Issue 29: Dystinct Report - A Conversation with Nicole Lobsey | Flynn & Eva Eldridge

Flynn and Ava Eldridge ask Nicole some questions about being a Speech Pathologist in Australia, as well as some questions about her own neurodivergence.

Questions and Answers

AVA: Tell us about yourself and what you do for a living.

NICOLE: I am a speech pathologist working in private practice. I work with neurodivergent children and teenagers. I have been a speech pathologist for 20 years, with a few breaks in between.

I am Dysgraphic. Dysgraphia is a learning disability in writing, spelling, handwriting, and typing.

FLYNN: Why did you get into speech?

NICOLE: I was still at school and had to pick something. I wanted to work with children. I liked the mix of linguistics and science. I didn’t have a real passion for speech pathology at the time or really know what it was. If I had my time again, I would do a more general degree and then decide later.

AVA: What is the difference between speech therapy and speech pathology?

NICOLE: We have different titles in different countries. In Australia, “therapy” and “pathology” are the same. There is a push by neuro-affirming speech therapists to replace “pathology” with “therapy” because of its medical/deficit/ableist meaning.

FLYNN: When did you find out about your neurodivergence?

NICOLE: I was diagnosed as an adult at university.

AVA: How did you get on with schooling?

NICOLE: Writing, spelling and handwriting were very difficult. Because I could memorise and rote-learn, I was able to mask or “cover” my difficulties for a while until writing demands got greater in late high school.

Masking is very exhausting, so I did have difficulty with burnout, nervous system overwhelm and anxiety, and after-school collapse, which are very common in people with undiagnosed learning disabilities.

I have always explained it like being a duck - calm on top of the water but frantically paddling under the surface.

We also often become fawners and people pleasers. We often feel like the odd ones out and wonder why other people seem to be doing things so much easier than us, or why we have to put in so much more effort for the same results.

The shame and negative feedback build up over time, impacting self-esteem and self-worth.

We often feel like the odd ones out and wonder why other people seem to be doing things so much easier than us.

FLYNN: Who was supportive of you through your schooling process?

NICOLE: Learning plans and accommodations weren’t a thing back then. As writing demands increased in high school, I had a scribe and longer exam time. I had to rewrite a lot of my work, which was exhausting and caused shame and embarrassment. Something that has stuck with me is being the only person at school to not get my Pen Licence. Things like this are seen as not a big deal, but the “little” things add up over our schooling and cause shame and trauma. I will continue to advocate for removing Pen Licences.

AVA: How do you help people with learning differences in your speech practice?

NICOLE: I help the people supporting the person (parents and teachers) to make changes so that demands, masking and shame are reduced, and the person has more time and energy to focus on their strengths and interests.

I help people understand their neurotype and strengths, how to work around difficulties using things like technology and outsourcing, how to self-advocate, build their self-esteem and self-worth, and how to embrace and advocate for how they do things even if it’s different to the standard.

I help with early identification of learning disabilities and identifying neurotypes as early as possible. I help people discover their specific strengths, their neurodivergent social, learning and communication styles, and help them to discover and access their unique interests.