Neurodiversity-how to thrive ( and not just survive)!

Neurodiversity – learning to thrive in education and work....

This week I want to talk about thriving in this next few months and years...

Definition of thrive: to grow vigorously, flourish, prosper and progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances.

There is something inherent in humans' drive for self-improvement and growth (see Ryan and Deci's work). Life can present many hurdles from the start to the end of our lives- starting school, making and maintaining relationships, getting a job, staying in a job, moving house........some people seem to be able to thrive during times of change, and others may find change much more challenging to cope with. The picture of cacti flowering reminds me of how some plants can grow in such difficult conditions and we are the same to some extent.

The impact of Covid-19+

“We were all in the same storm, but we weren’t in the same boat”?

We have all been touched in some way by Covid-19.(I have Covid again at the moment for the 3rd time! ).But we need to keep reminding ourselves that some of us will have had some enormous challenges, consequences and losses during this time.

During lockdown, I delivered with WRAP ( a great organization delivering restorative justice training based in Wales) a free recovery curriculum series of webinars to try to help support teachers, health professionals, and many people in our communities to do more than just survive, but to thrive.

*****Here are many of the free materials we produced that remain accessible for all- please use them.****

Thriving in an educational setting

Nelson Mandela said:

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Survival is a minimum requirement. In educational terms, it requires students to be able to participate and maintain minimal educational standards and to do more than get by.

Thriving in an educational setting happens when we see our minds as the psychologist Piaget said as an evolving organism being able to live, grow, and self-regulate in a metabolic relationship to its environment. We are a part of our ecosystem.

To thrive means we need to be fed with the right ingredients that work for each of us. Our needs may differ dependent on our different neurodivergent traits and the environment we live in. Some of the changes during Covid-19 created an environment that worked for some children and young people.

Time to reflect on the gains and losses

There is no doubt there have been gains and losses. For some children, there is increasing evidence that they may have missed out on a lot of the experiences that happen when they are with their peers that may have helped them to thrive.

Wellbeing is never uni-dimensional but is a multifaceted construct composed of different elements relating to both physical and mental health, as well as other social determinants of health. A report in June was describing how students are more lonely than ever. One U.K. longitudinal study began with a pre-pandemic baseline and then revisited subjects, collecting data monthly through 2020. The initial data has suggested the age band doing “particularly badly" were the 16-24-year-olds. The issues were also worst among those who were living in socioeconomic deprivation, especially those who were new to such deprivation, as well as those who were parents of young children.

For some children the experiences of Covid-19 have meant their environment provided less opportunity to thrive. There was less social engagement, no access to school and breakfast clubs .

Understanding the patterns of cumulative adversity especially for those who are neurodivergent as well. Lower self esteem and an impact on friendships for example in young people with ADHD are greater for neurodivergent children and young people. I have written about this before in relation to adults experiences with DCD too.Mark Twain said: “I never let schooling interfere with my education.”

The unintentional positive consequences of small classes for kids who had EHCPs who were allowed to attend school then had more space to move around because there were fewer kids per class. Home schooling meant for some children less sensory overload from busy noisy playgrounds and calmed them....

What did we learn from this?... we need to consider how we can create settings that allow not only the roses to grow and bloom but cacti too...(sorry about the metaphors)...

We need to ensure now that those children from all parts of society and especially considering those who who are neurodivergent have opportunities to socially engage and and grow their confidence and skills.

(There are some amazing charities working in this space providing opportunities to help children and especially those with some additional needs to thrive such as Action 4 Youth Dyspraxia Foundation , North East Autism Society , ADHD Foundation ., Dyslexia Scotland .. It would be great to compile a UK list....for example in Bristol there are a list of groups... just a thought!)

Thriving at work

Thriving may be different at different stages of life and contexts. In business, thriving has typically been based on a sense of accomplishment, prosperity, success, and wealth.

If you read the Stevenson Farmer review in 2017 "Thriving at Work'- which now seems a long time ago from where the world is today. They reported that 300,000 people with long-term mental health problems were losing their jobs each year, and at a higher rate than those with physical health conditions. 15% of people were also cited as being at work with symptoms of an existing mental health condition.

When I wrote in November last year about the need for compassion in leadership especially as we were seeing increased concern about the 'great resignation' it means that we need to consider the whole person at work and home and cannot just consider mental health in isolation. I often say we only have one brain and one body but we often talk about neurodiversity and mental wellbeing as if they are completely separate constructs.

Self-determination theories suggest that :

'fostering workplace conditions where employees feel supported in their autonomy is not only an appropriate end in itself but will lead to more employee satisfaction and thriving, as well as collateral benefits for organizational effectiveness.'

Autonomy is an interesting word.Autonomy in the workplace means giving employees the freedom to work in a way that suits them. With autonomy at work, you allow your employees to decide how and when their work should be done. We need to learn from what worked for each of us in the past couple of years and have active discussions and use this learning rather than revert back to what was.

For example we have learned that:

• We can all learn new skills. My husband of nearly 43 years ( amazing !) never really cooked but now bakes bread. I now grow courgettes and sweet corn.
• Many of us can work from home successfully and differently some/all of the time and it can increase productivity. Having the discussion as a line manager about what helps to optomise performance is a positive talk and shows trust too.
• Some but not all people need to be in the office some/all of the time -home working is not right for all..
• WFH opens up opportunities for those who have some disabilities to gain and sustain jobs - we must not forget how this time flattened the playing field. It meant people could apply for jobs and not have to go to an interview and knew they did not have to explain they worked from bed some of the time!
• We can waste a lot of time and money commuting and this is putting off people returning to the office. However as heating bills go up, perhaps we will be all wanting to hunker round the office campfire..
• Online communication can open up opportunities for different forms of communication and engagement.,... and much more.....

Next steps... building resilience

Let's take this learning and then use it to help build our resilience so we can all thrive. Resilience exists when the person uses:

"mental processes and behaviours in promoting personal assets and protecting self from the potential negative effects of stressors".

American psychologist, Martin Seligman , who is one of the fathers of positive psychology, developed the?PERMA model as a framework to build resilience.

PERMA stands for:

• Positive Emotions- log what has gone right today and every day
• Engagement - find activities and work that allows you to be in a flow state
• Relationships - strengthen your friendships and relationships- text/call/meet
• Meaning - take meaning in what has happened and reflect on what you have learned.
• Accomplishments- master one new skills and celebrate this.

The blog author

I am Amanda Kirby, CEO of?Do-IT Solutions ?a tech-for-good company that delivers web-based screening tools that help deliver person-centered solutions. I am a mixed bag of experiences and skills and have 25+ years of working in the field of neurodiversity. I am a medical doctor, Professor, and Ph.D. in the field of neurodiversity; parent and grandparent of neurodivergent wonderful kids and am neurodivergent myself.

The wonderful Theo Smith and I wrote together?Neurodiversity at Work?Drive Innovation, Performance and Productivity with a Neurodiverse Workforce .A few weeks ago we won the?Business Book Awards 2022 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion?for the best book. I have my 10th book coming out called Neurodiversity in Education later in 2022.

I was voted last week one of the top 20 Thinkers by HR magazine for 2022 - thanks so much for this recognition.

What a change we can make if we all work together. Thanks for letting me be a small part of it.