Neurodiversity Celebration Week runs from 18th to 24th March this year with the theme of celebrating different minds. It’s a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. It aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived and supported by recognising the many talents and advantages of being neurodivergent. It also seeks to create more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual.
All of this matters because it’s estimated that neurodivergent people represent 10% or more of the overall population. For employers this means that 1 in 10 job applicants, existing staff and customers are likely to be neurodivergent in some way. It’s too big a group to be ignored, and too valuable in terms of the skills they bring to the workplace.
Changing perceptions towards neurodiversity
Our vision at Cordell Health is to change the focus from disability to ability which is why we are pleased to support Neurodiversity Celebration Week. We hope this article will help to emphasise how neurodiverse people enrich our organisations through their many positive attributes and unique skills.
But they can only do this if they have the opportunity – and this is down to employers to improve the support available and to change perceptions of neurodiversity, creating a more supportive and inclusive culture. We end the article with some suggestions of what employers can do to enable this.
Celebrating neurodiverse people
Neurodiversity tends to cover a number of groups that typically includes people with ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Tourette’s Syndrome. Each type of neurodiversity comes with its own unique set of characteristics and strengths as well as challenges.
But rather than focus on these groups or conditions, we want to celebrate the contribution neurodiverse people bring to the workplace. And the best way to do this is as if they were telling us themselves. So, to illustrate the point, we’ve created some neurodiverse ‘personas’ who each explain what their condition means to them. Far from being something that holds them back, many excel using skills they even describe as their own superpower.
Michelle: I am a code designer, and I have ADHD. Although at times this can be a struggle, I am proud of having ADHD and being able to do a creative based job where each day is different and challenging. My ADHD allows me to problem solve being able to connect different ideas to create new code and fix issues that others might not have been able to spot as easily. What might surprise people is that my ADHD helps me to hyperfocus in on tasks – and often several at a time. I’m used to being different and I like to think this also makes me a compassionate team member when others need support.
Ryan: I am a journalist, and I’m autistic. My autism allows me to be a much more detail-oriented person and delve deeply into the facts which is really important in my field. This also allows me to see patterns in what I’m hearing and make connections that others might miss as well as rational choices without my emotions getting in the way. I am proud to be autistic and many others are too. It shouldn’t be seen as a hindrance; I see it more as a superpower.
Tom: I’m a creative director, and I have dyslexia. Because of the visual way in which dyslexic people think I’m good at creating concepts and logical thinking. Although dyslexia can be associated with low esteem, I see many advantages such as three-dimensional thinking as well as being intuitive. I also have high levels of empathy so I can read situations which helps with managing people. This also helps me to connect with my team on a deeper level and I can often tell when something is wrong and if they need any extra support.
Holly: I’m a trainer, and I have Tourette’s and OCD. Despite this I have never let it stop me from doing what I want to do, especially things that I love, be that rock climbing or work. I have a great sense of humour due to my tics and this helps me build rapport. I often enjoy bringing in my own unique perspective on issues at work, this along with my OCD makes me a more creative and detail-oriented person as well as being more determined at my job.
How can employers better support neurodiverse people?
Build better awareness: How aware are your managers and leadership of the skills and attributes of neurodivergent employees? Do they realise how they may think differently and how that adds rather than detracts from how they perform? Understanding their communication styles, working patterns and preferences for social interaction helps to create a working environment in which that employee can perform at their best. This in turn helps to create a more neurodiversity-friendly culture.
Improve recruitment and induction: You can’t benefit from a neurodiverse workforce if you fail to recruit and retain them. Recruitment for a neurodivergent candidate it can be overwhelming, especially the interview itself. So, finding a way of assessing the person’s direct skills for that job such as testing numeracy skills or doing a job test, is likely to be more suited to assessing the abilities of neurodiverse candidates. Once they’ve started they are likely to prefer the lower stress of a one-to-one onboarding experience than a team-based experience with social activities.
Ask them what they need: This will help calm anxieties as neurodivergent people often prefer clarity – in written communication, their working routines and structure of their time. Things that help can include working fixed hours instead of variable shifts, ’quiet zone’ workspaces with reduced sensory stimulation or allowing more flexibility to work from home. Sensory overload can sometimes be helped with micro-breaks at short notice. Removing any stigma associated with taking time out also demonstrates empathy to neurodivergent needs.
How to get involved with Neurodiversity Celebration Week
There’s a dedicated page for organisations to get involved. Just follow the link to https://www.neurodiversityweek.com/get-involved-workplace. One of the things we like is the Conversation Starters pack to help begin new discussions about neurodiversity and neuro-inclusion at work.
In conclusion
This year’s theme of celebrating different minds rightly takes the focus away from neurodiverse conditions to the people who often thrive because of them. While society and employers often focus on the challenges faced by those with neurodiverse conditions, what they really want is to be recognised and celebrated for the people they are – and the talents, strengths and even superpowers they bring. Organisations can help by creating environments that embrace neurodiversity and accommodate different ways of thinking which can help their people thrive.
Photo: ADHD Umbrella Project by Printkick via flickr
