After receiving a diagnosis of ADHD for both herself and her daughter, Rebecca Casserly developed a training course to help colleagues understand the bigger picture for neurodivergent children and adults.
‘It was heartfelt, because it came from the perspective of having the condition myself and also seeing it as a parent,’ says Casserly, who is operations director at Nurtured Childcare, a nursery group of seven settings across the Midlands and Yorkshire.
The two sessions of ‘Seeing Beyond the Behaviour’ focus on the iceberg behaviour model, which suggests that visible behaviours, at the tip of the iceberg, are informed by underlying emotions and outside factors – the majority of the iceberg beneath the surface.
‘Feelings drive behaviour,’ says Casserly. ‘So rather than responding to the behaviour, we try to look more deeply into the feelings that have caused it. That approach, whether we use it with children or staff, allows us to see the unique person and make sure they're OK. I know the difference that it makes working for an employer who really accepts you for who you are.’
The training helps staff identify behaviours that may be indicative of an underlying neurodivergence, such as ADHD or autism.
Casserly's postgraduate-level training in counselling and interpersonal skills, alongside a dissertation on neurodiversity, helped lead her to her own diagnosis, and she now supports colleagues and parents who she recognises may be in the same boat that she was (see Case study).
‘When you get a diagnosis, you can really quickly see the shared characteristics in other people,’ she explains. ‘The last thing I want to do is overstep the mark, but I do like to suggest it as something to consider, when I recognise the behaviours.’
Casserly sends out weekly ‘snapshots’ of information about areas of neurodivergence to both her team and parents, and is now rolling out her training course to parents too, with almost 70 sign-ups so far.
Menopause and neurodivergence
Casserly is also on a mission to raise awareness of the links between neurodiversity and perimenopause. Her ‘ADHDinthePause’ Instagram account provides information on the relationship between neurodivergence and menopause, and tips and strategies for managing sensory processing difficulties and emotional health.
‘As your hormones start to decline, it can really exacerbate symptoms,’ she explains. ‘Most women don't seek diagnosis, and they internalise and mask, but the diagnostic criteria are based on external behaviours, so it can be difficult to get a diagnosis. I am able to recognise some of the behaviours – like perfectionism and self-doubt – thanks to my training and my personal experience.’
Staff wellbeing
The group takes a particular interest in understanding its staff team's personal and professional needs. Staff receive regular surveys asking a variety of questions, including more personal ones such as whether they feel supported at work or have a colleague they would call a friend.
‘They aren't the typical performance-based questions,’ says Casserly. ‘Performance is important, but you're not going to get the best out of them if they don't feel like you care. I know what's going on in my team's lives and I actively check in on them, because if somebody feels OK in themselves, they're more likely to succeed and achieve their potential.’
As a result of the support she received from senior management while going through her own diagnosis, Casserly says she feels a keen responsibility to help her team when they need her.
‘The level of support I got from my CEO was and is amazing,’ she explains. ‘From coming with me to my diagnosis, to buying me noise-cancelling earplugs to help me work in the shared office, he has been immense. So I know from my own experience that care from the people around you makes a huge difference to how you work, and ultimately helps you achieve your best results.’
CASE STUDY: Rachel Barker
Rachel Barker has worked her way up from practitioner to acting manager at Nurtured Childcare in Wakefield. ‘Rebecca believed in me,’ she says. ‘It's thanks to her I got my ADHD diagnosis.’
Barker had been told she had post-natal depression when she first approached her GP with symptoms, but Casserly helped her to recognise her behaviours as linked to ADHD.
‘I could be very forgetful, but when it came to work, I masked it.
‘That all changed working under Rebecca. She saw straight through the mask, sat and talked to me, and put plans in place,’ Barker explains.
‘She helped me with what to say to the doctors, because I was a bit embarrassed, and there were some words in the forms I didn't understand, so in her own time, on weekends, she'd phone me and explain it all in a way that made me feel better. She helped me feel I wasn't going to be just this person with ADHD, but that a diagnosis would help and support me.’
Right from the start, the flexible interview process at Nurtured Childcare gave Barker the questions and activities in advance to allow her to prepare, easing anxiety and allowing all applicants to show off their strengths without feeling overwhelmed.
Barker believes the group's efforts to support the individual, placing strong emphasis on the use of personal development plans and allowing each setting's staff to design their own space and lead on their own activities and social media strategies, enable all employees to be true to themselves.
‘We're all treated as individuals and as adults,’ says Barker. ‘We are encouraged to bring our own ideas. It isn't just one way of thinking; all approaches are welcomed.’
Barker says learning about the iceberg behaviour model as part of Casserly's training course shifted her perspective. ‘Seeing that my behaviour may be a form of communication rather than an inherent flaw has made me feel less misunderstood,’ she adds.
‘At school I was often labelled as “naughty” and sent out of the classroom, but Rebecca highlighted that we don't always know the bigger picture for children like me.’
Barker says that because of the training developed by Casserly, she was able to look at a boy in the nursery through the lens of the iceberg theory, which then turned into a safeguarding referral.
For Barker, having a role model like Casserly in the workplace is a game-changer.
‘For me with ADHD, Rebecca is inspirational, because she's a director of a business,’ Barker explains. ‘Nine times out of ten, people think when you've been labelled with neurodivergence, you'll be stuck in a dead-end job.
‘We can see first-hand that Rebecca is not just a diagnosis. She's Rebecca, and ADHD tags along with her, but it opens up her brain to think differently. All these amazing, fascinating things are happening in our business, and they're not happening everywhere. That is very positive and pretty cool.’
RESOURCES
- ‘I'm ADHD! No You're Not’ – podcast by Mine Conkbayir, Paul Whitehouse
- Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood by Ned Halloweel and Dr. John J Ratey
- Women with Attention Deficit Disorder: Embracing Disorganization at Home and in the Workplace by Sari Solden
- The Neurodiverse Workplace: An Employer's Guide to Managing and Working with Neurodivergent Employees, Clients and Customers by Victoria Honeybourne
