Neurodiversity

Introduction#

This page discusses neurodevelopmental differences such as autism, dyslexia and ADHD. These conditions are common, with over 10% of adults having one or more, so at least a basic understanding and appreciation of how these affect people is essential for all people leaders.

People who have these and other such conditions are colloquially known as neurodivergent, as compared to neurotypical meaning not having any such characteristics. The term neurodiversity covers all variations of neurotypical and neurodivergent conditions.

Key points

More than 10% of adults have one or more neurodivergent conditions.
Neurodiverse teams can be more creative and innovative than uniformly neurotypical teams.
Neurodivergent people have particular strengths but also face challenges and may benefit from adjustments.
Neurodivergent characteristics can be misinterpreted by neurotypical people. As with all relationships, the key to working well with neurodivergent colleagues is empathy and consideration.

What is neurodivergency?#

Neurodivergencies such as autism, dyslexia and ADHD affect the way people think, learn and behave, and in particular how they process information and stimuli.

Neurodivergent people often have strengths that make them a valuable asset to teams and organisations, such as creativity, energy, focus, and precision. (See Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage ↗ by the Harvard Business Review.)

But along with these strengths can come challenges. If someone you work with is neurodivergent, you may notice they have what is sometimes called a ‘spiky profile,’ where they excel in some areas but find others difficult.

It is common for people to have more than one neurodivergent condition — see Exceptional Individuals: Condition Cross-over: Why is it so common? ↗.

Working effectively with neurodivergent people#

Neurodivergent colleagues may react differently to neurotypical colleagues in social situations. Depending on their condition, they may appear to be more direct or more energetic than most people, more detail-oriented or more impulsive, may need more time to react to verbal questions or may be more talkative, and may have a preference for written communication or diagrams over verbal communication.

The best way to find out what works best for each person is to ask. All colleagues benefit from empathy and consideration, whether neurotypical or neurodivergent.

Ask what they need from you to help them in their role.
Ask if there is anything about how you work with them or how the team works that they find challenging, and explore adjustments that may help.

Equality Act

The UK Equality Act 2010 says reasonable adjustments must be made.

Simple changes can often benefit individuals and the whole team. When it comes to people with a diagnosed condition, legislation such as the UK Equality Act 2010 places a legal responsibility on employers to make reasonable adjustments to avoid affected employees being substantially disadvantaged, so in those cases you have an obligation to fulfil that requirement.

Respect boundaries

People who have been diagnosed or suspect they have a neurodivergency may share this with you, but they may not want to. Treat this as a personal topic and be sensitive about if and how you enquire and do not pry. Usually, it is best to stick to showing general curiosity about how you can work best with them, and leave it up to them whether and when they share any neurodivergency with you.

Autism#

Around 1% of adults are autistic. It is a lifelong condition and there is no treatment. Still, by better understanding the condition, individuals and those around them can make adjustments to help reduce the challenges the person experiences.

The following is adapted from material published by the UK National Autistic Society ↗.

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world. It is a spectrum condition and affects people in different ways. Like all people, autistic people have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Difficulties that autistic people may experience include the following.

Social communication. Autistic people have difficulties interpreting verbal and non-verbal language like gestures or tone of voice. They can take things literally, not understand abstract concepts and need extra time to process information or answer questions.
Social interaction. Autistic people often have difficulty ‘reading’ other people — recognising or understanding others’ feelings and intentions — and expressing their own emotions. This can make it very hard to navigate the social world.
Repetitive and restrictive behaviour. With its unwritten rules, the world can seem a very unpredictable and confusing place to autistic people. This is why they often prefer to have routines so that they know what is going to happen. Change to routine can also be very distressing for autistic people and make them very anxious.
Sensory sensitivity. Autistic people may experience over- or under-sensitivity to sounds, touch, tastes, smells, light, colours, temperatures or pain. For example, they may find certain background sounds like music in a restaurant, which other people ignore or block out, unbearably loud or distracting.
Highly focused interests or hobbies. Many autistic people have intense and highly focused interests. They can become experts in their special interests and often like to share their knowledge. Being highly focused helps many autistic people do well academically and in the workplace but they can also become so engrossed in particular topics or activities that they neglect other aspects of their lives.
Extreme anxiety. Anxiety is a real difficulty for many autistic adults, particularly in social situations or when facing change. It can affect a person psychologically and physically and impact the quality of life for autistic people.
Meltdowns and shutdowns. When everything becomes too much for an autistic person, they can go into meltdown or shutdown. These are very intense and exhausting experiences. A meltdown happens when someone becomes completely overwhelmed by their current situation and temporarily loses behavioural control. A shutdown appears less intense to the outside world but can be equally debilitating. Shutdowns are also a response to being overwhelmed, but may appear more passive — e.g. an autistic person going quiet or ‘switching off.’

ADHD#

ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) affects 3–4% of adults and is a lifelong condition. Some medical treatments exist and can be effective in combination with adjustments to help reduce the challenges the person experiences.

The US National Institute of Mental Health ↗ says:

People with ADHD experience an ongoing pattern of the following types of symptoms:

Inattention — having difficulty paying attention.

Hyperactivity — having too much energy or moving and talking too much.

Impulsivity — acting without thinking or having difficulty with self-control.

Some people with ADHD mainly have symptoms of inattention. Others mostly have symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity. Some people have both types of symptoms.

Dyslexia#

Dyslexia is a common learning difficulty that mainly causes problems with reading, writing and spelling. It affects around 10% of adults. It is a lifelong condition and there is no treatment, but by better understanding the condition, individuals and those around them can make adjustments to help reduce the challenges the person experiences.

The British Dyslexia Association ↗ says:

Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty which primarily affects reading and writing skills. However, it does not only affect these skills. Dyslexia is actually about information processing. Dyslexic people may have difficulty processing and remembering information they see and hear, which can affect learning and the acquisition of literacy skills. Dyslexia can also impact on other areas such as organisational skills.

It is important to remember that there are positives to thinking differently. Many dyslexic people show strengths in areas such as reasoning and in visual and creative fields.

Definitions#

The Brain Charity ↗ provides the following definitions.

Neurodiversity#

Some people’s brains simply work in a different way.

For at least 20% of the UK’s adult population, these differences mean they are not seen as ‘neurotypical’ and may be diagnosed with neurological conditions such as autism spectrum condition (ASC), dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Neurodiversity is the concept that brain differences are natural variations — not deficits, disorders or impairments.

Neurotypical#

Neurotypicality is used to describe people whose brain functions, ways of processing information and behaviours are seen to be standard.

The label is used by neurodivergent people and the neurodiversity community to refer to anyone who does not have a neurological condition.

Neurodivergent#

The terms neurodivergent and neurodivergence are now used to describe all people whose neurological conditions mean they do not consider themselves to be neurotypical.

While some individuals do refer to themselves as neurodiverse, the term neurodiversity is most commonly now used to refer to a group which encompasses the full spectrum of brain differences and is made up of both neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals.

Closing remarks#

The occurrence of autism appears to be even higher in technology roles ↗ than in the general population, and anecdotally the same may be true of ADHD and dyslexia. So you are highly likely to be working with neurodivergent colleagues, whether you — or indeed they — know it or not. It is therefore an important topic to understand and learn about.

Tips

Learn about neurodivergent conditions, especially the most common ones: autism, ADHD and dyslexia.
Understand the strengths each can bring and what challenges affected people commonly experience/
Explore what you can do to help affected colleagues thrive.