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That link no longer works - try this. - Last week
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Shocking! I hope she gets well compensated. - Earlier
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A "File on 4 Investigates" radio programme titled "Locked up: Woman held in mental health facility for 45 years" in which reporter Carolyn Atkinson asks why so many autistic people and/or those with a learning disability, including children, are still locked up and why successive governments have failed to meet their promises to move people from hospital to home. "File on four" documentary will be broadcast tonight 4th March 2025 on Radio 4 at 20:00hrs. It will also be available at the following link, for over a year: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0028jmh -
Seen on BBC news site "Autistic woman wrongly locked up in mental health hospital for 45 years An autistic woman with a learning disability was wrongly locked up in a mental health hospital for 45 years, starting when she was just seven years old, the BBC has learned. ..." https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly43png991o
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Autism related petition open (until 25th August 2025) on the UK Government website by Kael Hopkinson called "Ban Applied Behaviour Analysis Therapy designed to reduce Autistic Stimming" the text of which is "The Government should ban Applied Behaviour Analysis Therapy (“ABA”), for the purpose of reducing soothing “stimming” behaviours in people with autism spectrum disorder. Reports indicate that people with autism spectrum disorder call ABA therapy “abusive” or “traumatic” and some may have c-PTSD as a result. Furthermore, research from the US Department of Defence concluded that ABA is not significantly improving outcomes.". The petition can be found at the link below: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/711392
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An neurodivergence related petition created by Laura Charlton, called "Fund more training for teachers on neurodivergence" is currently open on the UK Government website: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/708958
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Interesting article seen on the BBC website about a former church minister who was diagnosed with autism in his late fifties, "Former church minister creates art reflecting on his autism": https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyplxe6069o Some of Keith's art: https://keithdruryart.com/neurodiversity
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German software company SAP recruits autistic staff
Aeolienne replied to Aeolienne's topic in Beyond Adolescence
I should have stated that my original posting was not written by me and cited its source. Here's one copy of it, but given that it appears to come from Agence France-Presse (AFP) it was probably published in other places: News.com.au (11 June 2013) -
Hi folks, it seems I was last on here in 2012! I've two teenage daughters with ASD and am wondering what resources there are up in NE Scotland these days? There did used to be a local branch of the NAS but I'm struggling to find anything current. Thanks all.
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All the best in 2025 for you Gold MD and all the other users of this forum.
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Cheers!
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Some Autism and neurodiversity petitions currently open on the UK Government website: "Ensure needs of autistic people are met in any future pandemic response": https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/702200 "Make autism training mandatory for teachers in schools to help understanding": https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/702034 "Improve mental health services for neurodiverse young people": https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/703764 "Make Neurodiversity a protected characteristic in the Equality Act. ": https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/701538
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(Not written by me) UK employers eye ‘competitive advantage’ in hiring neurodivergent workers Six-fold rise in job ads that mention conditions such as ADHD and autism since 2019, data shows Amy Borrett, 19 December 2024 UK employers are waking up to the “competitive advantage” of hiring people with conditions such as ADHD and autism, as data shows a six-fold increase in job adverts mentioning terms related to neurodiversity since 2019. But policy experts and campaigners warn that companies need to do more to improve labour market access for neurodivergent candidates as employment rates for this group remain stubbornly low. Figures from hiring website Indeed, shared with the Financial Times, indicated that 2.1 per cent of posts referenced these conditions in October 2024, compared with 0.3 per cent in January 2019. The findings, which excluded roles that typically involve working with neurodivergent people, reflect how more companies are actively seeking such candidates and adjusting their hiring processes to attract the rapidly expanding share of the population with these conditions. Policy experts cautioned against companies paying lip service to long-standing barriers to entry without taking real action and called for the government to urgently improve education and health services. The NHS estimates that one in seven people in the UK are neurodivergent, a term that covers conditions such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia that affect how the brain processes information. Business leaders argue there is a strong economic case for recruiting more people from this “untapped pool of talent”, who have historically been disadvantaged by ineffective hiring and working practices. Mayur Gondhea, founder of CubeLynx, a consultancy providing financial modelling on infrastructure and net zero projects, said half of the company’s 30 analysts were neurodivergent, giving his businesses a “competitive advantage”. “This group is hugely talented but just cannot get a foothold and contribute to the jobs market,” he said. Gondhea added that making adjustments to the work environment, such as providing noise-cancelling headphones and flexible working hours, were “not that expensive or difficult” to implement. "Being inclusive makes people comfortable at work, more productive and more likely to stay with you,” he said. Joseph Koppenhout, a financial analyst at CubeLynx who is autistic, said conventional hiring practices often inadvertently excluded neurodivergent people. “A lot of job interviews rely on vibes and whether you click with that person, which by the nature of autism is quite challenging,” he said. He added that autistic people were often deterred from applying if they did not meet all the job requirements, not realising that recruiters expected people to apply “optimistically”. CubeLynx is one of the companies leading the way on improving workplace inclusivity, according to the inaugural Neurodiversity Employers index, an annual evaluation of workplace culture, recruitment strategies and employee wellbeing. Management consultancy Baringa and insurer Aviva Group were also among the top performers. The report, which was published by charity Autistica last month, concluded more action was needed, with only 30 per cent of the 118 companies that chose to participate having a clear neuro-inclusion goal and strategy. James Cusack, Autistica chief executive, said changes to working practices had “cascading benefits” across an organisation. “It’s not about giving neurodivergent people preferential treatment. The current interview system isn’t very effective and it particularly disadvantages autistic people,” he added. Dan Harris, founder of Neurodiversity in Business, an industry group, said that while large companies were starting to take note of the “vast” neurodivergent workforce, some efforts were “perfunctory” but most companies were making changes “with gusto”. In recent years, Wall Street has lead the way in widening the goalposts. US banks such as JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo have invested heavily in global neurodiversity programmes.“ A small number of key leaders in the industry are driving forth recognition that there is incredibly untapped talent,” said Stephen DeStefani, neurodiversity lead at Wells Fargo, adding that the programme had filled “critical skills” gaps. Bryan Gill, head of neurodiversity at JPMorgan, said hiring had become “far more competitive” and one of the “largest untapped pools” of talent is the neurodivergent community. Despite this greater awareness, employment rates have barely shifted. Official data shows only 31 per cent of autistic adults in the UK were in work in the year ending March 2024, only a slight rise from 26 per cent in the 12 months to March 2021, the first year comparable data was collected. Dismantling the barriers of entry would also drive economic growth, research suggests. Pro Bono Economics, a think-tank, found that doubling employment rates for autistic people by 2030 would deliver between £900mn and £1.5bn in societal benefits each year. “There’s a real hard economic edge to this issue,” said Sir Robert Buckland, author of a government review into autism employment, which was published in February. “This is something that Britain can lead the world on, but to genuinely close the productivity and employment gap we need more than high-level words.” He said the government needed to “ramp up” employer support programmes such as Disability Confident, and that a “bottom-up” approach that helped businesses with free training would be more effective and quicker than new legislation. Rising awareness of neurodiversity has created a surge in new referrals and mounting pressure on NHS services. In England, there are as many as 1.2mn autistic people and 2.2mn with ADHD, according to the Nuffield Trust. A record 205,000 patients are on the NHS waiting list for an autism referral, while waits for an ADHD diagnosis exceed 10 years in parts of England. Cusack said improving economic opportunities for neurodivergent people required “urgent action” to improve special educational needs provision and reduce long waiting lists. “If we don’t find a sustainable way forward then we will see another generation who are highly likely to experience mental health problems and find it impossible to access work,” he added. Sir Stephen Timms, Social Security and Disability minister, said the government would “take forward” the announcements in the Get Britain Working white paper with further measures to improve employment outcomes for disabled people and benefits system reform. “Too many people have faced unnecessary barriers to employment. This government is committed to unlocking the full potential of neurodivergent people, too much of which has been untapped for far too long,” he said. Source: Financial Times
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Did you play the remake?
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There is a "Sunday Worship" programme on BBC Radio 4 next Sunday, 17th November 2024 at 08:10hrs, called "A Church for Everyone?", "Reflecting on the experiences in church of a significant proportion of the population - people who are on the autistic spectrum. … ". More details at the following link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002535k Will likely be able to listen to this for a few weeks after its original broadcast.
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Seen on the BBC news web site, an "Autism in the Air" scheme programme is led by Dr Nichola Booth from Queen’s University Belfast in partnership with Belfast City Airport which helps children who are on the Autistic spectrum become familiar with the airport environment, making future travel more accessible and stress-free. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgvdklypvpo It sounds to be a very useful scheme. I wonder if something similar could be provided at other airports.
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Turnover
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Give ChatGPT a job description and see how ND-friendly it thinks it is: ChatGPT - Is this job Neurodivergent (By Spectroomz.com) As an example, here's what it thought of that notorious Ernst & Young vacancy from 2009/2010 ("Life after graduation" in the "Help and advice forum): Score: 2 (A bit ND friendly) The job offers some flexibility, such as working on multiple projects and collaborating with global teams, but it requires strong multitasking, project management, and frequent communication, which can be challenging for neurodivergent individuals prone to burnout or those who prefer more structured environments. The heavy emphasis on changing deadlines and priorities, combined with complex stakeholder management, could be stressful without clear support systems for neurodivergent employees. There's no mention of accommodations, making it less ND-friendly.
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Heard on the radio this morning a special edition of "The Food Programme" titled "Eating on the Spectrum" which explores how neurodivergence can affect the way people eat and experience food. The programme visited the " Aubergine Café" in Cardiff, which is owned and run by autistic individuals, to meet the staff who explain why the café is needed and how it provides a better workplace for neurodivergent people. It also featured expert dietitian David Rex, who supports children with autism facing eating challenges. At The Holmewood School in north London, a specialist school for neurodivergent children, teachers and students share with Leyla how their new food technology kitchen is transforming some children's relationship with food, while also building skills and pride. The programme can be accessed at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0023yfp It can also be downloaded.
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Shows with an autistic theme at the Edinburgh festival fringe 2024
Gold MD replied to Aut_Scot's topic in General Discussion
Cool. -
Coal (in Morningside) .
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Shows with an autistic theme at the Edinburgh festival fringe 2024
Aut_Scot replied to Aut_Scot's topic in General Discussion
"Do you live in Edinburgh? I do. " - Not in Edinburgh, but I live not far away.
