Over the last year I have been searching for a new job. I ended up making it to the final interview stage for five different companies … and all five companies ended up rejecting me in the end. In this week’s episode of Working Class Autistic I talk about dealing with that amount of rejection and why it can be more difficult for autistic people due to Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria.

Follow-up Question:

• What are some times in your life where you have faced rejection, and how did you handle it?

More Resources:

• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/friendship-20/201907/what-is-rejection-sensitive-dysphoria
• Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria in ADHD & Autism
• The Unbearable Heartache of Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Email me at kevin@workingclassautistic.com

My guest this week is Dr. Jessica Hicksted. Jessica is a researcher and advocate for people with invisible disabilities, particularly in the workplace.

You will learn:

• How to ask for accommodations without disclosing your own disability
• The surprising percentage of people who actually have invisible disabilities
• How body doubling can help create accountability

Follow-up Questions:

• Do you identify with having an invisible disability?
• What is a simple accommodation you can offer that would help people with invisible disabilities?
• Can you use body doubling to help knock something off your to-do list?

Guest Bio:

Diagnosed as an adult with autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, Jessica Hicksted, Ph.D., brings her life experiences and education to advocate for people with invisible disabilities. She has faced many challenges, including sustaining injuries during military service, which she overcame with resiliency and determination. She is a mother to two sons with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.

Dr. Hicksted has faced her own battles with discrimination in the workplace after disclosing her invisible disabilities. She returned to graduate school to learn to become an effective advocate for positive social change. Through her PhD studies in Industrial Organizational Psychology, she dedicated her research to invisible disabilities in the workplace, and developed a tool for employers to measure stigma associated with the disclosure by workers of invisible disabilities.

Links:

• ndoutloud.com
• ndhive.com

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Email me at kevin@workingclassautistic.com

Do you struggle with identifying your own strengths? In this week's solo episode I talk about how I used my special interests and career to figure out what I am good at. I also talk about how you can do the same!

Audio note: I realized after recording that the heater turned on partway through some sections. I cleaned up the audio as best I could so hopefully it's not too disruptive!

Follow-up Question:

• What are your strengths?

Links:

• https://www.autistica.org.uk/what-is-autism/autistic-strengths
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/overcoming-failure-to-launch-in-autistic-emerging-adults/202601/strengths-that-autistic-adults
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/atypical-children-extraordinary-parenting/202511/how-solution-focused-therapy-can-help-autism

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Email me at kevin@workingclassautistic.com