Articles

I write about neurodiversity, inclusion and the conditions that allow people to thrive. I won the Atticus Award for my essay on neurodiversity and creativity, and I've been published in national and international press.

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I publish regularly on neurodiversity, employment and the research and policy that shapes both. Subscribe to get new articles directly to your inbox.

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Selected writing

Neurodiversity Works · 2026

The ‘Overdiagnosis’ Debate Is Missing the Point. Here’s What Neurodivergent People Actually Need.

The UK government’s Fonagy Review into ADHD, autism, and mental health found that the need is real and rising — yet the public debate fixated on overdiagnosis instead. I examine what the evidence actually shows, draw on my own experience of navigating work as an autistic person without support, and make the case for scaling coaching and structured employment pathways now — without waiting for a diagnosis.

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WPP Atticus Journal · 2020

Why Neurodiversity Works for Creativity

Winner of the WPP Atticus Award for Creativity with Purpose, this essay makes the case that neurodivergent people — autistic, dyslexic, ADHD and beyond — are the untapped creative talent the advertising and creative industries need most. I argue that designing recruitment and workplaces for neurodivergent brains doesn’t just benefit disabled people: it unlocks better work for everyone.

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HuffPost UK · 2019

Looking for a Job With Autism Made Me Feel Like I Was on the Scrap Heap

Just 16% of autistic adults in the UK are in full-time employment — and I know exactly why. After dropping out of school, graduating with a first-class degree, and still failing to get past the interview stage, I felt written off. A personal account of the autism employment gap, and how one specialist internship opened the door.

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Ambitious About Autism · 2018

Getting My Autism Diagnosis — How Autism in Girls Gets Missed

I was first assessed for autism at 8 and told I didn’t fit the profile — I had eye contact, I was chatty, I masked. Diagnosed at 13 after dropping out of school entirely, I write about the hidden cost of delayed autism diagnosis for girls and women, and what getting support earlier can change.

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Interviews

Women Beyond the Box · 2023

Top 50 Influential Neurodivergent Women 2023

I’m featured in Women Beyond the Box’s annual list of the 50 most influential neurodivergent women. In my profile I trace my path from the Autism Exchange internship programme to DEI professional, covering the Visible Start programme, founding Neurodiversity Works, speaking at a House of Lords reception, and meetings with Ministers for Education and Disabled People. I also speak candidly about what it means to finally find an industry where being neurodivergent is more the norm than the exception.

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Campaign Magazine · Cover Feature · 2021

Great Minds Don’t Think Alike: How to Tap the Neurodivergent Talent Pool

Campaign Magazine’s cover feature on neurodiversity in the advertising and creative industries — why the sector has more neurodivergent talent than almost any other, and what still needs to change to make it truly inclusive. I’m interviewed about my experience of autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia, how the Autism Exchange internship changed my career trajectory, and what the industry needs to do differently — from flexible roles to hiring managers who don’t overlook candidates for being ‘a bit different’.

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WPP · 2020

Inclusion Champions: The Transformative Power of a Neurodiverse Workforce

Selected as one of 12 changemakers for WPP’s Inclusion Champions series, to coincide with National Inclusion Week and the inaugural WPP global Inclusion Council. I speak with Christine Benton of BCW North America about the barriers neurodivergent people face entering the workforce, the adjustments that allow them to thrive, and what genuine psychological safety at work actually looks like.

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Universal Music UK · 2020

Creative Differences: A Handbook for Embracing Neurodiversity in the Creative Industries

I contributed an anonymised personal account to Universal Music UK’s landmark Creative Differences handbook, and featured in the accompanying video series. The handbook — launched at an event addressed by the Secretary of State for Health — explores how the creative industries can better support neurodivergent talent. My account describes the adjustments that allow me to do my best work: arriving after rush hour, working from home two days a week, communicating by email, and condensing work into focused periods of deep concentration.

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WPP Media · Podcast · 2018

Spotlight on M/SIX and Ambitious About Autism: Autism Exchange Podcast

I hosted this podcast for the WPP Media YouTube channel, interviewing the Ambitious About Autism team, m/SIX CEO Alistair McCallum, and my fellow interns about the Autism Exchange Programme. I also speak as a participant — about the barriers I faced entering the workforce, the adjustments that made the difference, and how the internship led directly to my role at Group M.

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Civil Service World · 2018

Brain Power: How Government Can Make the Most of Neurodiversity

Tamsin Rutter reports on how the civil service is building a more neurodiverse workforce — from GCHQ’s longstanding neurodiversity programmes to the Autism Exchange Programme placing young autistic people in Whitehall. I’m interviewed about my two-week placement at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, where I researched the nuclear industry and produced briefing documents for the commercial team. I speak about the barriers autistic jobseekers face in standard recruitment, why the civil service culture felt “easier to read”, and what motivated me to launch Neurodiversity Works.

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Publications

Ambitious About Autism · Department for Education · 2021

Transition to Employment Toolkit

A practical guide I contributed to, funded by the Department for Education. It covers the full journey from school to work for autistic young people — what employers need to know, what adjustments look like in practice, and how to make the process accessible.

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Ambitious About Autism · Department for Education · 2021

Employment Toolkit for Professionals

The companion guide to the Transition to Employment Toolkit, written for post-16 professionals rather than employers. For anyone supporting autistic young people through their first experience of work.

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Universal Music UK · 2020

Creative Differences: A Handbook for Embracing Neurodiversity in the Creative Industries

I consulted on this landmark handbook throughout its development and contributed an anonymised personal account. Published by Universal Music UK and launched at an event addressed by the Secretary of State for Health, it explores how creative industries can better recruit, support and retain neurodivergent talent.

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BIMA · 2019

Tech Inclusion & Diversity Report 2019

I consulted on this sector-wide research into inclusion and diversity in the UK tech industry, contributing quotes and analysis. The report found that of all the groups examined, neurodivergence — including dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, autism and Tourette’s Syndrome — is the characteristic most likely to negatively affect a career.

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Press Coverage

Campaign Magazine · 2021

IWD 2021: Campaign’s Picks of Awesome Women in Adland

Campaign Magazine’s International Women’s Day 2021 roundup, in which the editorial team each named a woman who had inspired them that year. I was selected by creativity and culture editor Brittaney Kiefer for my advocacy for neurodivergent talent — my work at Group M, founding Neurodiversity Works, and my openness about my own neurodiversity and the barriers I faced entering the industry.

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Metro · 2021

‘You’re Too Pretty to be Autistic’: Why So Many Women Go Undiagnosed

Metro’s investigation into why autism is so frequently missed in women and girls. I’m featured, sharing my experience of being told at age six that I was “too pretty to be autistic”, the exhaustion of masking throughout childhood, and the lasting impact of a delayed diagnosis. Published for World Autism Awareness Week 2021.

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Campaign Magazine · 2020

IPA iList 2020: The 63 Practitioners Making Adland More Inclusive

The IPA published its shortlist of 63 practitioners — spanning every level from CEO to junior creative — helping to make the advertising industry a more inclusive place. I was named on the shortlist in my role as Inclusion and Diversity Coordinator at Group M. The final iList, sponsored by Unilever and featured in Campaign, was announced at a celebratory gala.

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Campaign Magazine · 2019

‘If We Are All the Same, How Do We Think Differently?’

Campaign Magazine reports on the ND Works panel event run by TheFutureisND, on making the creative industry an inclusive space for neurodivergent talent. I spoke about the m/SIX Autism Exchange scheme that opened the door to my role at Group M, and made the case for rethinking recruitment: “It’s the interview I can’t do — the job I can do really well.”

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Civil Service · 2018

Supporting Young People with Autism to Gain Civil Service Experience

The Civil Service invited me to write about my Autism Exchange placement at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for World Autism Awareness Week. I describe my placement in the Commercial New Nuclear team — researching nuclear technologies and producing a briefing document — and why the breadth of roles on offer made the Civil Service feel like somewhere I could genuinely belong.

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The Sunday Times · 2018

Hunt Begins for Legion of ‘Missing’ Children Being Educated at Home

The Sunday Times investigation into the tens of thousands of home-schooled children in Britain — many entirely absent from official records. I’m featured as a case study: home-schooled from age 12 after my autism made attending a large secondary school unmanageable, I spent four years largely teaching myself before going on to earn a first-class degree with no GCSEs or A-levels. My story illustrates what happens when children who drop out of education slip off the radar entirely.

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