Anita's Neurodiversity Consultancy

Being a doer can definitely be a part of it. But it's really hard to *do* any sort of theory 😂 So I can see where that becomes a problem haha

I may or may not be struggling with autistic burnout 😬

Give me your top tips to initiate tasks! 🙏🙏

Some that have been helping me:
- counting down
- having a treat before starting
- scheduling a little treat after finishing
- timer with a hard stop, e.g. putting the laundry on so I stop on time

Hahaha yep. I remember physically covering my ears as a child to shut out the unwanted info 😂😂 That was before I learned the art of masking 🙃 Boy, did I get in trouble!

Okay, that's a great example of the different things it can affect 😂😭

We don't wanna pay attention to Trump, but do you have any tips that worked for you when you needed to pick up music theory? Or did you just learn to live without it in your life? 🤔

Anyone with ADHD/AuDHD know that feeling when you're AGGRESSIVELY uninterested in something? 😂

Like, it literally hurts your brain to keep listening??

Very excellently put

Me: knows I burn out if I don't balance work and rest.

Work: "There's an opportunity to work uncapped hours this week."

Me: Well I do have about 30 spare hours I could throw in, don't I? It's only for one week, so it will be fine! I can rest afterwards and it will all work out 🤪

Anyone else?

I spoke to someone who explained he's trying to phase out his Access to Work support worker and replace them with technology.

SWs are the most sought-after element of the grant, so I was curious.

He said he couldn't chance losing his support on renewal and become jobless. Incredibly sad, isn't it!

I love how it brought you together! :) It can feel really hard to find people you click with, but it makes sense to think you can build lasting relationships in a setting like this since you're all there for the same reason.

It's so good to hear you found it worked for you!

I definitely hear you about how it can feel judgemental and stressful in the wrong setup though. It needs to be someone who can motivate you and keep you accountable, not someone who's breathing down your neck! 😂

I really hear you ❤️ You're definitely not alone in your experience either.

The exhausting thing about being invested in Access to Work is having to see things like how Labour has been undermining it for months.

It's really difficult to pour your heart into the work you do to support applicants when powers much greater than you are actively tearing it down. Rant over!

Was this in person or virtual? I find the differences between in-person and virtual body doubling really interesting. 👀

I know right! I found some body doubling events on Eventbrite in the meantime, I will have to sign up at some point to see what they're like 👀

But apart from Eventbrite, I'm not sure where to search for them.

Wow, I love that. I didn't even think about the community building aspect of it! I thought everyone would be busy doing their own thing.

"Access to Work will always look for the most cost-efficient solution." 🤪🙄😔

But they fail to stop to think if that option genuinely meets the applicant's needs!

That is absolutely awful, I'm sorry to hear that. I've not come across a case yet where they stalked the applicant like this to discredit their claim. Quite terrifying.

Makes sense! And yeah, it's really magical isn't it! 😁 The accountability part is the most interesting to me because the other folk are not even there with you! So something really just switches in our heads 👀

It's interesting how much it can help, isn't it? I do it too when I call my brother, but I'm curious how a larger online group would work. 🤔

That was exactly my line of thinking too! Glad to hear it sounds useful. Start with something generic that could help most people, then spend the session answering people's questions. I can see it as an opportunity to learn a lot from different people's cases.

That sounds awesome. I love that they have different modes you can sign up to. Thanks for the recommendation!

That's really helpful to hear, thank you!

Way to call us all out! 😂

So many have experienced the changes in Access to Work firsthand without any changes to the official guidance on the gov's website. It's incredibly unfair to have life-changing support taken from you for reasons you're not even allowed to see or understand.

I love that attitude!

That's an interesting idea... I've never come across a webinar that's held in VR. I'm not sure much of my target audience even has VR headsets!

Has anyone used online body doubling sessions before? Where a bunch of people join a Zoom call and just work on their own thing? Did you find them helpful? 🤔

I really want to start hosting webinars about Access to Work and neurodiversity, but I'm stuck on the format 🤔 Would you prefer general educational sessions, or would you like an open Q&A where people could ask any and all questions, like a public forum?

Happy first of Halloween everyone!! 🎃 👻

We were talking about the Equality Act, and someone said the only rights you have are the ones you are physically able to defend. It really stuck with me. It's all cool and good to have your rights in theory, but if the Act is not enforced, then what are you really left with?