Talk Outline: Embracing Neurodiversity in Tech

Personal Journey and Introduction (0m00s)

The speaker begins by sharing their personal journey of being diagnosed with dyslexia, dyspraxia, and autism, emphasising that every neurodivergent individual is different. They describe growing up in northern England with unrecognised struggles that were dismissed as normal difficulties, from writing problems to attention issues.

"I want this talk to be a talk that we fix all the problems I'm gonna talk about so that we don't have to have this talk in the future."

"Every neurodivergent individual is different, and I'm gonna share my personal journey."

College Diagnosis and Support (2m03s)

A fellow student recognised the speaker's organisational difficulties and suggested seeking help from the special education needs department. After assessment by an educational psychologist, they received diagnoses of dyslexia and dyspraxia, leading to crucial academic accommodations.

"I got access to things like extra time exams, unique computer for my exams so that my text, my written text not being readable didn't hurt my scores."

Autism Discovery During COVID (5m02s)

During the COVID pandemic, after experiencing severe anxiety, the speaker began researching autism and eventually sought private assessment. The diagnosis was eye-opening and helped them understand their lifelong patterns of behaviour and social challenges.

"And ironically, I started hyper-fixating on it, reading a lot about it and taking all the online quizzes I could find."

"And eight weeks later, I found out I was autistic and this was eye-opening for me."

Understanding Neurodiversity (7m30s)

The speaker defines neurodiversity as the idea that people experience and interact with the world in many different ways, with no single "right" way to think, learn, or behave. They explain that neurodivergent conditions are consistently underdiagnosed, with estimates suggesting one in seven people in the UK are neurodivergent.

"There is no one right way to think, learn, or behave. And differences are viewed as deficits."

"Unfortunately, neurodiverse conditions have been consistently underdiagnosed."

The Neurodiversity Spectrum (9m08s)

The speaker clarifies that neurodiversity is not a linear spectrum from neurotypical to neurodivergent, but rather a complex array of traits that vary in intensity for each individual. They also discuss masking, the unconscious strategy neurodivergent people develop to hide their traits and fit in.

"When we talk about the neurodiversity spectrum, what we actually mean is a series of traits a person have more or less of."

"This is referred to as masking. It's an unconscious strategy that all humans develop when growing up in order to connect."

ADHD: Symptoms and Stereotypes (11m11s)

The speaker explains ADHD as characterised by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. They challenge common stereotypes, explaining that hyperactivity is often internalised and that interrupting conversations often stems from struggling with social cues rather than rudeness.

"When in reality, for a lot of people with ADHD, it's internalised hyperactivity, which is like a very busy noisy mind."

"The reality is they struggle with the social cues of trying of when they're allowed to talk."

ADHD: Strengths and Support (14m30s)

People with ADHD often demonstrate creativity, hyper-focus capabilities, and risk tolerance. The speaker suggests supporting them through short-term goals, time management assistance, and helping them get started on tasks.

"People with ADHD are often more creative, which in a development role could be, you know, they come up with creative and outta the box ideas."

"A state of hyper-focus, which is common for people with ADHD can allow them to zoom in on one particular task and achieve a lot in this a small amount of time."

Autism: Understanding the Condition (15m54s)

Autism involves challenges with communication, social interaction, sensory processing, and adapting to change. The speaker debunks stereotypes about autistic people being savants, preferring isolation, or lacking empathy.

"Another stereotype that autistic people are savants or possess exceptional talents. And this is particularly played out in the media."

"The reality is that they struggle with interpreting social cues and situations which leads them to isolate themselves."

Autism: Reframing and Strengths (18m17s)

Repetitive behaviours can be reframed as analytical pattern-spotting abilities. Autistic people often excel in logical thinking, attention to detail, and passionate dedication to their interests.

"This can be reframed as analytical, being able to spot patterns. And this can be valuable when you're trying to analyse a technical problem or some data."

"A strong attention to detail can be, can help with spotting errors and mistakes."

Dyscalculia: The Mathematical Challenge (20m28s)

Dyscalculia affects mathematical processing, time management, and directional understanding. The speaker emphasises it's not about inability to count but rather finding calculations more difficult, affecting an estimated 5-7% of the population.

"When in reality is that dislike calculator is more common than people expect with an estimated five to 7% of the population struggling with it."

"There's no neurological condition and it has no relation to the level intelligence."

Dyslexia: Beyond Reading Difficulties (24m24s)

Dyslexia involves challenges with reading, writing, spelling, and information processing. The speaker clarifies that it's not a visual problem and that increased exposure to reading doesn't improve the condition.

"The reality is, they just find it more difficult to decode and comprehend written text."

"However, the reality is that with a neurological condition, exposure does not impact their ability to read."

Dyspraxia: Coordination and Beyond (28m04s)

Dyspraxia affects coordination, movement, and organisation. The speaker explains that clumsiness isn't carelessness but a genuine difficulty with spatial awareness and motor control.

"The reality is that people with dyspraxia, they, even if they try their best to walk around things and be careful, they end up bumping things and tripping things."

"The thing I walk into all the time is door handles."

Workplace Inclusivity (32m23s)

The speaker discusses the importance of creating psychologically safe environments where neurodivergent individuals feel comfortable disclosing their conditions. They emphasise adapting training materials, hiring processes, and communication styles.

"So for me, I need to feel psychologically safe in a workplace to be able to tell people about these things."

"We should adapt to our trainings to take many forms."

Community Inclusivity (38m31s)

The speaker suggests practical ways to make tech communities more inclusive, including the "Pacman formation" for group conversations and providing detailed event information in advance.

"Leaving room for new people when standing in a group is a physical way to show an inclusive and welcoming environment."

The Curb Cut Effect (40m50s)

The speaker concludes by explaining how accommodations for neurodivergent individuals benefit everyone, using the curb cut effect as an analogy.

"When we start to improve the way we organise our teams to be more accessible to those who are neurodivergent, we also improve them for everyone else."