14. S2, Ep2: Being autistic at work: reasonable adjustments and working with others

Megan is 27 and was diagnosed autistic three years ago. No one ever suspected she might be autistic as a child, and she first realised she might be when she experienced some mental health breakdowns at university. She now lives in West Sussex, UK, where she is the Workflow Team Lead at a GP (family medicine) practice.

In our conversation we talk about:

➡ Her time studying at Oxford, one of the top universities in the UK, including its impact on mental health

➡ Coming out as autistic to friends and colleagues - and similarities to coming out as LGBT+

➡ The difficulties of talking to our parents about being diagnosed autistic

➡ Being autistic at work, and getting reasonable adjustments (including the best adjustment I’ve ever heard of!)

➡ Advice for getting a diagnosis referral in the UK [34:09]

Squarepeg is a podcast in which neurodivergent women, and trans and nonbinary people, explore navigating a neurotypical world and share their insights, challenges and successes.

I hope that these conversations will be inspiring and thought provoking, open you up to new ways of thinking about being neurodivergent, and help you feel more connected to a worldwide community of people with similar experiences.

I’m Amy Richards, and after being diagnosed autistic at the age of 37 I’m now on a mission to learn more about different perspectives and issues around being a neurodivergent adult in a world that feels like it doesn’t quite fit.

EPISODE LINKS:

Megan’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/morpholomeg 

Her YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/megbirch  

Video talking about her diagnosis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcb5HRGceH0

Her Tumblr: https://morpholomeg.tumblr.com/post/183920690463/yesterday-was-world-autism-awareness-day-so-im 

Her amateur dramatics online performances: http://copthorneplayers.co.uk/

If you'd like to connect or get in touch with Squarepeg, you can find me on:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarepeg.community/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarepegautism 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squarepegautism/ 

Or on my website: http://squarepeg.community/ 

Support Squarepeg on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/squarepegpodcast