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EvoLibri Consulting provides individual and family neurodiversity counseling, assessment, planning and training...we also provide in-service training to educational institutions...and inclusion and hidden disability program development for public and private organizations.
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Q: What does Neurodiversity mean, and why do we use this term?
A: The term neurodiversity, as it applies specifically to ASD, attention deficit, learning difference, and pervasive mood disturbances, was posted on Wikipedia by two Asperger individuals as a more neutral term than 'disability'or 'disabled' -- indeed, to be neurodiverse simply means 'a diverse brain', without any negative connotation. I choose this term because as the mother to an Aspie, I know that along with some weaknesses, there are enormous strengths in neurodiverse individuals. First as a mother, and then as a counselor, my belief has always been to play to an individual's assets. There is no need to change neurodiverse individuals -- only to help them build the skills they need to flourish in the neurotypical world, which is what EvoLibri endeavors to do.
Q: What does EvoLibri mean?
A: Part of the joy of starting a company is the act of creation...and because I have always had a love for words and language, I created the name EvoLibri from two latin roots -- evo, from the root to evolve, and libri, which alternately means book or paper (assessment) or liberation. | |
About the Principal, Jan Johnston-Tyler, Neurodiversity and Career Counselor...
 Jan Johnston-Tyler holds a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from Santa Clara University, with an emphasis on Career Development. Ms. Johnston-Tyler is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA), American Counseling Association (ACA), the California Counseling Association (CCA), and the California Career Development Association (CCDA). She is published both in books and in professional journals, and frequently speaks about hidden disabilities and neurodiversity in vocational, educational, and corporate settings.
As a former middle-level manager in high-tech, Ms. Johnston-Tyler has deep and broad experience both in organizational development and with the day-to-day issues managers face. As a counselor, Ms. Johnston-Tyler brings practical and empathic solutions to all of her clients. Finally, as the mother of an Asperger Syndrome son, she knows first hand what interventions can do for neurodiverse populations, and how exceptional these people are.
EvoLibri's consulting services are the natural culmination of varied work and life experiences of its principal...
Originally planning to be a high school teacher, Ms. Johnston-Tyler's career plans changed during her final year at UC Berkeley when Proposition 13 passed, which removed all hopes for a teaching career in California. Falling back on her passion for cooking, she worked her way up to Night Manager/Executive Chef at several restaurants in Berkeley and San Francisco.
After her passion for the hospitality industry waned, she returned to school to obtain technical training, and entered the high-tech industry as a technical writer. Ms. Johnston-Tyler rose through the ranks to senior manager, responsible for 120 employees and a $20M annual development budget. She was nominated by John Warnock, then-CEO of Adobe Systems, for a Laureate of Honor from the Smithsonian Institution for her innovation in electronic publishing.
During this same time period, Ms. Johnston-Tyler's first child was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, and over the next several years, she gained deep knowledge both on the disorder and on how to advocate for her son. After a short 'retirement' from high-tech, she returned to work after her divorce and began her Masters of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University, with an emphasis on Career and Organizational Development. She opened her practice in February 2007, and hasn't looked back yet. As anyone who knows her can attest, working with teenagers is a dream come true.
 Her first book, The Mom's Guide to Asperger's Syndrome, was released in Summer 2007 by AAPC, and she has begun working on her second and third books with the working titles Heaven & Hell: The High School Years, and Geniuses Among Us: Supporting Neurodiverse Individuals in the Workplace.
Ms. Johnston-Tyler strongly believes in the importance of creative and fulfilling work as part of personal development, as well as finding life/work balance. In her free time, she loves to travel, camp, ski, cook, write, garden, visit with friends and play with her two children, her dog and her cat.
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