Poster Presentation: Finding Belonging as a Neurodivergent Occupational Therapist
In October 2025 I attended OTNZ-WNA’s Clinical Workshops, delivering 2 workshops and presenting a poster titled:
Finding Belonging as a Neurodivergent Occupational Therapist : Supporting ourselves so we can support others
This was a project completed in collaboration with Lauren Turnbull from Neurokin OT who is based in Australia. Together we are Resilient Neurokin. We will be continuing this project and have had an abstract accepted to do an oral presentation at the OT Australia national conference in Adelaide in June, 2025.
I thought I would put the poster text up as a blog for better readability as a few people have asked to see it, so here you go!
Here’s me standing with the poster and grinning.
Image description: picture of a brown haired person wearing glasses, a floral shirt, sunflower lanyard and cardigan, gesturing towards a conference poster pinned up on a black background.
Finding Belonging as a Neurodivergent Occupational Therapist : Supporting ourselves so we can support others
Poster presentation for the OTNZ-WNA Clinical Workshops 2025 by Rebecca Rae-Hodgson and Lauren Turnbull
Introduction
With the rise of the Neurodiversity Movement and increasing awareness of the different ways neurodivergence can present, the number of occupational therapists speaking openly about their neurodivergence has increased. It is estimated that 15-20% of the population has some form of neurodivergence (Doyle, 2020). 3500 occupational therapists have a practising certificate, so using this estimate, we can extrapolate that approximately 500-700 neurodivergent occupational therapists are working in New Zealand. Given this sizeable minority, it is imperative that we understand more about the unique experiences of neurodivergent occupational therapists and how their contributions to the field can be supported, valued and retained.
Neurodivergent individuals face many barriers to employment, with high unemployment and underemployment rates (Doyle, 2020). Neurodivergent health professionals experience higher rates of mental distress, burnout from masking and overcompensating, poor access to reasonable adjustments, difficulties with workplace social dynamics, and face bullying, microaggressions and othering (Shaw, et al., 2023; Taylor et al., 2024).
Emerging research supports the value of neurodivergent workers and that diversity benefits organisations. For an affirming workplace that nourishes neurodivergent practitioners, there is a recognised need for the following:
Appropriate support, tailored accommodations, flexible universal design
Increasing neurodiversity awareness and knowledge, understanding the social model of disability, double empathy problem and intersectionality
Matching people’s strengths to the right jobs, e.g. creative thinking, pattern recognition, attention to detail, building strong therapeutic relationships
Supporting psychological safety and career satisfaction to improve wellbeing
Openly neurodivergent role models, mentoring and peer support
(Ali, Grabarski, & Baker, 2024; Doyle, 2020; McDowall, et al., 2023; Shaw, et al., 2023; Taylor et al., 2024; Wong, et al., 2023)
The new Canadian Model of Occupational Participation (CanMOP; Egan & Restall, 2023; Figure 1) supports how we think about accessing, initiating and sustaining valued occupations. It centres occupational participation (without categorising it) and pushes biomedical knowledge into the background, emphasising purpose, meaning, history, relationships and context. Using the CanMOP framework, we will describe the experiences of two neurodivergent occupational therapists and explore the supports and barriers in their professional practice.
Image description: to the left a purple quote box that says: “A neurodiversity-affirmative approach to autism may lead to a more positive self-identity and improved mental health. Furthermore, providing adequate supports and improving awareness of autistic medical professionals may promote inclusion in the medical workforce.” (Shaw, et al., 2023). To the right a recoloured version of the CanMOP model, a circle in the centre with diamonds to either side. Occupational Participation in a circle in the centre, with Meaning and Purpose in a diamond to the left with a larger diamond for History and Relationships around it. To the right of the central circle is another diamond with Possibilities, Access, Initiate, Sustain, a larger diamond around this is for Context: Micro, Meso, Macro.
Process
The authors are both multiply neurodivergent sole trader occupational therapists working in private practice. Using ourselves as case studies, we discussed our work practices using the CanMOP categories as a framework. We reformatted the model to help it make sense to our brains (Figure 2) and noted down supports and barriers for each section of the model. Key components are described below.
Results: Occupational Participation Supports and Barriers
Occupational participation: “having access to, initiating, and sustaining valued occupations within meaningful relationships and contexts” (Egan & Restall, 2023)
Figure 2. CanMOP reformatted
Image description: a reformatted version of the CanMOP model with Occupational Participation - Process at the top left corner and Occupational Participation - Performance in the bottom right corner. Between these two in a staggered line are: Meaning, Purpose, Possibilities, Access, Initiate and Sustain in individual boxes. To the top right is a box for History - Relationships, Experiences, Propensities and to the bottom left is a box for Context - Environmental interplay.
Occupational Participation
Supports - Adaptability, Access to resources, Sense of belonging, Connections
Barriers - Executive functioning challenges, Attention, Focus, Organisation, Fluctuating needs, Sensory needs, Capacity vs demand
Meaning and Purpose - the why, essential needs, developed through history/relationships
Supports - Satisfaction and achievement, Secure relationships, Making a difference, Values alignment, Connection with others who think and do in similar ways, Ongoing learning/development, Freedom. Flexibility
Barriers - Capitalistic thinking (worth = what you do), Attitudes/implicit biases, Finances, Working for someone else, Systems and structures not aligned/affirming/supportive
History and Relationships - individual, collective, influences purpose and meaning
Supports - Areas of privilege and power, Supportive connections with like minded OTs, growth of Neurodiversity movement
Barriers - Core beliefs (too much, not enough), Systemic/internalised ableism, Discrimination, Other people’s ignorance
Occupational Possibilities - expand; access to, initiate and sustain participation
Supports - Sensory supports, Collaborative projects, Self-employment (scheduling, pacing, authenticity, lived experience), Peer supervision (enthusiasm, debrief),
Barriers - Rigid funding systems, Conflict of personal capacity/needing to make a living, Emotional demands of the work
Context - Micro, Meso, Macro
Supports - Work spaces (quiet, comfortable, well set up), Connections with like minded OTs, Neurodiversity paradigm, Online platforms
Barriers - Ableism, Discrimination, Lack of understanding, Funding systems, Narrow definitions of function, Disability, Hourly rates
Conclusion
Neurodivergent occupational therapists care deeply about their work, and shared lived experience with clients is an asset in practice. Additional barriers increase the risk of burnout, so it is important that neurodivergent occupational therapists have a framework to support themselves so that they can continue to do their valuable work, contribute to the profession, and support clients sustainably.
While the CanMOP, in theory, focuses on factors that align with the way we think about occupational therapy, we found it not the right fit in this context. It was a useful process that needs further exploration and a different framework. The background reading and our collaboration highlighted the importance of connection and belonging to neurodivergent well-being.
Application to Practice
We have observed that many neurodivergent individuals seek self-employment for increased autonomy and flexibility, while also needing to be connected to like-minded individuals. Autonomy, positive self-identity, connectedness and belonging, among other factors, support autistic wellbeing (Najeeb & Quadt, 2024).
Neurodivergent occupational therapists face some unique barriers in practice and are creative in the types of supports they use and how they work. These lived experience examples are a starting point in raising awareness of the experiences of neurodivergent occupational therapists, highlighting the importance of accommodations, connections and sharing experiences. Wong, et al. (2023) outline the importance of neurodivergent mentorship for developing professional identity, and we plan to further explore these topics, gathering feedback from neurodivergent occupational therapists to create supportive resources.
Selected References
Ali, M., Grabarski, M., & Baker, M. (2024). An exploratory study of benefits and challenges of neurodivergent employees: Roles of knowing neurodivergents and neurodiversity practices. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 43(2), pp. 243-267.
Doyle, N. (2020). Neurodiversity at work: A biopsychosocial model and the impact on working adults. British Medical Bulletin, 135, 108-125.
Egan, M., & Restall, G. (2023). Canadian Model of Occupational Participation (CanMOP). Retrieved from: https://caot.ca/site/prac-res/pr/freewebinars/pop
McDowall, A., Doyle, N. & Kiseleva, M. (2023) Neurodiversity at work: demand, supply and a gap analysis. Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK. https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/50834/
Najeeb, P., & Quadt, L. (2024). Autistic well-being: A scoping review of scientific studies from a neurodiversity-affirmative perspective. Neurodiversity, 2, 1-16.
Shaw, S., et al. (2023). The experiences of autistic doctors: A cross-sectional study. Frontiers in Psychiatry,14.
Taylor, A. R., Miller, S., & Davies, L. (2024). Neurodivergence among healthcare professionals and implications for midwifery: A literature review. New Zealand College of Midwives Journal, 60, Article 246006.
Wong, B., et al. (2023). The importance of neurodivergent mentorship for the development of professional identity. Neuroscience Research Notes.
Image description: conference poster presentation titled: ‘Finding Belonging as a Neurodivergent Occupational Therapist : Supporting ourselves so we can support others’ in a purple banner across the top. Text is organised in sections (full text available in this blog) with graphics of the CanMOP model (described above).
Pdf of the poster available here or by clicking on the image of the poster above.
Note: This poster remains the intellectual property of Rebecca Rae-Hodgson and Lauren Turnbull. For personal and educational purposes only, please do not claim as your own or sell.
