Pete Wharmby

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.

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.

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.

Pete’s newest book Different Minds, shines a light on what it’s like to be autistic in school systems today, so that we can understand how to support our children through the most important years of their lives. Through a blend of story-telling, polemic and empathetic advice, Pete explains how differences have been mislabelled as ‘challenging behaviour’ and provides a blueprint for understanding and supporting young autistic minds.

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.