FEATURE NEURODIVERSITY
Sarah is in the third month
of recovery after ‘a
massive shutdown’,
where she could
barely find the
executive function
to shower, but
acts of self care
(‘a lunch date
with my son,
prescription
refills, a movie
date with my
daughter, delicious
meals, and snuggles
with my foster
children’) are all important.
‘My heart tells me that my
soul is emerging once again from
its protective cocoon and I am grateful not
only for the existential awakening, but the knowledge
that the withdrawal was equally therapeutic and
necessary.’
Clare Keogh, an occupational therapist in
Melbourne, Australia says her neurotype is Dandy-
Walker Syndrome, Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum,
and autism. She explains that, on a day-to-day basis,
she is constantly classifying her days in her head: is
today usual or different?
‘Social media is one of the ways I chill out when
my brain needs a break, or to wake up slowly, so
checking it in bed has become a routine for the start
of most non-workdays… I’m a planner; it’s a coping
mechanism. I’m learning to plan for two scenarios if I
know there’s potential for stuff to go wrong or change.
I don’t like it when I can’t follow my own plan or when
someone or something changes it without warning.
‘I’m reliant on public transport and walking, as I’m
working towards my license, using specialised driver
training lessons. I hate being late, but I frequently am.
I story-tell as I walk along, muttering under my breath
as I create fanfic. I’ve done this since I was a little kid;
it’s very soothing and particularly useful if my anxietybrain
is trying to ruminate on something.’
Clare wears her sunglasses outside, due to the
intense sunlight, and her noise-cancelling headphones
inside and out to dampen the sounds and
filter others’ conversations, so that she can focus on
one conversation at a time.
For Clare, being a part of her local community
is very important to her. Participation in her work
and local church and choir give her meaningful
opportunities to contribute, often in ways that make
her feel seen and loved. Especially when it comes to
one of her passions, music. ‘Music – performing and
listening to it – is a big, big, big, big occupation of
mine. It’s part of who I am and something that gives
me a lot of pleasure.’
Music gives Clare ‘that happy stimmy feeling of
where the emotion feels too big to be contained by
feeling/acknowledging it in my body. I have to express
it somehow. Frequently this is through bouncing,
shaking, flapping, jumping, pacing, facial expression
and vocalisations.’
Our shared experiences
These narratives tell of the similarities and the
differences in our subjective experiences, and how
contexts influence these. The insights into our
respective lives show how what we – the person –
bring to the context and our subjective experience of
occupations does alter, depending on such an array
of factors.
That is, features such as our skills, knowledge,
experience, self-concept, backgrounds, personality,
physical status, cognition, health, and sensory
processing status are certainly dependent and
affected by our occupations and the environment.
The role of necessary distractions and
occupations
As a group, we value our occupations for the
multitude of benefits they can afford, ranging from
the implicit (such as providing a sense of respite,
reflection, and spirituality) to the explicit (such as
economic gain, productivity, and upholding our
human rights).
For many of us, occupations that mitigate the
impact of other occupations are necessary. Rebecca
and Bill mention their use of music and Michelle her
use of Netflix for the intended purpose of providing a
necessary distraction.
Other occupations are necessary for reasons
such as self-regulation (Sarah uses mindfulness,
Michelle regularly exercises, and Diana consumes
tea and biscuits), self-soothing (Clare’s story-telling,
Danielle twirls her hair), self-care and restoration
(ranging from Sarah’s lunch with her son and movie
with her daughter to getting her prescription),
relaxation (Clare’s engagement with social media),
self-expression (Clare’s expression of her faith and
performing music), and routine.
Medication
In Danielle, Michelle’s, and Sarah’s stories, the role
medication plays is prominent and demonstrates
36 OTnews August 2020