Employment Programs

Made for Vocational Rehabilitation

Below you will find a list of the current programs being offered for OVRS by Shannon Wagner, OTD.

Programs For

the following types of neurodivergence

Shannon has been supporting clients in OVRS seeking sustainable employment since 2018. She has created unique employment-specific programs and services for neurodivergent adults working with vocational rehabilitation.  

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

  • AuDHD (that’s a combination of Autism & ADHD)

  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 

  • Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (cPTSD)

  • Elher’s Danlow Syndrome (EDS)

  • Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)

  • Dysautonomia 

  • Sensory Processing Differences (SPD)

  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Emotional Regulation at Work

Program Description

Emotional regulation, or the lack of ability to regulate emotions, in employment settings, is one of the leading causes of job loss in Neurodivergent Adults. Based in neuroscience, this class uses a visual NeuroWeather system to take the guesswork and shame out of regulation. Participants will create a custom NeuroWeather map that includes how to identify when dysregulation is coming, what to do to avoid it, and how to communicate professionally in an employment setting, even when dysregulated. with those around you while dysregulating without causing harm or fallout in the employment setting. 

    1. Attend six (6) individual 60-minute sessions via a secure online telehealth platform 

    2. Learn about the underlying neuroscience of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and how it controls emotional regulation before the brain.  

    3. Create a customized NeuroWeather Map of your nervous systemincluding early warning signs of dysregulation and strategies for staying regulated in employment settings. 

    4. Create communication scripts to address dysregulation and maintain professional behavior at work, reducing the likelihood of job loss.

  • Session 1: Outline goals for class and history of employment barriers and conditions that have led to dysregulation in employment settings in the past. 

    Introduce the Neuroweather Dial and the underlying neuroscience governing regulation.  

    Session 2: Map Sunny Neuroweather 

    Session 3:  Map Windy Neuroweather 

    Session 4: Map Stormy Neuroweather 

    Session 5: Map Foggy Neuroweather 

    Session 6: Map Breezy and Cloudy Neuroweather

    • A written report outlining their client’s participation 

    • Recommendations for employment settings and features to seek and avoid, ensuring long-term employment and reducing the likelihood of repeated job loss or burnout. 

    • A copy of the Neuroweather Map that was created throughout the training. 

Make a Referral

Navigating Sensory Processing at Work 

Program Description

This program is offered to those whose sensory processing differences are interfering with their employment and causing job loss, mistakes, difficulty finding employment, or interpersonal conflicts. Throughout five sessions, participants will learn how their sensory processing is affected by their disabilities and develop strategies to navigate employment without missing cues or getting overloaded.  

    1. Attend five (5) individual 60-minute sessions via a secure online telehealth platform 

    2. Complete the Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile and apply scores to the employment setting. 

    3. Create a customized sensory processing manual that outlines the sensory conditions to seek in employment and those to avoid. 

    4. Identify reasonable accommodations and self-led strategies in employment settings with sensory inputs that may cause dysregulation or job loss. 

    5. Create scripts for professionally communicating their sensory needs in employment settings in a variety of contexts. 

  • Session 1: Outline goals for class and history of employment barriers related to sensory processing.  Complete the Sensory Profile during the session in a structured interview. 

    Session 2: Interpret Sensory Profile scores and use them to begin creating your personalized Sensory Manual, starting with Vision and Auditory systems 

    Session 3: Complete Tactile and Vestibular Systems pages of Sensory Manual 

    Session 4: Complete Body awareness and Interoception sections, pages of Sensory Manual 

    Session 5: Complete Taste & Smell sections of the sensory manual and finalize the Sensory Manual

    1. A written report outlining their client’s participation 

    2. Recommendations for sensory processing tools or devices that may be helpful

    3. A copy of the Sensory Manual was created during the training

Make a Referral

Navigating Routines for Employment

Program Description

For adults with Autism and ADHD, navigating daily routines and weekly planning to consistently get to work on time and have the stamina and endurance throughout the week to perform all work tasks can be a significant barrier. This training supports clients by creating daily routines that help them do everything they need to do to be ready to work, from getting a good night’s sleep to packing lunches and getting ready on time. 

    1. Attend six (6) individual 60-minute sessions via a secure online telehealth platform 

    2. Create daily routines for employment, including pre-sleep routines and pre-work routines 

    3. Identify how long each routine takes to avoid over- or underestimating time and to arrive at work neither late nor really early. 

    4. Identify the optimal workweek structure for your nervous system to ensure you have the capacity to consistently perform your job and avoid job loss or clinical burnout. 

  • Session 1: Outline goals for class and the history of conditions that have led to time management-related job loss in the past. Outline your current daily routines and barriers you are experiencing. 

    Session 2: Create your pre-sleep routine

    Session 3:  Create your wake-up and get ready for work routine

    Session 4: Monitor and modify daily routines based on your feedback from doing them, and monitor for barriers and overload

    Session 5: Identify differences between what you thought you could do and what happened throughout the past week, and plan a week incorporating what you learned. Continue to monitor daily routines to identify optimal routines for sustainability. 

    Session 6: Finalize your daily routines, outline your ideal work schedule, and create scripts for communicating about time as needed. 

    • A written report outlining their client’s participation 

    • Recommendations for work schedules that will be most likely to support long-term success, as well as those to avoid

    • A copy of the Daily Routines that were created during the program

Make a Referral

Self-Advocacy In Employment

Program Description

One of the most challenging parts of being newly diagnosed with Autism or ADHD is understanding how it impacts your ability to work and sustain long-term employment. This training goes beyond simply identifying underlying strengths and weaknesses by accounting for the effort required for specific job skills and requirements. Using the Invisible Disability Inventory, participants will be able to confidently identify specific essential functions to seek and avoid in employment and how to self-accommodate as needed. 

    1. Attend five (5) individual 60-minute sessions via a secure online telehealth platform 

    2. Complete all sections of the Invisible Disability Inventory (IDI) in a structured interview format during sessions as outlined below. 

    3. Identify specific job requirements that should be sought out and will promote long-term success while reducing the likelihood of job loss. 

    4. Identify specific job skills that should be avoided and will be likely to cause job loss if not accommodated for. 

    • A written report outlining their client’s participation 

    • Recommendations for job features to specifically seek and avoid, as well as reasonable accommodations that may apply to employment settings that are less than ideal. 

    • A copy of the completed Invisible Disabilities Inventory

  • Session 1: Outline goals for class and the history of employment barriers and conditions that have led to job loss in the past. 

    Session 2: Complete the Sensory Processing portion of the IDI

    Session 3: Complete the Executive Functions portion of the IDI

    Session 4: Complete the Communication portion of the IDI 

    Session 5: Complete the Time Management portion of the IDI 

Make a Referral

Make a Referral

Use this secure form to submit a referral, and we will reach out to your client directly to schedule a meet-and-greet.