About this course

Learning Objectives

• Understand autism and other types of neurodivergence from a neurodiversity perspective and their often untapped potential for occupational success
• Understand potential strengths to hiring of neurodivergent individuals and recognize possible accommodations needed to support their success in your industry.
• Learn factors that support hiring, training, retention, and success of autistic and neurodivergent individuals in the workforce.

Learning Levels

• BEGINNER
• INTERMEDIATE
• ADVANCED

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Jennifer Huffman PhD, ABPdN

  Dr Jennifer Huffman is a neurodivergent neuropsychologist who specializes in supporting and advocating for autistic and other-neurodivergent individuals across the lifespan. She is also a business owner and has run her own psychological services company for the past 12 years. Dr Huffman's unique perspective on neurodivergence, including her personal experience and story, her experience of working with autistic and other neurodivergent individuals both in and out of the clinic, and her business experience will provide valuable insight to businesses who may be working with or seeking to work with autistic and/or other neurodivergent individuals.

  Neurodivergence captures many different differently abled individuals that may communicate, learn, socialize, and/or have emotional differences. Just as there are many celebrated strengths with individuals with certain types of neurodivergence, such as the association between dyslexia and entrepreneurship or ADHD and creativity, there are many untapped strengths in autistic and neurodivergent individuals. However, potential obstacles also exist related to communication challenges, executive functioning difficulties, sensory issues, and other obstacles that can limit their success in the workforce. Learning how to support neurodivergent individual strengths while overcoming their obstacles is beneficial to not only the employee but the employers as well. Autistic and other-neurodivergent individuals are a vastly untapped workforce who, when given the right environment, can be an invaluable and important contribution to the community workforce.

Disclosure

References

• Weinbaum, C., Khan, O., Thomas, T. D., & Stein, B. D. (2023). Neurodiversity and National Security: How to Tackle National Security Challenges with a Wider Range of Cognitive Talents (p. 73). RAND Corporation.
• Pryke-Hobbes, A., Davies, J., Heasman, B., Livesey, A., Walker, A., Pellicano, E., & Remington, A. (2023). The workplace masking experiences of autistic, non-autistic neurodivergent and neurotypical adults in the UK. Plos one, 18(9), e0290001.
• Martin, V., Flanagan, T. D., Vogus, T. J., & Chenevert, D. (2023). Sustainable employment depends on quality relationships between supervisors and their employees on the autism spectrum. Disability and Rehabilitation, 45(11), 1784-1795.
• Nimante, D., Laganovska, E., & Osgood, R. (2023). To tell or not to tell–disclosure of autism in the workplace. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 69(3), 414-423.
• Tomczak, M. T., & Kulikowski, K. (2023). Toward an understanding of occupational burnout among employees with autism–the Job Demands-Resources theory perspective. Current Psychology, 1-13.
• Petty, S., Tunstall, L., Richardson, H., & Eccles, N. (2023). Workplace adjustments for autistic employees: What is ‘reasonable’?. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53(1), 236-244.
• Scott, M., Falkmer, M., Kuzminski, R., Falkmer, T., & Girdler, S. (2022). Process evaluation of an autism-specific workplace tool for employers. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 29(8), 686-698.
• Cope, R., & Remington, A. (2022). The strengths and abilities of autistic people in the workplace. Autism in Adulthood, 4(1), 22-31.
• Waisman-Nitzan, M., Gal, E., & Schreuer, N. (2021). “It’s like a ramp for a person in a wheelchair”: Workplace accessibility for employees with autism. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 114, 103959.
• Lindsay, S., Osten, V., Rezai, M., & Bui, S. (2021). Disclosure and workplace accommodations for people with autism: A systematic review. Disability and rehabilitation, 43(5), 597-610.
• Nicholas, D. B., & Klag, M. (2020). Critical reflections on employment among autistic adults. Autism in Adulthood, 2(4), 289-295.
• Bury, S. M., Hedley, D., Uljarević, M., & Gal, E. (2020). The autism advantage at work: A critical and systematic review of current evidence. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 105, 103750.
• Khalifa, G., Sharif, Z., Sultan, M., & Di Rezze, B. (2020). Workplace accommodations for adults with autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review. Disability and rehabilitation, 42(9), 1316-1331.