Kate Woods Talks Neurodiversity and the World Of Work

A global pandemic, prolonged remote work and learning, an economy in flux, a tense socio political environment, and increasing mental health challenges as a result of the unprecedented situation and associated uncertainty have created an environment that is rife for stress and burnout, ultimately leading to high turnover, lack of productivity and negative health effects. During locked down Kate Woods was challenged with Zoom, yes Zoom and went on a quest to understand how she was experiencing this new remote work and learning world.

She was diagnosed with Autism and it all made sense.

We are delighted to welcome Neurodiversity Consultant, Kate Woods for this conversation. Kate shares her story and also wonderful insights of how we can all celebrate differences in our teams at work, at play and at home.

About Kate Woods

Kate first became enthralled with the question of ‘why do people behave as they do?” as a teenager. This led to a lifetime of investigating topics in psychology, organisational behaviour, injury management and workplace rehabilitation, personality disorders, spirituality, and politics – all the while focusing on how systems operate.

Until COVID-19 hit and the resultant lockdown, without the need to ‘mask’ in daily life, triggered an understanding of some key differences about her interaction with the world. Suddenly a question - was the lifelong fascination with human behaviour in fact her brain’s way of solving for being born without the inbuilt social ‘rule book’? AHA! She followed the clues and was finally diagnosed with autism and ADHD at the age of 42.

Now she is living a life based on autistic ‘thriving’ - joining the ranks of many neurodivergent people promoting autism acceptance and working to address inequalities that affect autistic wellbeing and health outcomes.

AUTISM FACTS AND FIGURES

• In 2018, the ABS reported there were 205,200 people in Australia with an autism diagnosis. 1.3% of males and 0.4% in females.

• Given the large numbers (particularly adults) who remain undiagnosed, true prevalence is likely to be considerably higher.

• The numbers are up 217% over the last decade (far greater than for other disabilities). [1]

• Girls and women are underdiagnosed. Current ABS figures reveal the estimated ratio of autistic boys and men to autistic girls and women is 3.5:1. This is likely a significant underestimate.

Autistic people face a huge gap in health outcomes:

• International evidence reveals autistic people have a life expectancy of 20-36 years shorter than the general population.

• A 2019 study found autistic people are more than twice as likely to die before turning 75 as the general population. This is largely due to the high incidence of mental health conditions.

• Mental ill health impacts the majority of autistic people with between 50-70% of autistic people experience co-existing mental health conditions. Anxiety and depressive disorders are the most prevalent, particularly among autistic females.

• Suicide is a major issue. A 2015 study found that adults with autism and no additional learning disability are over 9 times more likely (relative to a general population) to commit suicide. 66% of adults newly diagnosed with ASD contemplate suicide, compared to 17% of the general population, and 35% plan or attempt to end their lives.

Employment outcomes for autistic people are poor

• In 2018 the ABS reported that unemployment among autistic people was a staggering 34.1% - more than three times the rate for all people with disability and almost eight times the rate of people without disability.

• Labour force participation was just 38%, compared to all people with disability (53.4%) and less than half that of people without disability (84.1%).

Autistic people with intersecting disadvantages – those in low socio-economic households and neighbourhoods; with co-occurring disabilities; with low English proficiency; and those living in regional and remote communities face heightened risks of even poorer outcomes in health and employment.

Source: The Australian Autism Alliance Submission to the Senate Select Committee on Autism. https://australianautismalliance.org.au/inquiry-into-autism/

What IS autism?

Under the medical model, autism is defined as a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes deficits in social interaction and communication, along with restricted and repetitive behaviours.

In the social model, autism is a different way of thinking. Another way, that is just as valid and valuable as the ‘norm.

And autistic people are not disabled by our autism; we are disabled by our environment.