Neurodiversity Celebration Week - Rosie's story

"I’m Rosie and I’m a late-diagnosed Neurodivergent woman in the world of work. I’m both Autistic and ADHD; which means that I have a different way of thinking and interacting with the world around me.

Being Neurodivergent means that I have to put extra energy into communicating effectively with people and extra effort into socialising / networking with peers. I can struggle with the lights and sound in the office, or the intensity of the commute via public transport; all due to sensory sensitivities. This means I get home from work or social events exhausted and need extra time to recharge.

Before I was diagnosed at the age of 27, my family and friends thought it was just my quirky personality rather than a specific condition. However, researching into what I was experiencing led to a diagnosis that also prompted my dad and wider family to seek their own diagnoses due to the genetic links. It changed our lives completely.

Being Neurodivergent makes me different in a positive way. I would say I have a gift for deeply empathising with people and animals, and I also have the gift of reading people based on my pattern recognition skills which helps me to navigate work and wider society. I’ve learned to embrace my uniqueness and use it to my advantage."

- Rosie Aiton, HR Coordinator