Neurodiversity in the Workplace information and Education Toolkit

Very simply, neurodiversity refers to the different ways a person’s brain processes information.

The term Neurodiversity indicates that people naturally think about things differently, process information and learn differently. It is an umbrella term for a set of different skills profiles including dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Tourette’s syndrome and other conditions. These are ‘spectrum’ conditions, with a wide range of characteristics, which share some common features in terms of how people learn and process information.

It Is estimated that around 1 In 7 people, more than 15% of people in the UK are neurodivergent. Neurodiversity can impact a range of mental functions including attention, executive function (planning tasks) sensory processing, learning, sociability, and mood. Society, education systems and workplaces are typically designed in a way that suits neurotypical people. This creates challenges for neurodiverse people whose brains do not function in the same way. The impact of this can also change over time and some people will often have characteristics of more than one type of neurodiversity.

Most forms of neurodiversity are experienced along a ‘spectrum ‘. For example, the effects of dyspraxia on one person can be different for another person with dyspraxia. Neurodiversity is not an illness and cannot be changed – with support and adaptations people can develop strategies to manage their neurodivergent condition. For example, this may include using alarms and reminders to help remember tasks they need to do or wearing headphones or ear defenders to manage sensory overload (becoming overwhelmed by too many senses and sensory stimuli).

A staff member does not have to have a formal diagnosis of neurodivergence to ask for reasonable adjustments or increased support in the workplace.

As professionals, we understand how difficult and time-consuming it is to pursue a diagnosis and do not wish for this to be a barrier to staff wellbeing. Therefore, a formal diagnosis is not required to receive additional support and reasonable adjustments in the workplace.

The benefits to an inclusive and diverse workforce are plentiful. Different skills, background and experience improves service delivery. An inclusive and diverse workplace improves retention and strengthens working relationships. Neurodivergent people are great team workers, have excellent caring skills and bring a different and creative perspective to services. Our communities are best served by a workforce that is inclusive and able to understand and be reflective of those they support.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a condition of the brain that may result in high levels of activity or hyperactivity, impulsivity or difficulty focusing, and affects people in many different ways. While everyone will show these behavioural traits sometimes, someone with ADHD will present with one or more of these difficulties persistently. Someone with ADHD may find it hard to sit still, concentrate and can act on impulse, all of which impacts on their everyday life. Often wrongly thought of as being something only children experience, ADHD changes the way it manifests from childhood into adulthood, with many people not diagnosed until they become adults. Approximately 4% of adults in the UK have some form of ADHD.

Other things to note about ADHD:

The daily effort of masking symptoms can lead to burnout and exhaustion.

ADHD has a real emotional /psychological impact, and most people probably think it is just a behavioural problem.

ADHD presents itself differently depending on gender

“We thrive in our normal place of work but if we are told to work in a different ward or have a sudden change of plan, anxiety levels rapidly increase. Our stress cup is then full to the brim which means every little thing that is even slightly negative or wrong or unknown can feel too much to handle and we will have a terrible time”

Click on the page link below for a table of strengths and talents, other traits and misconceptions.

Autism spectrum conditions are a number of different neurological conditions that include a wide range of symptoms and different levels of ability. They are lifelong developmental conditions that affects the way that individuals communicate with and relate to other people and how they make sense of the world around them.  This variation in the condition is why it is sometimes referred to as a ‘spectrum condition’. One in every hundred people are thought to have an autism spectrum condition, although many won’t be diagnosed until adulthood, if at all. People who have previously been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism fall under what are now called Autism Spectrum Conditions.

Autistic people often see autism as part of who they are rather than something separate and prefer to be described as ‘autistic’ rather than ‘someone with autism’

Click on the page link below for a table of strengths and talents, other traits and misconceptions.

Executive function is controlled by the front of the brain and allows people to do things such as problem solve, organise, make decisions and plan. Without realising it we use them to do everyday tasks like driving, cooking and chores. Executive dysfunction or cognitive function difficulties means that someone can find it difficult to do some or all of these things, which can make life very difficult.   It may change the way people store and process information, affecting memory, the way they read or being able to tell the time. It may also affect people’s self-control, concentration or motivation, or how comfortable people feel in large groups and their social behaviour.

People may often experience cognitive difficulties following a stroke or brain injury. This could include how they move or what they are able to do, such as driving, operating machinery or sitting for long periods.

Many people with ADHD also have executive dysfunction.

Dyscalculia is a learning difficulty which affects people’s ability to understand numbers and therefore they may experience difficulties with maths. For some, this might affect how they see numbers; others may find reading symbols difficult or might find using finance and numbers in everyday life a challenge.  There is a connection to dyslexia.

Around 5% of people in the UK have dyscalculia, sometimes alongside other learning difficulties. Having dyscalculia does not mean someone will have low intellectual ability.

Click on the page link below for a table of strengths and talents, other traits and misconceptions.

Dysgraphia is a neurological condition which affects the way a person produces written language. This means they may struggle with putting their thoughts into the written word, they may miss words, order them incorrectly and spelling can be challenging. People with dysgraphia often find speaking rather than writing is easier.

Dyslexia is a neurological difference which affects the way people process information, so dyslexic people may have problems processing and remembering information that they see and hear.   Dyslexia primarily affects the skills involved in reading and spelling accurately and fluently, and can also have an impact on other areas, such as organisational abilities.  There is more than one kind of dyslexia, it occurs across the range of intellectual abilities and is best thought of as a continuum. It presents differently in different people and can vary from mild to severe. Dyslexia can often run in families, with some people born with it and others developing it later in life, sometimes as a result of damage to the brain. People with dyslexia can find things such as phonological awareness (recognising and working with sounds in spoken language), verbal memory and verbal processing speed more difficult. Around one in ten people have a form of dyslexia.

Click on the page link below for a table of strengths and talents, other traits and misconceptions.

Dyspraxia or DCD is a condition that affects people’s movement and motor skills. It can make people more likely to trip, fall or bump into things, or it might affect fine motor skills such as typing or drawing. It can also affect short term memory and planning and organisational skills. Around 3-5% of adults in the UK are thought to have some kind of dyspraxia or DCD, with many people not diagnosed until adulthood. Some people are born with it, for others it is acquired as a side effect to damage to the brain through stroke, head injury or another neurological condition.

Click on the page link below for a table of strengths and talents, other traits and misconceptions.

People with misophonia have an extreme sensitivity to certain everyday sounds, which trigger an emotional or physiological response. Common triggers include things such as someone tapping their feet, loud breathing, chewing, swallowing, and clicking sounds such as pens and keyboards.  They cannot ignore these noises and it can make life debilitating.

Some people need more time to take in information, make sense of it and respond to it, whether visual or auditory information. It does not correlate with intelligence. Individuals with slow processing speed might feel overwhelmed by too much information at once, need more time to make decisions or give answers and may miss nuances or social cues in conversations.

Stammering is a neurological condition that makes it physically hard to speak. Someone who stammers will often repeat, prolong or get stuck on certain sounds or words. About 8% of children will stammer at some point, with up to 3% of adults managing it as a lifelong condition. Negative responses and stigma from others and feelings of shame, embarrassment or anxiety can often be a part of the experience of those who stammer.

Tourette’s syndrome causes a person to make sudden involuntary sounds and movements, called tics. These can be a combination of physical and vocal tics, including eye movements, facial expressions or jerking of the head or limbs, as well as vocal noises, whistling, tongue clicking, random words or repeating a sounds, word or phrase. Swearing is rare but affects around 1 in 10 people with Tourette’s syndrome. Some individuals are able to control their tics with concentration, which can be extremely tiring.   As with other conditions the severity can vary from person to person but things such as stress, anxiety and tiredness can aggravate the symptoms.

Click on the page link below for a table of strengths and talents and misconceptions.