Have you ever worked with someone who is neurodivergent? With an estimated 15% - 20% of people in the workforce falling somewhere under this umbrella, chances are you have.

This is a session about lessons learned over ten years working in different roles from contract developer to Dev Manager and now Scrum Master. Through anecdotes and lived experience, we will discuss some common patterns and leadership challenges in the tech industry and how these issues could be impacting people very differently - often in ways that are not visible in remote working environments.

Most importantly, each story is accompanied by practical tools for improving communication and leadership skills, because as it turns out, building the skills we all need for healthy teamwork and collaboration is also incredibly important when it comes to improving neuroinclusivity.

Learning Objectives

Attendees can expect to learn facts and foundational knowledge about common types of neurodiversity in tech with a stronger focus on ADHD, Autism and anxiety. By the end of the session, they will have a stronger appreciation for the importance of strong leadership skills and training in the context of inclusion. They will also have some examples of tools and practices that can be applied by anyone to facilitate communication, develop leadership abilities, or advocate for more effective approaches if they are the ones impacted.

Prerequisites

Attendees should come to this session having considered their own personal experiences and challenges they have had while working in teams.

Synopsis

Neuroinclusivity can look like a lot of different things and as such, this might feel like a daunting challenge. If foundational communication and leadership strategies are lacking, the impacts on neurodivergent people could be much greater than we can see - let’s start talking about what we can do about it.