Hammond
• Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed for You by Jenara Nerenberg

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Years ago, my former life coach taught me to create and share joy, rather than prioritizing other people’s comfort over my own. My sibling (also a life coach) taught me the importance of creating and following my own rules. Since incorporating their advice into my own values, I learned to accept myself on a deeper level, and I burn out less frequently.

Anything else you'd like to tell us?

Thank you for including me!?