Hello everyone, in this week’s episode I talk about some exciting personal news and talk about the different jobs I’ve held so far. I think it can be hard for autistic people to figure out what they want to do because so many different things can seem interesting. I hope that sharing my own path can help you figure out what you want to do and encourage you to follow your dreams no matter what you’ve done so far.

Moving forward I will be publishing episodes every other week, so see you in two weeks!

“Neurodiverse individuals themselves are not any less efficient or any less productive than non-neurodiverse or neurotypical individuals, especially if you provide them with the reasonable accommodations to be successful.” -Scott Span

My guest this week, Scott Span, is a speaker and coach that helps neurodiverse leaders manage communication and presence at work. We had a great conversation about how neurodiverse people can be authentic at work and ask for accommodations.

You will learn:

• What reasonable accommodations can look like at work
• How being authentic can encourage and support coworkers
• Why psychological safety is so important
• Plus, learn about Scott’s special interest!

Follow-up Questions:

• What’s an accommodation that would be beneficial for you at work? Think about physical space, equipment, technology, and flexibility.
• How can you contribute to psychological safety?
• Are you measuring performance in a way that makes sense?

Guest Bio:

Scott Span is a sought-after speaker and advisor on change, personal development, leadership, and workplace culture. For two decades, Scott has supported leaders, teams, and organizations navigate the realities of change, turning uncertainty into clarity and stalled progress into results. Scott is neurodivergent and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. He brings lived experience, empathy, humor, and a process-driven style to his coaching, speaking, and facilitation. Scott tackles topics like leading through change, overcoming adversity, inclusive leadership, building an authentic leadership style and creating a high-performance workplace culture. He offers practical insights that resonate across industries. His talks inspire action and his work provides audiences and clients with clear, real-world strategies to lead and succeed with awareness, resilience, and impact. He is also a member of the Consortium for Change.

Links:

• Tolero Solutions
• Debunk Neurodivergent Myths at Work: 5 Solutions
• Neurodiversity in the Workforce: Scott Span Of Tolero Solutions On Why It’s Important To Include Neurodiverse Employees & How To Make Your Workplace More Neuro-Inclusive
• New research reveals mixed feelings about the terms “neurodiversity” and “neurodivergent”

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Email me at kevin@workingclassautistic.com

Growing up I was always known as a quiet kid. I just felt like I never really knew what to say or how to say it. Learning about the communication differences between autistic and neurotypical people was one of the biggest reasons that I was able to conclude I was autistic myself. In this episode I talk about how I was able to learn how to communicate in spite of these challenges.

Follow-up Question:

• What are some times in your life when you were able to speak up?

More Resources:

• Ask A Manager
• Captain Awkward

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Email me at kevin@workingclassautistic.com

My guest this week, Dr. Ashley de Marchena, is on a mission to give communication strategies to autistic people and their non-autistic communication partners. We had a great conversation that covered a lot of different tips and advice to improve communication.

You will learn:

• How non-autistic people can be better communicators to autistic people
• Ways to check in to make sure you are being understood in a conversation
• What research says about teaching autistic kids multiple languages

Follow-up Questions:

• Can you do a check in the next time you’re in a conversation?
• How can you give more time in a conversation?
• How can you reduce assumptions in your communication?

Guest Bio:

Ashley de Marchena is an Associate Research Professor in the Early Detection and Intervention research program at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute. Her research focuses on two distinct but related topics in autism: (1) understanding communication skills and experiences across the lifespan, and (2) diagnostic decision-making. Dr. de Marchena is a licensed psychologist in the state of Pennsylvania, with clinical expertise in early autism diagnosis, and is highly motivated to integrate her clinical experiences with her empirical work. Dr. de Marchena collaborates regularly with autistic scientists and community members, with the goal of conducting research that is valuable and accessible to members of the autistic community.

Dr. de Marchena received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Connecticut. She then completed her clinical internship, as well as clinical and research postdoctoral fellowships, at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She is currently leading an NIH-funded project examining communication experiences related to nonverbal communication(for example, eye contact, hand gestures, tone of voice, and facial expression) in autistic adults.

Links:

• Drexel University Profile
• Google Scholar

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Email me at kevin@workingclassautistic.com

Over the last year I have been searching for a new job. I ended up making it to the final interview stage for five different companies … and all five companies ended up rejecting me in the end. In this week’s episode of Working Class Autistic I talk about dealing with that amount of rejection and why it can be more difficult for autistic people due to Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria.

Follow-up Question:

• What are some times in your life where you have faced rejection, and how did you handle it?

More Resources:

• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/friendship-20/201907/what-is-rejection-sensitive-dysphoria
• Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria in ADHD & Autism
• The Unbearable Heartache of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Email me at kevin@workingclassautistic.com

My guest this week is Dr. Jessica Hicksted. Jessica is a researcher and advocate for people with invisible disabilities, particularly in the workplace.

You will learn:

• How to ask for accommodations without disclosing your own disability
• The surprising percentage of people who actually have invisible disabilities
• How body doubling can help create accountability

Follow-up Questions:

• Do you identify with having an invisible disability?
• What is a simple accommodation you can offer that would help people with invisible disabilities?
• Can you use body doubling to help knock something off your to-do list?

Guest Bio:

Diagnosed as an adult with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, Jessica Hicksted, Ph.D., brings her life experiences and education to advocate for people with invisible disabilities. She has faced many challenges, including sustaining injuries during military service, which she overcame with resiliency and determination. She is a mother to two sons with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.

Dr. Hicksted has faced her own battles with discrimination in the workplace after disclosing her invisible disabilities. She returned to graduate school to learn to become an effective advocate for positive social change. Through her PhD studies in Industrial Organizational Psychology, she dedicated her research to invisible disabilities in the workplace, and developed a tool for employers to measure stigma associated with the disclosure by workers of invisible disabilities.

Links:

• ndoutloud.com
• ndhive.com

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Email me at kevin@workingclassautistic.com

Do you struggle with identifying your own strengths? In this week's solo episode I talk about how I used my special interests and career to figure out what I am good at. I also talk about how you can do the same!

Audio note: I realized after recording that the heater turned on partway through some sections. I cleaned up the audio as best I could so hopefully it's not too disruptive!

Follow-up Question:

• What are your strengths?

Links:

• https://www.autistica.org.uk/what-is-autism/autistic-strengths
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/overcoming-failure-to-launch-in-autistic-emerging-adults/202601/strengths-that-autistic-adults
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/atypical-children-extraordinary-parenting/202511/how-solution-focused-therapy-can-help-autism

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Email me at kevin@workingclassautistic.com

In this episode I talk to Dr. David Krauss. David is a psychologist with over 30 years of experience working with children, adolescents and their families, as well as individual adults, in independent practice, school and hospital settings. We had an interesting conversation about how autistic people can find their strengths and why it’s important to have awe for yourself no matter what you do.

You will learn:

• How language and views on autism have changed over the years
• How to identify your strengths
• Why the fundamental attribution error affects how we see autistic people

Follow-up Questions:

• Is your world frozen, getting smaller, or getting larger?
• What’s one thing you do that you can have awe for?
• The next time you get mad at someone, can you think about their context or history first?

Guest Bio: Dr. David Krauss, Ph.D. is a psychologist with over 30 years of experience working with children, adolescents and their families, as well as individual adults, in independent practice, school and hospital settings. He has a PhD in Clinical and Community Psychology from Yale University and a practice located in Hopewell, NJ. He specializes in working with neurologically or developmentally 'atypical' children and adolescents - ADHD, learning disabilities, autism spectrum, etc. He often works with those neurodevelopmentally atypical children, adolescent and young adults who don't easily fit into these kinds of standard diagnostic categories. He looks for and develops strengths, resiliencies and resources.

Links:

• David's Psychology Today Profile
• Atypical Children – Extraordinary Parenting

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Email me at kevin@workingclassautistic.com