Neurodiversity in the Workplace - a whistle-stop tour
By Jean-Marc Le Tisser
Neurodiversity seems to be everywhere at the moment. We've always been around but, increasingly, neurodivergent celebrities and others are speaking out, and fresh research and understanding are being shared more widely.
Unfortunately, positive coverage also brings misleading, ill-informed opinion pieces, malicious reactions, and cheap sensationalism from the tabloids and others seeking attention. And there's already an enormous amount of out-of-date, inaccurate, misleading information in the traditional media, on social media and the Internet and, sadly, from some professionals in the field.
It can be hard to know what's real, so let's take a whistle-stop tour of the facts.
Research suggests that around 10% of people are neurodiverse. It's equally common in men and women, across every age range, and across racial backgrounds.
If you want to make yours a workplace where people can be themselves – embrace difference and authenticity as the core ingredients of creativity and success - you'll want to embrace neurodiversity alongside all the other differences that make us truly human.
Embracing neurodiversity can bring great strengths. Change is a constant. The neurodiverse are natural pattern-seers and problem-solvers, the ones who ask new questions and hatch new ideas seemingly from nowhere. Without neurodivergent thinking, you wouldn't have electric lighting, the telephone, the internet, aeroplane or iPhone. You can watch neurodivergent people win Gold at the Olympics, show you how to cook, or entertain you with standup, or pilot the Space Station, or create and lead Fortune 500 companies.
Getting clear
Being neurodivergent is not a lifestyle choice. You can't simply self-identify as neurodivergent because it's trendy, or because you think it will confer some advantage. Someone isn't neurodivergent just because they happen to have unusual views, style sense, or behaviours.
The term neurodiversity refers to natural differences in the structure and chemistry of the brain, that affect how you perceive the world, think and behave. Intelligence, by the way, is wholly unrelated to neurodiversity.
These differences are neurodevelopmental. You're born with them, they're lifelong, and usually pervasive in every aspect of your life. There's no cure. Specific, tailored medications, therapies and specialist coaching help, along with a host of coping strategies.
These differences occur in regions of the brain that specialise in different aspects of your functioning, which we can group as:
Executive functions: your brain's manager, responsible for organising, prioritising, planning etc
Sensory perception, processing, integration and regulation
Emotion perception, processing and regulation
Language and maths processing
Motor control and coordination
There can also be differences in the cabling that joins these regions, and the neurotransmitters that allow signals to move from region to region.
If I list the conditions considered to be neurodiverse, you can see how they flow from those brain differences.
But before I do, here's an exercise you might want to try. As you read each label, pause and notice - without censoring or judging yourself- what thoughts and feelings it conjures up.
Autism
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia (specific learning differences that affect a person's ability to: read, write, and spell; understand and work with numbers; write and express themselves through writing). As with the other conditions here, they are not related to intelligence
Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) (formerly called Dyspraxia)
Tourette syndrome, now more commonly "Tic Disorders"
Synesthesia
Sensory processing disorder(s)
What thoughts and feelings came up for you? Where do they come from? Is there anything you want to work on?
I'm not a fan of these labels. The language is awful, they're stigmatising, and they're not very helpful as they don't accurately describe the condition or point at what may help.
For example, people labelled ADHD don't have a deficit of attention - in fact have hyperfocus - but typically find it difficult to control what they focus on, and to switch focus. Only 5% of them are hyperactive. And it's not a disorder, unless you take the medical position that any deviation from some theoretical norm must be a disorder, or you're taking a moral stance. On the other hand, people with ADHD have a rich array of strengths - and other symptoms and challenges – that aren't clear from the label.
Get Going
I should point out that conditions like Autism and ADHD are disabilities, in legislation, and you are required not to discriminate, and to make "reasonable accommodations". Given all I've said, you might think that this means that making your workplace neurodiversity-inclusive will be a huge undertaking, but I don't believe that's the case.
Whichever label someone neurodivergent happens to carry, understanding how their needs flow from the differences in the brain that I mentioned will give you a strong steer about what you may need to do. Speak with the neurodivergent people you are dealing with to understand their specific needs and what, practically, will help them. A great place to start is those you already employ, work with, or know as friends, health professionals, and in every area of life.
I can't emphasise enough the importance of putting yourself in our shoes - and making what may seem like tiny changes that may seem unimportant or strange to you but, to us, make a world of difference.
You may be surprised at how obvious and straightforward the "accommodations" we need are. Many are the same for the differently labelled conditions. For example: providing information and clear instructions in different formats, offering flexible work schedules, creating sensory-friendly workspaces, using visual aids, offering ergonomic equipment such as speech-to-text software or noise cancelling headphones, allowing for breaks and movement, and modifying environmental factors such as noise and distractions.
In my experience, these changes benefit everyone, whether neurodivergent or not.
The most challenging changes you will have to make and lead, however, may well be those asked of neurotypical people:
Addressing stigma and changing attitudes
Letting go of unhelpful "norms", and acceptance of different ways of being. For example:
Stimming and movement. Stimming is perfectly natural and everyone does it. A bit. And many people feel the need to get up and move, to pace or go for a walk. A bit. For us, these are essential to regulating ourselves, to making sense of things, to thinking clearly, to our mental health, and we may do them at any time
Embracing different communication styles. Typically, we don't 'do' small talk. This doesn't mean we're antisocial. We can get very excited if you or we are talking about something that especially interests us. We may sometimes not speak at all, or go to the other extreme and share our every thought, at high speed, or finish your sentences for you. And, yes, many of us find direct eye contact, not just difficult, but physically painful
Thinking outside the box. Many of us don't even know there's a box! And we tend to sense things and make connections that either no one else has noticed, or no one wants to talk about. Sometimes we ask the most challenging questions, or share ideas that others aren't ready to hear
It really boils down to this truism: inclusive design is good design.
If you want your workplace to truly be one where people can be themselves – to embrace difference and authenticity as the core ingredients of creativity and success - then what do you need to rework, by design, in your workplace?
I'm so excited to see what you'll do and achieve!
Good sources of information about Neurodiversity and work
The CIPD has a solid guide, from an HR perspective. https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/guides/neurodiversity-work/.
DoIt Solutions. Professor Amanda Kirby’s company. Amanda is one of the few to understand the range of neurodiversity, the latest research, and how it fits together. Visit https://doitprofiler.com/ for neurodiversity in a workplace context, and I recommend following her on LinkedIn and getting her Neurodiversity 101 newsletter from there.
Understood - Understood.org is a website that provides resources and support for parents, educators, and neurodiverse individuals. It covers a wide range of neurodiverse conditions, including ADHD, dyslexia, and autism. The website offers articles, videos, and practical tips to better understand and assist neurodiverse individuals. Visit their website at www.understood.org.