At Laindon Nursery, an Early Years Alliance setting in Essex, shared experience and understanding of neurodivergence has helped to established a special relationship between an early years educator and her manager.
When Alex Hendle first came to the setting for an interview, she was prepared to face concern about her ability in the role as a result of her autism diagnosis and ADHD.
‘I thought they wouldn't want me,’ she says. ‘That made me very anxious.’
But early years manager Selina Baylis, who has dyslexia and dyspraxia herself and has completed training on supporting autistic people, was impressed by Alex at interview.
‘Alex was very upfront and honest about her autism at her interview,’ she explains. ‘She was clear it doesn't affect her capability at all; she can do the job, she just sometimes needs some extra support. We had a very open conversation and I could tell she was worried, but I didn't see it as a negative at all, in fact it was so clearly a positive part of her.’
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