Embracing Neurodiversity: The Right Perch for Every Canary.

A one-size-fits-all approach never fit the diversity of human talent. Not only is it outdated and ineffective – but it is harmful.

It is harmful to children who are made to feel inadequate unless they are “like everyone else.” It is harmful to adults struggling and burning out trying to meet the requirements of job descriptions not designed for real humans. It is harmful to organizations and society that miss out on unique talent and have to accept “average” instead of “excellent.”

As discussed in my book, The Canary Code : A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work, neurodivergent people are canaries in the workplace and in the world. The canaries are the most sensitive and the first to be harmed by problems that ultimately harm everyone – including the rigid, one-size-fits-all system.

Canaries – and humans, with our unique strengths and sensitivities, require the right perch to truly thrive. But too often, our unforgiving systems fail to provide that fitting perch. Instead, they try to mold everyone into the same shape, punishing and stomping out our uniqueness.

Delightfully Different

But what if the human ecosystem nurtured a forest filled with branches and perches of all shapes and sizes, high and low, shady and sun-exposed, stable and swingy, each a fit to the distinct needs of different humans?

Damian Milton's concept of "spiky profiles " emphasizes the unique peaks and valleys of abilities that tend to be particularly pronounced in neurodivergent people. Traditional systems, designed for industrial uniformity, overlook or even try to level down these spikes, ignoring the talents and the dignity of the person within.

What if, instead of flattening our unique profiles, society celebrated and nurtured them? It would unlock innovation and creativity that could help make this a thriving, caring, and truly abundant world.

The Right Start: Neuroaffirming Education

A neuroinclusive society starts with neuroaffirming education. This doesn’t mean lowering standards or giving everyone gold stars. It means bringing out the best in everyone. A strengths-based approach ensures that every student has the opportunity to experience genuine success.

Imagine a student excelling in 8th-grade writing but struggling with 4th-grade math. Traditional educational models often hold these students back, insisting that they “remedy their weaknesses” before advancing. This approach stifles students’ potential and hinders their growth in their areas of strength. Schools that move away from trying to "equalize" students by focusing on their weaknesses and instead pay more attention to nurturing each student's abilities will help create a thriving society.

Research supports this shift. Studies show that students in strengths-based learning environments develop healthy life skills and motivation. When students are encouraged to build on their strengths and interests, the resulting love for learning and a sense of accomplishment fuels further growth. As the example of Finland shows, education can be fun, flexible, and highly effective. A brain that feels safe to explore and learn will do what it is designed to do - explore and learn .

Some may argue that exposure to a variety of topics is important. It is - but it does not have to be high stakes. And is definitely should not be so high-stakes that it makes students sick while also lowering their performance.

Programs that incorporate individualized learning plans, mentorship, and project-based learning can help neurodivergent students – and all students - develop their strengths.

Implementing a strengths-based approach requires flexibility and creativity. Here are some practical steps schools can take:

1. Individualized Learning Plans: Tailor education to each student's strengths and needs, allowing them to advance in areas where they excel while providing support in areas of difficulty.
2. Flexible Curriculum: Design a curriculum that adapts to the diverse talents of students, incorporating a wide range of subjects and skills.
3. Enriched Curriculum: A curriculum that includes art, music, hands-on skill learning and community involvement is anything but a waste of time. It contributes to the whole brain and whole-person development and helps students discover their abilities and experience success in ways a narrow curriculum would not. ?
4. Mixed-Age Learning: Allow for grouping students based on their proficiency in different subjects, not their age or grade level, to ensure they are challenged appropriately. This could sometimes be combined with project-based work, without "locking" students into permanent groups. Different projects call for different strengths and can help students learn the value of human differences.
5. Teacher Support and Professional Development: Train educators to understand and nurture the abilities of neurodivergent students, providing them with resources and autonomy to implement a strengths-based, student-focused approach.

While investing in educational activities is important, social and emotional safety is priceless for ensuring quality education. Making sure that cruelty and bullying have no place in schools should be combined with socioemotional education for both children and adults - including school personnel and parents.

Careers for all Canaries

The transition from education to work should not be a one-size-fits-all either. A range of educational, internship, and part-time work opportunities (with fair compensation) allows for a better understanding of one’s true strengths and interests. The goal is to facilitate appropriate matching - finding a fitting perch. Supporting the increasingly tailored "perch fit" - from occupational matching to job matching, and from job crafting to accommodations can help maximize the abilities of all people.

The first step is occupational matching – finding a cluster of jobs and careers aligned with an individual’s strengths. Job matching is more specific, and refers to a particular role. Both occupational and job matching must consider individual abilities, as well as interests and values. Abilities and interests are not interchangeable - we can excel at things we do not enjoy and be interested in something poorly aligned with our abilities. This is why some experimentation is essential; a non-linear path should not disqualify individuals from future opportunities.

Companies that excel at job matching can unlock the talents of all people, as can be seen from case studies of companies like Lemon Tree, an Indian hotel chain, which achieved great success while employing people often rejected by others, such as those with Down Syndrome. It is important to remember, however, that neuroaffirming job matching should never be based on stereotypes and labels like "autistic programmers" or "dyslexic creatives"—there is a full range of abilities and interests among neurominority groups.

Generally, jobs should be designed around clusters of abilities that typically go together. But typical does not mean always, and job crafting allows one to further "customize the perch" to take advantage of a unique combination of abilities, like in the example of a lawyer who also enjoys coding from Legalite, an Australian law firm.

In some cases, maximizing one's abilities requires accommodations/adjustments—from left-handed tools for a left-handed craftsperson to special software for a blind office worker to a modified schedule for a person with insomnia. Accommodations are not favors—they are essential performance supports.

Healthy Work Environments

Healthy work environments are not special favors either. The key principles of The Canary Code - participation, focusing on outcomes, flexibility, organizational justice, transparency, and the use of valid tools in decision making improve employment for all. They make human sense, and they make business sense. Flexibility can help those who might struggle with strict schedules due to ADHD - it is also necessary for employees with Long Covid , and it helps retain all employees. Systems that help prevent bullying and support a variety of cognitive styles support human and organizational thriving.

A Forest of Unique Perches

Helping all humans thrive is the key to a thriving society.

Embracing neurodiversity will require a concerted effort from employers, educators, and policymakers, but the rewards—enhanced innovation, productivity, and inclusivity—are immense. By embracing the spiky profiles and providing the right perch for every canary, we can build a society that is more inclusive, prosperous, and supportive of everyone's health. And that is worth the effort.

NEWSLETTER ITEMS

?? Check out the LANCEFIELD ON THE LINE podcast with David Lancefield and the conversation on how we can all work with our strengths, limitations of current diversity initiatives, and more.

?? See why my latest Fast Company article is getting some rave reviews: Don’t start with trust. Start with trustworthiness.

?? Check out the HBR article by Connie Noonan Hadley Hooria Jazaieri and Hillary Anger Elfenbein 3 Ways to Support Employees with Bipolar Disorder /

?????? And, of course, check out The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work , which has been listed among the 2024 Top 10 Best New Management Books by Thinkers50 , the global authority on management thinking.

Be well! Be safe!