The Star: July 11, 2024

The Star Thursday July 11 2024
14
NEWS
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Neurodivergence at work: Why
flipping the narrative benefits all
ADHD IS not confined
to adolescents. Jenn
Loh reports
‘ADHD is not an excuse,
it’s an explanation’
– Bex O’Malley
REFRAMING: Bex O’Malley is training to become an ADHD coach to help others see their
neurodivergence in a positive light.
PHOTO: JENN LOH
WHEN HER son was being
assessed for Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder, Bex
O’Malley realised she shared
many symptoms that resulted in
his diagnosis.
The realisation led to her
own assessment and in 2019, at
35-years-old, she was diagnosed
with ADHD.
“It was an awakening. I had
an explanation now for why
those three decades of my life
seemed to be so much harder
than for others around me,” said
O’Malley.
“I always felt like I didn’t connect
with others the same way.”
‘Neurodivergent’ is the
umbrella term for people with
different cognitive functions
than neurotypicals. It includes
individuals with neurodevelopmental
conditions such as autism
spectrum disorder, dyslexia, and
ADHD.
O’Malley is a senior sales
specialist at Air New Zealand
Cargo. After feeling the need to
hide her ADHD from a previous
employer, she described the
move to a supportive, inclusive
work environment at Air New
Zealand as life-changing.
“I felt important. I felt like I
had permission to take the time
to get to know myself, and to
then be able to let the business
know what my needs are for
them to get the best out of me.”
She says being open about her
ADHD in her workplace has
greatly aided in her ability to
frame its discourse in a less negative
way.
“Because my colleagues
understand that my brain is
wired differently, and how that
manifests in certain behaviours
– ADHD is not an excuse, it’s an
explanation.”
O’Malley stresses the importance
of flipping the narrative
of neurodiversity into a positive
one.
“You see and hear so much
in the media about the negative
stuff, like the neurodivergent
unemployment rates and the
percentage of the prison population
that have ADHD. But where
are the stats on the number of
successful people that are on the
spectrum?”
O’Malley is training through
education provider Gold Mind
Academy to become an accredited
ADHD coach to help others,
particularly women who were
diagnosed as adults, see their
neurodivergence in a positive
light.
She praises the te reo translations
of neurodiverse conditions
for making no mention of disorders
or deficits. The Māori word
for ADHD, aroreretini, means
“attention goes to many things”.
Takiwātanga, derived from
“tōku/tōna anō takiwā” which
means “my/his/her own time
and space”, is used to describe
autism.
While the implementation of
well-being and mental health
policies by many organisations
has come a long way, O’Malley
finds the poor understanding
of neurodivergent conditions
is a barrier to achieving true
inclusivity.
“People historically see it as
solely a behavioural thing - but
it’s not. Neurodivergents have
different chemical processes
happening in their brains. It’s
physiological as well, and there’s
no ‘one size fits all’ formula as
each individual’s needs are very
different.”
She emphasises organisations
should be adopting an intersectional
lens when it comes
to building neuro-inclusive
policies, especially as future generations
are poised to enter the
workplace with a much stronger
sense of awareness.
The formation of groups such
as the Neurodiversity in Education
Coalition are proof of the
changing times. The coalition,
which comprises four national
organisations that represent a
large proportion of New Zealand’s
neurodiverse youth, is
advocating for more awareness
of the rights of neurodiverse
young people.
“There is diversity across all
parts of human experience –
gender, sexuality, ethnicity. Neurodiversity
is just another one of
those areas in which people are
different,” said coalition leader
Justine Munro.
“Gen Z is very clear on matters
of identity, and they want their
workplaces to actually recognise
who they are across all of those
dimensions and become environments
where they can bring
their full selves to work.”
Gen Z is people born between
1997 and 2012.
Employment advocate
WHAT IS ADHD?
• ADHD is caused by a
neurodevelopment delay
to the prefrontal cortex of
the brain, which results
in increased difficulty in
controlling and filtering
attention, emotions, and
behaviours.
• In New Zealand, an
estimated 280,000 Kiwis
have ADHD – that’s one
in 20 people.
• While ADHD was once
thought to be more
prevalent in males, it is
now believed the gender
ratio is 1:1 and females
are overlooked because
their symptoms typically
present as inattentive
rather than hyperactive.
• ADHD usually runs in
families. A quarter of all
children with ADHD will
have a parent with the
condition.
Ashleigh Fechney agrees with
Munro.
“We want to bring our full
selves to our employment, not
just the parts that will benefit an
employer,” said Fechney.
“We don’t want to be seen as
a tool for profit. We want to be
recognised for our intrinsic value
as human beings with unique
strengths and contributions.”
Fechney works closely with
ADHD New Zealand, providing
legal support on employment
rights for members of the neurodivergent
community.
She believes it’s mutually
beneficial for employers to
acknowledge intersectional
handicaps and support
individual growth of their
employees, regardless of them
being neurodivergent or
neurotypical.
“When employees feel seen
and supported, their engagement
and productivity naturally
increase.”
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