Get the best out of your workplace: Don’t miss this free webinar on ‘Neuro-Inclusion Matters’

How can veterinary practices accommodate neurodivergent team members to thrive?

The ‘Neuro-Inclusion Matters’ webinar being held on Tuesday 11 March addresses this very question, offering valuable and important insights for improving workplace inclusivity.

Autism researcher Dr Jodie Wilson, a former veterinarian with a Masters in Positive Psychology, will be leading the session. Jodie was identified as being AuDHD (when attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - ADHD - and autism spectrum disorder - ASD – co-occur) when she was 41 and will provide a professional and well-rounded perspective on the subject.

“It’s more than noise-cancelling headphones, a wide range of accommodations might be necessary,” Dr Wilson said.

A neuro-inclusive workplace is one that recognises neurodiversity, and the individual needs of each employee, fostering an environment where everyone can feel safe, supported and empowered to do their best work.

“Whether they’re managers, employees or teammates, we want people to be able to do their best in the workplace, we want everybody to be able to bring their authentic selves to work.  

“The profession is embracing contextualised care for clients, and we need to apply that paradigm within our own teams as well,” Dr Wilson said.

“If we can use that approach, then we have a workplace that embeds psychosocial safety, and suddenly our team culture has improved and we’re able to actually make accommodations that will enable our people to be the most effective they can be in their job.”

Dr Wilson will draw on both her professional expertise and her personal experiences to deliver the session. Before her diagnosis, she struggled with the unpredictability of the world around her.

“It probably made me quite a difficult person to work with because I was constantly hypervigilant, defensive and on guard,” she admits.

“Now understanding that my perception of the world is actually accurate for the way my brain works, it lets me approach things with a lot more kindness, curiosity and compassion.”

In the AVA’s 2023/24 Veterinary Workplace Survey, nearly 40% of respondents identified as having a disability, chronic condition or being neurodivergent. Given these statistics, Jodie believes this webinar will be invaluable for nearly every veterinary workplace. 

“I would expect that the webinar will help managers and owners, neurodivergent employees and anybody who may work with someone who identifies as being, or suspect that they might be divergent,” she said.

“One of the things we know about people who are identified as neurodivergent, especially if they’re identified as adults, is that they have gone through a large part of their life, not really understanding why the way they’re told the world should work, isn’t actually the way the world works to them.

“Helping these individuals by adapting your workplace can be a truly powerful gift.”

The webinar will open the conversation and serve as a preview to the THRIVE Veterinary Wellness Symposium being held on May 12 at the 2025 AVA Conference.

“We’ll have the neurodiversity presentation and then we’ve also got a disability panel straight after. I will be  one of the panelists, so attendees will have the opportunity to ask specific questions to clarify anything that they don’t understand, as part of a wider conversation about disability, difference, and inclusion.”

Registrations for the ‘Neuro-Inclusion Matters’ webinar (free for all AVA members) and THRIVE Veterinary Wellness Symposium are open now. You can also hear more from Jodie at the Veterinary Kaleidoscope Summit, on the Gold Coast in April.