Neurodivergent women in Software Engineering (SE) encounter distinctive challenges at the intersection of gender bias and neurological differences. To the best of our knowledge, no prior work in SE research has systematically examined this group, despite increasing recognition of neurodiversity in the workplace. Underdiagnosis, masking, and male-centric workplace cultures continue to exacerbate barriers that contribute to stress, burnout, and attrition. In response, we propose a hybrid methodological approach that integrates InclusiveMag's inclusivity framework with the GenderMag walkthrough process, tailored to the context of neurodivergent women in SE. The overarching design unfolds across three stages, scoping through literature review, deriving personas and analytic processes, and applying the method in collaborative workshops. We present a targeted literature review that synthesize challenges into cognitive, social, organizational, structural and career progression challenges neurodivergent women face in SE, including how under/late diagnosis and masking intensify exclusion. These findings lay the groundwork for subsequent stages that will develop and apply inclusive analytic methods to support actionable change.

As our understanding of autism and ableism continues to increase, so does our understanding of ableist language towards autistic people. Such language poses a significant challenge in NLP research due to its subtle and context-dependent nature. Yet, detecting anti-autistic ableist language remains underexplored, with existing NLP tools often failing to capture its nuanced expressions. We present AUTALIC, the first benchmark dataset dedicated to the detection of anti-autistic ableist language in context, addressing a significant gap in the field. The dataset comprises 2,400 autism-related sentences collected from Reddit, accompanied by surrounding context, and is annotated by trained experts with backgrounds in neurodiversity. Our comprehensive evaluation reveals that current language models, including state-of-the-art LLMs, struggle to reliably identify anti-autistic ableism and align with human judgments, underscoring their limitations in this domain. We publicly release AUTALIC along with the individual annotations which serve as a valuable resource to researchers working on ableism, neurodiversity, and also studying disagreements in annotation tasks. This dataset serves as a crucial step towards developing more inclusive and context-aware NLP systems that better reflect diverse perspectives.

In this innovative practice full paper, we address the equity gap for neurodivergent and situationally limited learners by identifying the spectrum of dynamic factors that impact learning and function. Educators have shown a growing interest in identifying learners' cognitive abilities and learning preferences to measure their impact on academic achievement. Often institutions employ one-size-fits-all approaches leaving the burden on disabled students to self-advocate or tolerate inadequate support. Emerging frameworks guide neurodivergent learners through instructional approaches, such as online education. However, these frameworks fail to address holistic environmental needs or recommend technology interventions, particularly for those with undisclosed learning or developmental disabilities and situational limitations. In this article, we integrate a neurodivergent perspective through secondary research of around 100 articles to introduce a Guiding Empowerment Model involving key cognitive and situational factors that contextualize day-to-day experiences affecting learner ability. We synthesize three sample student profiles that highlight user problems in functioning. We use this model to evaluate sample learning platform features and other supportive technology solutions. The proposed approach augments frameworks such as Universal Design for Learning to consider factors including various sensory processing differences, social connection challenges, and environmental limitations. We suggest that by applying the mode through technology-enabled features such as customizable task management, guided varied content access, and guided multi-modal collaboration, major learning barriers of neurodivergent and situationally limited learners will be removed to activate the successful pursuit of their academic goals.

Staring closely at the screen, Jordan Wright deftly picks out a barely distinguishable shape with his mouse, bringing to life a stark blue outline from a blur of overexposed features. It is a process similar to the automated tests that teach computers to distinguish humans from machines, by asking someone to identify traffic lights or stop signs in a picture known as a Captcha. Only in Wright's case, the shape turns out to be of a Tupolev Tu-160, a supersonic strategic heavy bomber, parked on a Russian base. The outline -- one of hundreds a day he picks out from satellite images -- is training an algorithm so that a US intelligence agency can locate and identify Moscow's firepower in an automated flash. It has become a run-of-the-mill task for the 25-year-old, who describes himself as on the autism spectrum. Starting in the spring, Wright began working at Enabled Intelligence Inc, a Virginia-based start-up that works largely for US intelligence and other federal agencies.

Neurodiversity is the concept of neurological differences observed in human variations. Historically, these differences have been labeled as Autistic Spectrum, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, ADHD, etc.. At times, we were quick to call neurodivergence a developmental disorder or a disease. But, we know much more now. Neurodiversity is a competitive advantage.

Neurodiversity is the concept of neurological differences observed in human variations. Historically, these differences have been labeled as Autistic Spectrum, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, ADHD, etc.. At times, we were quick to call neurodivergence a developmental disorder or a disease. But, we know much more now. Neurodiversity is a competitive advantage.

Dr Catriona Wallace, an entrepreneur in the Artificial Intelligence field, and Founder & Executive Director of Flamingo AI dropped into Speakers Corner towers to share her expertise on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics & Human Rights in technology and Women in Leadership. Needless to say, we were blown away by her visit and decided to learn more. Find out how Catriona became the second female-led business on the ASX, the importance of neurodiversity in the workplace, and what the future of AI has in store for ethics and the world at large. I only ever wanted to be a farmer! After a couple of years studying agriculture at University, I realised most of my peers were becoming investment bankers and not farmers.

Transcranial direct current stimulation has been claimed to enhance learning.Credit: Liz Hafalia/Polaris/eyevine Is there a common element that binds diverse mental abilities, from language to mental arithmetic? Or do these skills compete for our brains' limited resources? In The Genius Within, Dav...

The two covered the ethical implications of machine learning, diversity in tech, neurodiversity, the collapse of funding for basic research, precision medicine, high-speed trading, cybersecurity, robots taking our jobs, internet regulation, space travel, and how Star Trek informed Obama's worldview. OBAMA: I think there's no doubt that developing international norms, protocols, and verification mechanisms around cybersecurity generally, and AI in particular, is in its infancy. Part of what makes this an interesting problem is that the line between offense and defense is pretty blurred. And at a time when there's been a lot of mistrust built up about government, that makes it difficult. When you have countries around the world who see America as the preeminent cyberpower, now is the time for us to say, "We're willing to restrain ourselves if you are willing to restrain yourselves."