Autism CRC Podcast

Learn how allied health professionals, support workers and school staff can work together as equal partners to engage families and establish effective communication between home and school; developing resources, plans and supports for neurodiverse learners.This episode is hosted by Autism CRC’s Nicole Torres who is joined by panellists Rebecca Wahlsten from Positive Partnerships and Amanda Porter from Purple Orange.

Learn about the professional learning platform and national community of practice available on inclusionED.edu.au that has reached over 55,000 unique visitors and achieved over 6000 registered users since its launch in May 2020.This episode is hosted by Autism CRC’s Nicole Torres and Libby Salles.

Learn how to understand sensory avoidance and sensory seeking behaviour and learn about hypo- and hyper-sensitivities to stimuli in the classroom environment. This episode is hosted by Autism CRC’s Nicole Torres who is joined by Associate Professor Wayne Wilson from The University of Queensland and Ainslie Robinson from Aspect.

Learn strategies for teachers to build trusting relationships, spot the signs of anxiety and support students in recognising and managing anxiety.This episode is hosted by Autism CRC’s Nicole Torres who is joined by panellists:Assoc Prof Dawn Adams (Griffith University)Kathryn Ambrose (Griffith University)Jac den Houting (Macquarie University)

Learn about neurodiversity, autism and helpful strategies to support neurodiverse learners in the classroom from sensory needs to harnessing strengths, passions and interests to enhance learning.This episode is hosted by Autism CRC’s Cheryl Mangan and features friends of inclusionED: Dr Emma Goodall from Positive Partnerships, Trudy Bartlett from Marsden State High School and Education consultant Geraldine Robertson.

The release of our sixteenth episode marks the conclusion of series one of the Autism CRC podcast featuring Autism@Work.We will be back for series two in 2024, featuring inclusionED and how we can develop more inclusive classrooms.

Learn about mental health issues faced by autistic employees and hear from Dr Simon Bury about the Supporting a Neurodiverse Workforce: a mental health and wellbeing resource and training package.This is our final episode for 2023 and concludes the Autism@Work series.

Hosted by Andrew Eddy from Untapped Group, this session is a pre-recorded presentation featuring:Ken KilbrideTimmy FrawleyCharlotte ValeurBeth KilkennyBlanaid GavinLearn about higher education thought leadership from a number of individuals at universities from Ireland and the work they’ve been conducting to promote neurodiversity in universities and drive thought leadership in areas of mental health and neurodiversity in the legal system.

Learn about the launch of the Self-Advocacy @ Work website, its key features and the co-design process that was undertaken in its development and delivery.Self-Advocacy@Work helps autistic people navigate the world of employment, understand workplace rights, and develop self-advocacy skills through multi-media tools and resources.Find out more on the website: https://selfadvocacy.au/

This episode focuses on insights from higher education featuring:Laurie Ackles – Director, Spectrum Support Program at Rochester Institute of TechnologyBeth Radulski – Autism Researcher and Academic at La Trobe UniversitySascha Lemon-Spence – USEP Coordinator at Flinders University and University of AdelaideLaura Trotter – Senior Climate Change Risk and Resilience Engineer at GHDJoel Clark – Engineering student at Flinders University and intern at GHDLearn about the La Trobe University neurodiversity project and how PhD research is exploring the barriers to disclosure and inclusion for autistic people and what is being done to support students to perform their best.Hear from Joel Clark, an engineering student on his experience interning at GHD and what he has learned from mentor, Laura Trotter, Senior Engineer at GHD.

This episode is a workshop on sustaining your Autism@Work program featuring:Sharon Whip – Neurodiversity Consultant at Untapped GroupAdam Easterbrook – Dandelion Program Delivery ExecutiveAndrew Baird – Product Owner & Journey Expert at ANZ BankDavid Gibson – Dandelion Programme Lead at DXC Technology UKLearn about building organisational capability, scalability and sustainability for your current or future Autism@Work programs as panellists discuss how to structure a framework that makes success sustainable.The primary purpose of Autism@Work programs is to promote a psychologically safe workplace culture through acceptance, inclusivity and support.

This episode is a workshop on starting an Autism@Work Program featuring:Lauren Rowell – Detective Sergeant at Australian Federal PoliceStacey Cupka – Director, Organisational Strategy at Department of Treasury Vicky Booth – Director, Autism Hub at Queensland Department of EducationLearn from some of the amazing people who have been championing Autism@Work programs within their organisations for many years:1. The Autism@Work Programs initiated within their organisations2. The business and social value these programs bring to their respective organisations3. Some of the challenges encountered and how they overcame them4. The key steps required to initiate your own Autism@Work program

This episode is hosted by Orion Kelly and features CEO Vanessa Casteneda Gill and Creative Director Lucy Stevens from Social Cipher.Social Cipher develops story-driven video games that give neurodivergent youth and the professionals who work with them a safe, accessible, empowering space to apply and understand social-emotional skills.

This session features CEO Rajesh Anandan and Chief Data Scientist Dr. Nicole Radziwill from Ultranauts Inc and is hosted by Orion Kelly.Learn about Ultranauts Inc., an award-winning quality engineering firm with employees in 30 states across the U.S., 75% of whom are on the autism spectrum.Named a Fast Company World Changing Idea, MIT SOLVE Challenge Winner and Interbrand Breakthrough Brand, Ultranauts is reimagining how a company hires talent, manages teams and develops careers.

This episode features insights from people championing Autism@Work programs:Louise Sheehy – National Partnership Manager at MatchWorksAsh Bates – neurodivergent myWAY Employability program participantJacinta Shellam – Employer Engagement Partner at MatchWorksTrudi-Ann Gribble – Director at Autix InternationalCheryl Mangan – Manager, Research Translation at Autism CRCModerated by Wojciech Nadachowski from Autism CRC.Learn about the Neurodiverse Employment Training Program which was developed to provide support and training for MatchWorks Disability Employment Services (DES) clients who identify as neurodivergent.The 4-day program was piloted in two sites in Western Australia and Queensland and covered topics of neurodiversity awareness including goal setting, universal design, and career exploration based on myWAY Employability.

This episode features insights from Employee Resource Group (ERG) representatives:Elio Sarpi – Product Development, Center of Excellence, CX Sales, Director at OracleImogen Bird – Manager of Gold Coast operations at GHDPierre Escaich – Neurodiversity Talent Program Director at UbisoftLearn how Employee Resource Groups (ERGS) are successfully supporting their staff to understand and better support autistic employees.ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups whose aim is to foster a diverse, inclusive workplace by proving support to create a psychologically safe work environment.

This session features keynote speaker Jessica Kaaden, Director at SANE and hosted by COO Wojciech Nadachowski from Autism CRC.Jessica is the Director of People and Communications at SANE, Vice President of Australian HR Institute (AHRI), and a founding member of Hacking HR’s Global Experts Council.She is an HR Leader and an autistic advocate whose drive for inclusion and diversity has seen her pioneer and develop programs across the public, non-profit and private sectors.

Hosted by Orion Kelly, this episode features insights from small business representatives:· Kathy Isaacs – Salesforce Experience Consultant at turnKeyCRC (Autism CRC)· Geoffrey Smith – Social Entrepreneur & Data Analyst at ASALearn from representatives of small businesses that recruit and employ autistic talent and the enormous benefit that recruiting for neurodiversity has on small medium enterprises.Small businesses are able to bring on autistic talent easier as they know all their employees really well. Autist talent increases productivity, bringing new ideas to teams and shaking up traditional ways of working and thinking.

This episode provides insights from Human Resources professionals featuring:· Jessica Kaaden – Executive Director at SANE· Ashlea McKay – Chief People Officer at Parbery,· Samantha Garbutt – Chief People Officer at ASAModerated by Rhonda Brighton-Hall from Mwah.Learn how existing HR resources support the management of autistic and neurodiverse talent and discover where the gaps in HR practice exist and how they can be addressed.Human Resources provides the strategic and operational framework for the diversity, equity and inclusion practices in organisations, including policy direction, tools and resources to advance diverse talent.You can watch the recordings of the series at: autismcrc.com.au/news/webinars/autismwork-2023-virtual-summit

Hosted by Orion Kelly, this session provides insights from autistic employees featuring:Luke Van Bockel – Cybersecurity Analyst at Department of TreasuryNicole Park – Fraud Tech Analyst at NABJames Gleeson-Mccoy – Trainee Intel Engineer at DXC TechnologyDaniel Slavin – Piggery Attendant at SunPork GroupLearn about the experiences of autistic employees and exploring the role of skill development in career-building.This session is proudly brought to you by SunPork Group.You can watch the recordings of the series at: autismcrc.com.au/news/webinars/autismwork-2023-virtual-summit