2 Neurodiversity
Spotlight on…
NHS England (no date) currently estimates that in the UK, around 1 in 7 people are neurodivergent, although with an increase in awareness and late diagnosis the number is likely to grow. This is often a hidden disability. Watch this short video by AmpliFly to hear a useful explanation of what neurodiversity is:
Download this video clip.Video player: Video 3: What is neurodiversity?
Transcript: Video 3: What is neurodiversity?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
NARRATOR
Just like our fingerprints, all our brains are unique. But for the majority of people, their brains are similar enough that there are largely no obvious differences in how they function. They have differences in things like skills, preferences, and styles. But mostly their brains mean they perceive the world in the same way.
But for others, their brains are more fundamentally different. They have differences in things like social understanding, sensory processing, communication, and information processing. These differences are a result of neurological differences, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and more.
This natural variation in our brains is called neurodiversity. Those of us with no neurological conditions are neurotypical. And those of us with neurological conditions are neurodivergent.
Neurodivergent people think differently. Their unique perspectives and experiences mean they can often excel at creativity and innovation, have highly specialised skill sets, and an ability to hyperfocus. If embraced, this can be a huge advantage to organisations and society.
However, the differences neurodivergent people experience can make life challenging. In order to thrive at work, they often need some simple accommodations-- for example, a sensory calm environment to recharge in or a routine with the same start and end times. Approximately one in seven people are neurodivergent. So not only is embracing neurodiversity critical for a truly inclusive organisation, but it also presents organisations with a huge opportunity.
Video 3: What is neurodiversity?
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Neurodiversity celebrates the fact that the differences in our brains are normal genetic variations, leading to different ways of thinking and specific abilities. Despite the fact that many individuals regard their neurodiversity as an ability or special power, it can be seen by employers as a limitation, rather than an opportunity in the workplace.
However, employers are starting to realise the benefits.
Listen to James Mahoney from JP Morgan Chase, talking about changing the recruitment practices that impact negatively on neurodiverse candidates and successfully hiring software testers on the autism spectrum:
Download this video clip.Video player: Video 4: J.P. Morgan’s Autism at work journey
Transcript: Video 4: J.P. Morgan’s Autism at work journey
NARRATOR
I’ll tell you the story of autism at work. And by the way, I’m standing here because I have notes, and I don’t have the story memorised all the time, and I like to keep it fairly consistent.
But five years ago, a nonprofit came to us-- came to our HR partner, our CIO, who is my boss. And came to us with the concept of autistic people have great talent, give us lots of stats, but they are highly unemployed. And they’re unemployed because traditional interviewing techniques will not amplify what they’re good at.
We look for the strong handshake, the great eye contact, just the right length of answer, and we walk away from talent every day because of it. And we got it. Right away we connected with the concept, but we said we have-- we’re a quarter of a million people, how the heck are we going to change tens of thousands of recruiters to interview differently. How am I going to get managers to be at the same degree of acceptance and understanding of autism because we knew we have to educate the nonautism individuals.
Anyway, we liked it more than we were scared about the what ifs. That’s the punch line there, right? And so it took us about a year, we wanted to find a partner who A, knew technology and B, was working in this space. And luckily there was one down the road from us in Delaware. And they came in. They helped evaluate the jobs, evaluate the site, find people, train people, and train us to be better managers of people on the spectrum and to engage and, importantly, include people on the spectrum. So that took a year to get all that in place and sign a contract.
4 and 1/2 years ago, we started our first pilot. And this is where the journey begins. Four individuals in one type of role, in one location in Delaware. And they were doing software testing. Everyone know what software testing is?
How many were in the last session about neurodiversity? Anybody? Yeah. So they talked about often with autism, good jobs are A plus B equals C. Another way I describe it is if you have clear rules and clear outcomes that are expected, expected results, it may be a good candidate for somebody on the autism spectrum. And software testing certainly is that it says, enter this, enter that, you should see this, if you don’t it’s a fail, if you do it’s a pass. More complicated, but that’s the gist of it.
So we put these four people in and we got an inkling of something great was about to happen. When we gave them their first week’s worth of training, the corporate required training that you do online. And we budgeted three weeks. And it was done in 2 and 1/2 days by every one of them. So we knew they were really quick and they could recite parts of the rules back to you. So those were good indicators.
But then they started doing the work. And what we found after six months was these four people doing software testing in a group of 30 people, so the other 26 were not neurodiverse. The people on the spectrum ranked out of the 30, first, second, and either third, fourth, or fifth every single month. And their productivity and quality was, I always forget this number, 48% higher than the rest of the group on average.
Video 4: J.P. Morgan’s Autism at work journey
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In their Neuroinclusion at Work survey report (Thompson & Miller, 2024), the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) state that following a survey of over 1000 employees across a range of sectors, 81% say they understand what neurodiversity is, but only 53% feel they work in an open and supportive organisation where employees are able to talk about it.
Despite this growing awareness, there are still some examples of neurodiversity that we might not have a clear understanding of, and this can lead to a reluctance to talk about them for fear of getting it wrong. The next activity will allow you to explore them in more detail.
Activity 2 Exploring neurodiversity
Timing: Allow about 15 minutes for this activity.
Choose two of the following terms and use your preferred search engine to find out more about them.
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Asperger’s Syndrome
- ADHD
- Dyslexia
- Dyspraxia
- Dyscalculia
- Tourette’s syndrome
Comment
Although we are often familiar with the words, we might be confused by exactly what they mean. Hopefully, this activity has helped to clarify your understanding.
Leading workplace adjustments provider Neurobox, has a useful glossary of neurodiversity terms here [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .
If you haven’t already found them, YouTube also has many useful videos that can help you to understand the life experience of a neurodivergent person. For example, on autism:
Download this video clip.Video player: Video 5: Diverted
Transcript: Video 5: Diverted
SPEAKER 1:
[GASPS]
SPEAKER 2:
We’re sorry to announce this train has been delayed. Please listen for other announcements.
SPEAKER 3:
Ugh.
[LAUGHING]
SPEAKER 2:
This train is diverted.
SPEAKER 4:
Sorry.
[BABY CRYING]
[MUFFLED NOISES]
SPEAKER 1:
I’m autistic, and the fear of unexpected changes can make leaving the house impossible.
Video 5: Diverted
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And another example, on ADHD:
Download this video clip.Video player: Video 6: This is What It’s Really Like to Have ADHD
Transcript: Video 6: This is What It’s Really Like to Have ADHD
Narrator:
I asked people with ADHD one question. What do you want the world to know about your ADHD?
NATALIE:
This is what I want you to know about my ADHD. It takes me a lot of hard work to get my work turned in on time. I’m very smart but my grades drop sometimes.
KATE:
If I could actually sit down and start my homework, I would, but many days I just can’t and struggling with something so seemingly simple tends to make me feel very frustrated or even stupid.
KATIE:
I’d like the world to know that there are people like me out there who get good grades, rarely get in trouble, and yet can and do have ADHD and struggle with the symptoms that come along with it.
DAVE:
Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean that it isn’t there.
JOSH:
My ADHD affects every aspect of my life, from sleep to school to work, all of my relationships. And I have to tailor my entire life around having it.
CATH:
It doesn’t always look the same. I was only diagnosed at 25 because I have the inattentive type.
TONY:
I’m basically hyperactive. I was diagnosed at the age of seven.
PAIVI:
I wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until I was 38. Always thought you need to be hyperactive to have it.
MICHELLE:
I filmed this video too many times now and I can’t get it right, and it’s really stressing me out now.
MORGAN:
I try really hard and it hurts when people act like I’m not trying as hard as I am.
JOSH:
But the worst part is when my symptoms aren’t taken as symptoms. They’re taken as behaviors, done unintentionally to upset someone or consider that I don’t care. And that’s never been the case.
JORAM:
Whenever you think that I intentionally tried to hurt you, I didn’t. I probably just screwed up.
DANIEL:
I’m at least as frustrated as you and probably even more.
KAITLYN
When I say I forgot, I’m not lazy. I’m not just trying to make an excuse. It’s a real struggle. And I’m probably even more pissed off at myself than you are at me.
MARK:
There is a giant flipping war going on inside this head. I really am trying.
HANNAH:
When I use my accommodations, it’s not me trying to take the easy way out. All I’m trying to do is level the playing field so that you and I have a lot more even chance of success.
YESSICA:
When you see me arranging my pens and pencils according to color, it’s because my brain is trying to compensate for the chaos within.
ADRIAN:
I squeeze some play-doh in my hand, and it helps me concentrate on what I’m doing.
BAILEY:
I move to a special spot in the classroom for tests because I can’t block out noises and distractions like you can.
JACOB:
While I’m staring off into space, it doesn’t mean I’m stupid.
HEATHER:
It doesn’t mean that I’m not listening to you.
AL:
Normally, it means that you’ve triggered a really interesting thought which my impulsive brain can’t help but chase.
JUDEE:
Having ADHD is like having a billion trampolines in your head, each representing a thought and your brain just jumping off each and every one every second.
MAREK:
I don’t think about ADHD as a ‘disorder’. I take it as more of a different way of thinking.
RACHELLE:
I know my brain works differently, but ADHD can give me an advantage with what I’m doing.
BECCA:
It may take me a while to come to a solution, tends to be really different than everybody else’s, and a lot of people appreciate that.
SARAH:
I’ve been told my whole life I need to be fighting my brain. I’m learning now that I need to love and work with my brain.
SCOT:
It’s not an excuse, it’s an explanation. And it’s something that I’m going to continue working on for the rest of my life. And that’s OK.
INIGO
I’m smart, but ADHD makes focusing hard and hides my abilities. If I’m given the chance, I can achieve more.
SPEAKER:
To meet this amazing community and learn more about how to support them, please visit howtoadhd.com/howtohelp. Please share.
ARTY:
Also sticky notes, yay.
Video 6: This is What It’s Really Like to Have ADHD
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A key learning point is that neurodivergence isn’t an illness, it just means an individual has a different way of learning and processing information.
It is also important to be aware that every person’s experience of neurodivergence is different, so that can make it difficult to put generic support in place.