Oliver McGowan Training

I had my Tier 1, Part 2 Training yesterday - online on Teams. And just wanted to say how good (overall) it was. 

The discussion from the two people with lived experience was one of the most useful bits of training I have had in a very long time. For me, the thoughts from the Autistic person were not new knowledge. But the thoughts from the person with a Learning Disability and Autism were a fresh, insightful reminder of how to better speak and treat people with learning disabilities.

There were a few painful parts from me:

1. That the training was provided by a private (non-NHS) Company hence making profit from providing the talk.

2. The facilitator was awful - patronising and seeming totally not thinking that she needed to take on board the advice that the speakers were teaching us.

3. It was a complete trigger for me and I felt quite awful afterwards.

4. That I felt I should have come out on the talk. It's funny. There I was and I wondered. Did the lived experience people know that there would be neurodivergent listeners right there with them 'in the room' as it were?

5. That it should be Part 1 of the Training. Much much better than the current part 1 - apologies to those who have tried to help with Part 1 to engage the reader, but the endless elearning just sucks the life out of it.

Anyone else done this training?

Parents
  • yep, done this a couple of times "online"-

    I can empathise with how you felt and I completely validate your experience  

    the traumatising part is all part of it being directed at neurotypical people by neurotypical people, in my opinion, in order for them to take it seriously enough.  I took it really personally when I first did it and was told that I should take myself away from the public workplace as I was upsetting other staff by pointing out how dreadful it was what had happened and continues to happen etc. etc. 

    2nd time I undertook the on-line presentation following thoughts - Notwithstanding that the core element of asking autistic people what it is that they need to overcome bias towards ignoring these needs, the demand remains upon the autistic person to be in a position to express them and self advocate.  Eg the autistic person is doing all the hard work to overcome the double empathy problem.  Many of us are not sufficiently far enough upon that journey to reliably do so - especially at times of high stress.

    I strongly doubt that it actually increases any depth of insight into autistic experience for neurotypical people as a whole tho'  I think that there is a need for more acceptance of "unmasked" autistic behaviour without "thin slice judgements" preventing them before autisitic people can behave more "authentically".  This isn't going to came from training sessions like this as in my experience of co-workers who I know have undertaken the same training this does not truly trigger depth of insight into the lived experience - pessimistically maybe that's never going to be possible for neurotypical society as a whole?

    I can say is that it's a start, it's using the naturally parental desire to prevent similar harm, if it saves lives great.

Reply
  • yep, done this a couple of times "online"-

    I can empathise with how you felt and I completely validate your experience  

    the traumatising part is all part of it being directed at neurotypical people by neurotypical people, in my opinion, in order for them to take it seriously enough.  I took it really personally when I first did it and was told that I should take myself away from the public workplace as I was upsetting other staff by pointing out how dreadful it was what had happened and continues to happen etc. etc. 

    2nd time I undertook the on-line presentation following thoughts - Notwithstanding that the core element of asking autistic people what it is that they need to overcome bias towards ignoring these needs, the demand remains upon the autistic person to be in a position to express them and self advocate.  Eg the autistic person is doing all the hard work to overcome the double empathy problem.  Many of us are not sufficiently far enough upon that journey to reliably do so - especially at times of high stress.

    I strongly doubt that it actually increases any depth of insight into autistic experience for neurotypical people as a whole tho'  I think that there is a need for more acceptance of "unmasked" autistic behaviour without "thin slice judgements" preventing them before autisitic people can behave more "authentically".  This isn't going to came from training sessions like this as in my experience of co-workers who I know have undertaken the same training this does not truly trigger depth of insight into the lived experience - pessimistically maybe that's never going to be possible for neurotypical society as a whole?

    I can say is that it's a start, it's using the naturally parental desire to prevent similar harm, if it saves lives great.

Children
  • as told that I should take myself away from the public workplace as I was upsetting other staff

    This sums up a lot of things for me. About understanding, and why people do things or take the time or care to be there. 

  • was told that I should take myself away from the public workplace as I was upsetting other staff by pointing out how dreadful it was what had happened and continues to happen etc. etc. 

    Oh boy!  Missing the point then, aren't they!?  Yes, I am sure that was uncomfortable for them, but errrrr bring about change involves confronting uncomfortable truths and then doing something about that.  Your point was legitimate and had they any mind for your discomfort?