---
title: "My diagnosis was liberating, not limiting"
description: "How I turned human communication into a literal science experiment."
canonical: "https://gordongeraghty.com/article/my-diagnosis"
type: "article"
date: "2023-11-21"
---



# My diagnosis was liberating, not limiting

**Gordon Geraghty** — My diagnosis was liberating, not limiting, AdNews (2023-11-21). How I turned human communication into a literal science experiment.

**AdNews · 2023-11-21**

## Intro
Gordon Geraghty has launched award-winning startups, hosted a techno radio show, organised TEDx talks, mentored disabled youth, and worked in viticulture.

## The diagnosis
Self-diagnosed with Asperger's in high school, officially confirmed shortly after. Despite the grim, pessimistic predictions handed to his family about his future, he forcibly reframed the diagnosis: it was **empowering, never limiting**.

## The science-experiment approach
> "I turned communication into a science experiment where I studied those around me by writing down their conversations, adding time, keeping track of facial expressions, and assigning a value to each input."

Years later he discovered this aligned with [**Transactional Analysis**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transactional_analysis), popularised by Eric Berne in *Games People Play* (1960s).

## Career applications
The cold, analytical approach he built at age 14 became his greatest asset as a manager. By starkly understanding his own boundaries, he learned to *"quickly empathise with colleagues and clients"* entirely without relying on lazy, assumed social norms.

## Industry recommendation
> "Ask, don't assume."

He strongly warns against making assumptions in any diverse workplace. For years, he kept his diagnosis locked away at [EssenceMediacom](https://www.essencemediacom.com/) out of self-preservation. But upon finally disclosing it to the broader WPP community, he uncovered a hidden network of peers with exact similar experiences, instantly creating genuine psychological safety.

## Current work
Volunteers with [**Amaze**](https://www.amaze.org.au/) as a steering-committee member supporting autistic professionals; partnered [**GroupM**](https://www.groupm.com/)** and **[**Amaze**](https://www.amaze.org.au/) to forge hard-hitting programs that actually support neurodiverse individuals and train their managers, actively forcing inclusive hiring practices into reality.

Looking back, I had reverse-engineered an established framework from observation alone — and the analytical approach became invaluable once I started managing people. Understanding my own strengths and limitations meant I could quickly empathise with colleagues and clients without leaning on assumed social norms.

A shorter version of this story, [“Changing Perspectives”, ran with the Media Federation of Australia](https://www.mediafederation.org.au/changing-perspectives-gordon-geraghty-nov23) in November 2023.

[Read the original](https://www.adnews.com.au/opinion/changing-perspectives-my-diagnosis-was-liberating-and-i-turned-communication-into-a-science-experiment)