By Barb Cook, M.Aut., Dip. HSc. (used with permission) Workplace social skills. These words strike fear into the soul of any autistic person. I know this, because I am one of those people. I’ve had a tumultuous employment past, prior to my official diagnosis of Asperger syndrome (autism), ADHD and dyslexia in 2009. I never...
By Barb Cook, M.Aut., Dip. HSc. (used with permission) Information and technology (IT) has boomed over the past 30 years and become an integral part of the modern developed world. Employment opportunities in IT exploded alongside this growth and created pathways for autistic people in finding job security in an industry that has been stigmatized...
By Barb Cook, M.Aut., Dip. HSc. (used with permission) Neurodivergent people often experience challenges in exercising skills associated with self-determination and self-advocacy Being pinnacle life skills that drive their success in education, employment, independence and within society, with the right supports, tools and strategies, they can develop high levels of self-determination, providing a firm sense...
It is often assumed by people that I meet, that our training is for autistic employees rather than employers. In fact, the opposite is true. This misunderstanding is excusable. In other cases of unemployment, such as veterans or young people, up-skilling is often successful. Yet for the autistic community, they are usually over-skilled. Instead, our...
[blockquote author=”” link=”” target=”_blank”]Coaching is a growth opportunity. To develop new skills, new ways of thinking and new strategies to overcome challenges.[/blockquote] We are often asked why our autistic candidates need coaching if they are so talented? Coaching is about thriving instead of surviving. An individual receiving coaching has the opportunity to explore who...
“Life doesn’t come with a manual; it comes with a mother.” – Unknown Mother’s Day celebrates all mothers and their unconditional love. This Mother’s Day, Xceptional would also like to salute one particular mother: Libby Walton. Libby is the mother of Tim. You might be familiar with Tim. He was a star on the first...
With employers turning their focus to enabling their workforce to work from home, hiring managers are faced with a new challenge of mobilising their teams, implementing new processes and managing workloads remotely. Employers may find this time of heightened change difficult to navigate, particularly the recruitment process. At Xceptional we believe there has never been...
Aiden is an avid video gamer who dabbles in game development and programming. He once dreamed of making games and desktop apps for a living. However, as a non-verbal autistic teenager, living in the Blue Mountains, he rated his job prospects “somewhat low”. He was worried that his social anxiety would prevent him from ever...
‘I have Aspergers and that means I’m sometimes a bit different from the norm. And – given the right circumstances – being different is a superpower’ – Greta Thunberg There is a lot of media and business attention on the enhanced abilities of autistic people. The BBC ran the headline Are autistic individuals the best...