As an autistic adult, what would you change in schools? With Joanna Grace

Autism support is given to half the people who need it, and nearly all of it involves teaching people to appear not-autistic i.e. teaching them the skills required to mask autism. Research has shown that masking is damaging to physical and mental health, so we should aim to support everyone and do it in ways that respect their neurotype.  Joanna Grace joins Dale for today’s episode ‘As an Autistic adult what would you change in schools?’. “We obviously can't go back in time and change things, but hopefully we can use our experiences to improve the experience for pupils currently in school”. Joanna Grace Joanna was diagnosed at 36 and we discuss what she would want teachers to know if she was at school now. Listen to find out the importance of early diagnosis, the things she would want to and not to happen at school and how you can support your pupils. About Joanna Grace Joanna Grace is a sensory engagement and inclusion specialist, doctoral researcher, author, trainer, TEDx speaker and Founder of The Sensory Projects.   Joanna has worked with people with learning disabilities and neurodivergent conditions aged from 0-100 (well 1 day old – 87 years old to be precise) in a range of settings and context.  Through all she does Joanna is seeking to contribute to a future where people are understood in spite of their differences.  Contact Joanna Grace Website - www.TheSensoryProjects.co.uk Email - [email protected] Twitter - @Jo3Grace Facebook - www.Facebook.com/JoannaGraceTSP  Useful Links Aside from the obvious, my son’s book My Mummy is Autistic, I have a FREE training series on YouTube aimed at mainstream SENCOs (but it has been accessed far more widely than that) that explores issues that crop up in schools around autistic students https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi1RQR58BHnW5LtJfD0Ph-RIH7EhnrP3t  My facebook is also a resource for insight into neurodivergence, with the photo albums acting as resource banks: www.facebook.com/JoannaGraceTSP people are welcome to connect with me, and my LinkedIn profile has many free to access articles that I have written on the topic of neurodiversity www.LinkedIn.com/In/JoannaGraceTheSensoryProjects