Neurodiversity 101: The 2024 Neurodiversity Index is out!

Read the report and see what changes have happened since last year.This is the second year of the Neurodiversity Index and I am proud to have worked with a great team at City and Guilds Foundation in bringing this publication out. I am also hugely grateful to every person and every organisation that took their time to complete it.

Read the full report.

https://cityandguildsfoundation.org/what-we-offer/campaigning/neurodiversity-index/

There is a lot in the report and in coming months I will unpack it in more detail. The report contains some of the highlights.

In this second Index we have not only a greater understanding of the present situation but can now reflect on what has changed from last year's first Index.

There are lots of positive changes including greater numbers of awareness sessions being delivered to all levels of people within organisations. Awareness is one thing but what we need to consider is the messaging that is happening. If you don't know what you don't know you may assist everyone in the workplace; when you have some knowledge and awareness about neurodiversity but not be confident with strategies for responding it may result in people being reticent about doing the wrong thing.One concerning trend was the response we gathered when someone shares/discloses their condition in the workplace which was less positive this year compared to last and dropped from 58% to 42% of people having an OK or Good response. I wonder if this reflects a need to have a greater focus on inclusive practices for all...

The risk of neuroinclusive training creating a 'backlash'

The term backlash originally (by 1815) referred to violent mechanical actions in a machine, from parts colliding with each other. By 1929, it gained its modern metaphorical meaning, referring to unexpected and unpleasant consequences of some social or political choice.

In the past few years we have seen increasing initiatives relating to neurodiversity and neuro-inclusivity. While these efforts are very well-intentioned they have the risk also of creating a backlash if not delivered in the right way.

“Things do not change: we change.”― Henry David Thoreau

I wonder if what we are seeing is an example of the Dunning-Kruger effect. Imagine you're a manager who has just introduced awareness sessions and implementing new policies aimed at supporting neurodiversity. As your team learns about these changes, some members might realise they were previously unaware of how their actions could have been exclusive or harmful. This realisation might lead to feelings of resentment or a drop in confidence, as they come to terms with the fact that their understanding was not as comprehensive as they believed.

This reaction embodies the Dunning-Kruger effect, where people might initially feel very confident about their knowledge and abilities, only to discover there are significant gaps in their understanding. This effect isn't just about realising you know less than you thought; it also highlights how we can overestimate our competence in certain areas without even realising it. This isn't necessarily done with malice or negligence; it's often a natural psychological response to confronting new and complex information.

In the context of supporting neurodiversity in the workplace, understanding the Dunning-Kruger effect can help managers be more empathetic and patient.Discussing that we may all feel uncomfortable or less confident at first may be important to do. It may also allow people to seek help and further guidance and know this is a good action and they are not expected to be instantly competent.

We focus more on some neurodivergent traits than others

Backlash is often considered to be greater those already in privileged positions (neurotypical people) but this isn't solely perpetuated by those in this group. Research indicates that even members of marginalised groups may contribute to this. We do see 'within group power play' where someone with Autism Spectrum Condition may be more likely to gain more support and recognition than someone with Developmental Language Disorder or Developmental Coordination Disorder. In this year's Index we noted more training specifically focusing on Autism but less on other conditions. There was increased confidence supporting someone with ADHD but less confidence supporting someone with DCD (despite around 3-5% of people having the latter condition).The reality, we need to keep reminding ourselves, is all neurodivergent conditions commonly co-occur or overlap ( e.g.DCD and Autism overlap in around 50-60% of people) so when we deliver training in silos we end up only knowing partly how to support parts of people. We also only support some neurodivergent people and miss out a large tranche of the 15% that may be experiencing some challenges.

The reason for focusing on specific conditions may be related to ways organisations spend their resources. In order to gain funding for training it may be easier to have a headline talk and focus on a specific topic as we usually have to present the "business case for neurodiversity".

I have heard some people sometimes saying " we DID Autism last year.. can we do ADHD this year'... while learning and focusing on specific conditions/traits/challenges in more depth may be interesting I am not sure it drives systemic and lasting change in the structures, processes and policies of an organisation. I am wondering for those who don't have personal alignment to understanding this topic how interesting it is to them when they are trying to get through their day and do their job! Mandatory training may lead to an opposite effect and increase resentment.

Neuroinclusion for 2024

In the Index we noted that around 40% of organisations surveyed have alternative application processes in place, up from 35% last year and 44% of organisations have neuro-inclusive strategies in place, compared to 34 % last year. These are some good gains.While there is a 7% increase in the number of organisations with a neuro-inclusive commitment in place 1 in 3 workplaces surveyed, lack a central commitment. I see the commitment from the leadership being important for lasting and sustained change.

A key way to changing systems is to shift from individual change to embracing an delivering inclusive process, policies, and practices and a systems focused approach.

This year we had an additional section to delve more deeply into parents experiences in the workplace if they are neurodivergent and/or have ND kids.28% of organisations reported not having made any accommodations for the parents of neurodivergent children, 33% say they have plans to introduce these in the future.

The Neurodiversity Index this year once again a way to stimulate discussion and make comparisons of the workplaces you are in and act as a barometer for change.

At the end of February this year was the launch in the UK of the Buckland Review of Autism Employment, a government-backed review into inclusion for autistic people in the workplace and perhaps some of the learning from the Neurodiversity Index can be used to aid implementation of some of the recommendations.

• ‘Baking in’ inclusive practice during the hiring process, from making job descriptions accessible, to providing questions before an interview and comprehensive onboarding.
• Adopting ‘Neurodiversity Champions’ in the workplace to model best practice, provide a first port of call for colleagues seeking advice, and to boost representation.
• Ensuring that physical, technological, and communication accommodations/adjustments are in place to support all employees to enable them to optimally perform. However, this needs always to be considered what is reasonable in the context of the size of the organisation,the tasks the person needs to be complete and the environment they need to work in to do their job.

What can we do more of?

Collect data: Start by gathering data to identify specific inequities in your organisation, including those related to neurodiversity. Utilise a mix of quantitative and qualitative data to understand the "what," "why," and "how" of these inequities. Ask your current employees what they think is working or not..Create Neurodiversity Champions in your organisation who can have informal conversations to test the water and listen to how people are feeling.

Communicate with a systems focus: When discussing neuroinclusive initiatives, emphasise that the focus is on addressing specific systems, policies, and processes, rather than targeting narrow groups. Avoid blame and shame tactics. Describe what is in it for each group e.g. managers so they can see the value of engagement.

Appeal to fairness: Stress that neuroinclusive efforts are about fairness and will benefit all members of the organisation and aid recruitment, productivity, retention wellbeing and communication. Avoid rhetoric and othering that further alienates either marginalised or advantaged groups.

Set expectations and provide support: Clearly outline the goals of each initiative, along with the resources and support available to all employees. Highlight the importance of achieving these goals within the expected timeline. I cannot underestimate the power of everyone knowing what you already have an offer.. if it is an EAP, an intranet with resources, how to use the tech that you have to help, or Affinity/Employee Resource Group ... make sure your sign posts are known by all... the reality for some of us is that when we need help we may also lack confidence asking for help and may want to first explore things for ourselves.

Sustain momentum: Continuously measure progress, celebrate wins, and recognise the collective effort of all stakeholder groups. If you are delivering training sessions discuss next steps and knowledge gained...

We can see from this year's report there is momentum in many areas... and we need to ensure that this continues in the same pathway. This strategic approach not only aligns with the values of diversity, equity, belonging and inclusion but also helps organisations thrive in an ever-evolving neurodiverse workforce landscape.

We need to see the real power of inclusive practice.

John Stuart Mill (1846) in ‘The principles of political economy’ was a famous and influential British philosopher of the nineteenth century. ?

He said:

“It's hardly possible to overstate the value, in the present state of human improvement, of placing human beings in contact with other persons dissimilar to themselves, and with modes of thought and action unlike those with which they are familiar. Such communication has always been... one of the primary sources of progress.”

Blog Author

I am Amanda Kirby, CEO of Do-IT Solutions a tech-for-good company that delivers consultancy and guidance, training and web-based screening tools that have helped 10s of 1000s of people. We strive to deliver person-centered solutions relating to neurodiversity and wellbeing.

I am a mixed bag of experiences and skills and have 25+ years of working in the field of neurodiversity. I am a medical doctor, Professor, and have a Ph.D. in the field of neurodiversity; mother and grandmother to neurodivergent wonderful kids.

I am the proud co-author with City and Guilds for the second Neurodiversity Index.

Theo Smith and I wrote the UK award-winning book?Neurodiversity at Work Drive Innovation, Performance, and Productivity with a Neurodiverse Workforce. My 10th book came out called Neurodiversity and Education in March 2023. Another in the making in 2024/early 25...