Finding Strength Through Assessment

Author Bio

Paul Stevenson is a well respected advocate, author and public speaker who shares his experience of Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, OCD and Autism. Paul works for Genius Within as a Lived Experience Ambassador. Today he writes about the assessment he had with our Founder Dr Doyle that helped him reframe his neurodivergence and find a career path that was truly meant to be.

Before taking part in the BBC documentary Employable Me, I had been through many assessments over the years. If I am honest, I saw them as something to endure rather than something that could help me. They often felt as though they were searching for what was wrong with me, rather than recognising what I could do.

Living with Tourette Syndrome and my co-occurring conditions, I already understood my challenges. I had spent a lifetime living with them. What I did not know was where my strengths lay.

Everything changed when I took part in the BBC documentary Employable Me and had my assessment with Genius Within Founder, Dr Nancy Doyle. Instead of feeling judged, I felt listened to. The experience was friendly, engaging and genuinely positive.

Rather than focusing on deficits, the assessment explored:

It opened up a whole new world.

For the first time, someone helped me discover abilities I had not even realised I had. After years of struggling at school, collecting negative labels and feeling that opportunities were slipping away, this assessment did something no previous assessment had ever done: it opened a door.

Through that door came a glimmer of light, and for the first time I had the confidence to step through it. That moment marked the beginning of thriving instead of simply surviving.

Of course, an assessment alone does not change a life. But when it is followed by the right coaching, reasonable adjustments and people who genuinely believe in your potential, it can become the catalyst for extraordinary change.

Today, I am proud to be an Ambassador for Genius Within, a public speaker, an award-winning international Tourette Syndrome advocate, an author, and someone who helps organisations better understand neurodiversity. Looking back, it is difficult to believe how far I have come from the person who once genuinely believed they were unemployable.

If there is one lesson I have taken from that experience, it is this: assessments should not only identify barriers; they should also uncover strengths. Sometimes, all it takes is one person helping you see your potential for your entire future to change.

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To learn more about Tourette Syndrome click here.

For another article by Paul Stevenson click here.