Pete Wharmby

Pete Wharmby, Neurodiversity speaker and author, working to improve awareness...

Speaker fees:

In-person: £1k-£3k
Virtual: £1k-£3k

Topics:

Neurodiversity in Education
2
Neurodiversity in the Workplace

Pete Wharmby was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 34 in 2017, a moment that had a profound impact on his life and helped him embrace his true self.

Motivated by the alarming statistics surrounding depression, anxiety, and life expectancy for autistic individuals, Pete Wharmby has dedicated himself to raising awareness of neurodiversity, promoting acceptance, and advocating for a more inclusive world for the neurodivergent community.

In April 2024, Pete was also diagnosed with ADHD, further shaping his work and perspective.

Pete has spoken at a wide range of events and conferences, both in the UK and internationally across Europe and North America.
Whether in person or remotely, he shares his insights and experiences of being autistic and ADHD with businesses, governments, educational establishments, and more.

Pete is a bestselling author, with his first book, What I Want to Talk About, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers in September 2022, and his second book, Untypical, released by HarperCollins in March 2023, and the paperback in March 2024.

In addition to his books, Pete has written various articles, interviews, and book chapters, and has appeared on BBC Radio 2.
As a former secondary English teacher, Pete can deliver keynotes, workshops and training packages to the education sector aswell as the corporate market.

As a speaker with many years of experience, Pete is able to offer a clarity of insight and understanding of autistic experiences and neurodiversity as a whole, that has proven to be extremely valuable to clients.
Pete is a deliverer of the National Autism Training Programme developed by AT-Autism and the Anna Freud Centre, delivering training to NHS staff, care workers, residential staff and more.

Book Pete Wharmby

Featured topics include

Pete works with businesses to deliver one off talks, or more in depth training packages with an overview of neurodiversity and how to manage and understand for your workplace.

This includes, but is not limited too;

  • What is neurodiversity?
  • Biodiversity of brain structures, or how every human brain works in very different ways.
  • What are the different conditions/disorders and how they may be displayed
  • What things should be considered when interaction with neurodivergent people to maximise relationship and make them comfortable.
  • Myths of neurodiversity
  • Stories of good / bad experiences
  • What your sector/business should be aware of when interacting with neurodivergent customers & employees
  • How to make our colleagues feel comfortable

This talk/workshop is great following the ‘Introduction to Neurodiversity’
This is a 90 minute session and covers the vital basics of understanding and therefore having compassion for autistic needs.
Pete will run through the following;

  • What is Autism?
  • Numbers and stats relevant to the autistic population – rate of diagnosis, gender ratio and Identify some well-known autistic people.
  • How autistic communication differs, what to expect and how to navigate social interactions with autistic clients and colleagues.
  • Exploration of sensory differences – how autistic individuals perceive their world, and how to accommodate for these needs.
  • Monotropism – How autistic people pay attention, and how this differs compared to non-autistic people. A focus here will be on task switching, changing focus or conversation topic, and the positives of ‘flow state’ for clients and colleagues.
  • This should fit neatly into a 90 minute slot and covers the vital basics of understanding and therefore having compassion for autistic needs.

In this speech I outline the typical difficulties that mainstream education settings present to neurodivergent students, giving clear examples of how stress and trauma can build up and lead to poor outcomes. I offer clear, easy-to-implement and vital advice on how to remove these barriers and stressors, creating a safer environment for all students, whatever their neurotype.

Workplaces are quickly realising how important it is to have cultures that welcome neurodiverse workforces, but can often struggle to implement practical, workable policies to help make this reality. In this speech I re-iterate how important it is to attract and retain neurodivergent talent, and how to go about making a work environment that works for everyone.

Pete will explore the ways that autistic and otherwise neurodivergent students and teachers can be welcomed into a more accepting educational culture.
He will consider the impact of sensory and communicative differences, discuss embracing monotropic autistic learning styles, and how teachers can change their perspective to include the concept of neurodiversity.

What people say

Pete is a warm and witty speaker. He has unique understanding of neurodiversity through his first hand experience, theoretical knowledge and many years in the teaching profession. Pete’s speech made a significant impact on our teaching staff, the insights he shared will help our schools develop provision. Every teacher should have the opportunity to learn from him.”

Melanie Barrow- CEO, All Saints Schools Trust
Pete delivered an engaging 1-hour virtual talk hosted by our Employee Resource Group. In a landscape where many autism training resources have a medical/psychology focus which can sometimes reinforce negative stereotypes, Pete’s approach stood out. Sharing his personal journey with autism rather than resorting to a traditional lecture format truly resonated with our audience and gave a much better understanding of autistic experiences. The Q&A at the end of the talk also drew lots of questions from participants. Pete’s talk gained the highest attendance that we’ve recorded to date at a voluntary event and we received great feedback from both UK based and international colleagues.
Richard Sparrow, Collins Aerospace

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