Author of the Canary Code, Ludmila Praslova discusses how moral injury can cause autistic burnout, and how dignity plays a part in setting boundaries in neurodiverse workplaces.

Ludmila Praslova, the author of The Canary Code, discusses the common misconceptions about autism, the importance of recognizing female and high-functioning presentations of autism, and the challenges faced by those seeking diagnosis and acceptance. This episode touches on authenticity, moral injury, and the need for accommodations at work. She also shares about her work on the concept of dignity and how it’s imperative to setting boundaries and better understanding social situations involving neurodivergent individuals. Finally, she talks about the implications of the DSM-V's categorizations, and practical advice for organizations to move forward in their DEI evolution.

Ludmila N. Praslova Ph.D., SHRM-SCP is the author of “The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work” (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, April 2024) and the member of the Thinkers50 Radar 2024 cohort of global management thinkers most likely to impact workplaces.

She is a Professor of Graduate Industrial-Organizational Psychology and Accreditation Liaison Officer at Vanguard University of Southern California.

With over 25 years of experience in developing talent-rich organizations, she is a global inclusive talent strategy expert with deep knowledge of global diversity and neurodiversity.

Her current consulting is focused on creating organizational systems for inclusion and wellbeing and providing neuroinclusion training and support to organizations such as Amazon, Bank of America, and MIT. Dr. Praslova is also the editor of “Evidence-Based Organizational Practices for Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging and Equity” (Cambridge Scholars, 2023) and the special issue of the Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, “Disability inclusion in the workplace: From “accommodation” to inclusive organizational design.”

She regularly writes for Fast Company, Harvard Business Review and Psychology Today, and is the first person to have published in Harvard Business Review from an autistic perspective.

CHAPTERS

7:00 Clare’s self-diagnosis of autism

8:15 Women and the misunderstanding of autism

10:48 Autistic and neurodiverse traits

12:00 Masking and Ludmila’s journey with autism

17:47 Why there are so many autistic actors

19:50 How moral injury affects autistic burnout

21:58 The consequences of moral injury for neurodivergent individuals

24:11 Autistic burnout vs. regular burnout

28:20 What can leaders do to create a better work culture?

32:30 What is behind a leader’s need to control?

36:45 The need for more conscious social interactions in the workplace

39:10 Socializing and masking with autism

43:02 How to honor your own dignity

44:19 How dignity can help establish boundaries at work

46:12 How do we navigate the growing neurodivergent population?

48:53 Autistic people and how empathy is expressed

57:12 The medical model of diagnosis in autism

01:06:04 The Canary Code and where you can find it

LINKS

The Canary Code by Ludmila Praslova

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