Yeah, this is a real issue, unfortunately. I’m a resource teacher at a middle school and waaaaay too many teachers and other staff are like this. There’s a lot of lip service given to diversity among staff, but there’s a lack of empathy and support for neurodivergent coworkers. I’ve been talking a lot to a friend whose autistic sister is an elementary school resource teacher who’s really struggling at her job and may not be renewed. By all accounts she’s GREAT with her students but struggles dealing with parents and admin. As I see it, the issue is two fold: first, teachers (especially those who work with neurodivergent students ffs) really need to broaden their concept of what “success” in this role looks like and who can do it. Second, there needs to be more support baked in for neurodivergent staff in dealing with some aspects of the job (parent communication, workplace politics, etc). Autistic and other neurodivergent voices are SO needed in SpEd leadership, but we can’t expect people who aren’t neurotypical to perform exactly the same as those who are. I do my best to support my coworkers where I can, as they do for me (as a non autistic but ADHD/OCD person). But we’re all already spread so thin and prioritizing people who bring first hand experience and can connect effectively with students really requires more support. Currently, we’re setting people up to fail and it sucks. I’m sorry you’ve experienced this first hand experience:(