Cymorth Addysg

Stop being lazy and get a job! With all the discussions lately around getting people who are not in employment back in to work, you would think that Access to Work would be better promoted. A Government grant of up to £69,260 which can support people who have a physical, mental health condition or disability to get or stay in employment. A grant that can provide a range of support to applicants, such as support workers, coach, virtual assistants (for self-employed), assistive technology (software, equipment), help with travel and more. This support could mean the difference between succeeding and thriving in the workplace and Burnout, being unable to complete tasks fully or even being unable to work. You would not believe how many neurodivergent and disabled individuals I work with who have not even heard of Access to Work when I first meet them. Now there is a long wait currently, up to 24 weeks at the last count. But individuals who are due to start or have been in their current role less than 4 weeks are prioritised. What do you need to do? APPLY! Now here is the difficult part. Form filling for neurodivergent individuals can be tough and overwhelming, often meaning that they put it off, delay applying or don't do it at all. This is where I can help. I have helped 10s of people complete their Access to Work applications for FREE. It really annoys me that there is support available for people that they are either unaware of or feel unable to apply for. So anyone who I meet with, I help to apply. But as there is only one of me, there are only so many people I can meet with in a day to do this (alongside working!). So I want to create a way to support lots more people to apply. This is where you come in.. I'm looking for feedback on how I can best provide guidance, helping as many people as possible. Please complete the poll below, letting me know which format would be most helpful for you. If you could also leave a quick comment with why you made your choice, this would help a great deal. Diolch!

'You can't help me!' That's a sentence I used to worry about hearing after telling clients of my neurodivergence. So much so, that when supporting people I didn't tell them about it initially. I felt that people would worry about how I can support them if I struggle with things too. From reading posts and articles written by various people, I found that there was an alternative opinion often expressed. How can coaches/tutors etc. support neurodivergent individuals if they aren't neurodivergent themselves? It's a good point. How can you truly understand what someone's experiencing if you haven't experienced similar yourself? What I've come to realise for myself anyway, that a mixture of two things work best. 1. Being able to empathise with someone and showing them your own vulnerabilities helps to build a connection and rapport Essential for a successful, supportive coaching relationship. 2. Knowledge and continuous learning around the topic of neurodivergency, and demonstrating this Enables support and development for a client. Accessing coaching from someone who has experienced what you are going through and developed knowledge of how to support you in whatever is likely to get the best results. This is only my opinion, but from my own experience both of coaching and accessing coaching it's what's worked for me. Do you agree? What are your experiences? Image description: a blonde woman with glasses and a black jumper, smiling and sitting opposite a blonde girl at a table with books and sticky notes on it.

Networking isn't suitable for neurodivergent business owners! For the last 6 months I have attended at least one networking event per week. But WOW was this overwhelming to begin with. Now I'm not sure if this was due to neurodivergence or my naturally shy, introverted personality. Maybe a bit of both. The amount of people and noise in the room, not knowing anyone and the feeling that everyone was far more experienced and 'professional' than myself. It was so overwhelming I nearly didn't go back after my first time. I am not the most outgoing person and the fear of introducing myself to strangers and 'selling' myself nearly stopped me from going in the first place. I know that networking can be overwhelming for lots of people, But how does it impact neurodivergent business owners? Sensory overwhelm, RSD, sitting and listening for long periods and sticking to the rules, structure and responsibilities can be extremely challenging. Some less structured, more informal networking groups can be less overwhelming, but still challenging. There is no doubt that in person networking has had a significant benefit to me and my business. Attending regularly has also helped to build my confidence and feel more comfortable. What do you think? Do you network as a neurodivergent business owner? How do you find it? What would help you to network more? Picture of me giving my first 10 minute presentation to my supportive networking group.

Fireworks should be banned! Or at least kept to one night of the year. I don't know about other pet owners but I dread this time of year. Nala (our dog) has just spent the last 2 nights quivering, panting and trying to find somewhere to hide from the noise. And it's not even the 5th yet 😡 It's heartbreaking. We've tried lots of strategies, and wearing a thunder shirt does help a little. And it's not only animals that are affected. Young children, the elderly and individuals who have sensory sensitivities can all be impacted by the noise. Is it me, or have they got louder over the year?! I don't want to spoil everyone's fun, but there must be a balance that can be found. Maybe only having them at organised events? What do you think? Am I just overreacting?

With October being ADHD awareness month, and this week being both dyslexia awareness week and dyspraxia awareness week, I'm interested to know how much you know about executive functions. #ADHDAwareness #DyslexiaAwareness #DyspraxiaAwareness #ExecutiveFunctions

It's coming, a little bit more slowly than we'd anticipated, but it's coming. If you want to be kept in the loop about our upcoming webinar / workshop which will talk about the various tools available to help support neurodivergent employees and business owners, register using our form using the link below. Helen Rees of Cymorth Addysg will be talking us all about these tools in a workshop hosted by Siarp in the coming months. Get onto our mailing list today, and be the first to hear updates about the content and the dates of the workshop. https://lnkd.in/eeVyHMu3

Thank you to Pobl Group for the opportunity to present a Neurodiversity Awareness Showcase to their staff last week. It was an enjoyable experience engaging with over a hundred attendees and addressing their excellent questions, demonstrating their incredible enthusiasm for learning. Pobl Group's commitment to hosting regular Showcase sessions on various topics highlights their dedication to learning and development, as well as their commitment to promoting equality, diversity, and ability among their staff. If your business shares a similar ethos and is interested in providing neurodiversity training for your staff, feel free to reach out for more information. Diolch i Pobl, and in particular the learning and development team, for their invaluable support on the day. 💕

Happy Friday!! I often see this message on various social media sites, and it first gets me excited, thinking, 'yes! it's almost the weekend 🙌!' However, then I think about all of the tasks that I haven't been able to fit in during the 'working week' and suddenly my weekend is not my own to do whatever I want, or to just do nothing at all! I know this is often the case for business owners, especially when they are working 'in' the business as well as 'on' the business. I absolutely don't mind this, as I love the work I do and want my business to grow. But it does limit the time I have to do other things. This is so often the case with my clients as well. Everyone can find it difficult to complete their to-do lists, but it can be particularly tough for neurodivergent (ND) individuals. Executive function challenges often mean that time management, organisation, and focus can be difficult, meaning that ND individuals need to use their downtime to catch up with work not completed. There are many strategies that can be implemented that can help us develop these executive functions, and no, by this, I don't mean get a calendar or a diary (if you know, you know!). What strategies do you use to organise your time and ensure you have some well-deserved time off?