Neurodiversity Concepts to Inspire Inclusive Ways of Working
Lavinia Dieac
Product-Led Growth Data Analyst & Coach for individuals in disruptive and dramatic social change contexts (DSC)
While everyone's brain develops similarly, no two brains function just alike. Terms such as "neurodiversity", "neurodivergence" and "neurotypical" are aiming to facilitate our understanding of the unique ways people's brains work.
Neurodiversity = neurodivergence + neurotypical
The aim of this article is to introduce these terms and to briefly describe the experience of some neurodivergent individuals in the workplace so that we are more aware and considerate of inclusive ways of working. In the workplace, teams with neurodivergent professionals? can be up to?30% more productive?by traditional metrics than those without them.
I developed this content in collaboration with two colleagues at 欧特克 having in mind client-facing roles in particular. In this separate article I shared a list of specific everyday actions we compiled to inspire the adoption of inclusive practices, processes, and places that offer a better experience to everyone, regardless of neurodiversity.
What is neurodivergence?
Neurodivergence is a non-medical umbrella term that includes medical conditions such as? autism,?dyslexia,?dyspraxia,?dyscalculia, and?ADHD. Neurodivergent conditions represent variations in the brain that affect cognitive function. Being neurodivergent means having a brain that functions differently from the “neurotypical” person. Neurodivergence will describe someone who will show some pattern of thought or behavior that might not be aligned with typical standards and expectations.
Neurodiversity, by contrast, is the term used to describe the variety of cognitive conditions – both neurodivergent and neurotypical - typically seen in a population. It is?a word used to explain the unique ways people's brains work. It suggests that there is no one “right” way for the brain to operate. Instead, people have diverse ways of understanding and reacting to the world. I highly recommend completing the BirkmaND: Introduction to Neurodiversity?course to get examples of these differences. I attempted to demonstrate one difference through the image header of this article. Another good example is the "picture an apple in your mind" test. I describe a few more below.
Support needs are accessibility requirements by those who are neurodivergent or aid the individual’s function in neurotypical systems. Accommodations function to support a neurodivergent individual in their environment and support their best work in meeting expectations. Accommodations may include screen readers, deadline extensions, and other interventions. Additionally, companies may provide modifications, which are adjustments to expectations of work (as opposed to the ways of work) to support a neurodivergent workforce.??
The ideal objective is to proactively adopt inclusive communication, tools and technology that will alleviate the challenges that the neurodivergent community experiences in the workplace. Adoption of inclusive practices, processes, and places offer a better experience to everyone, after all.
To be better equipped to do this, it helps to better understand the neurodivergent-specific skills and strengths, challenges and opportunities in the workplace.
Neurodivergent-specific challenges
When it comes to the workplace, a neurodivergent person will probably not stick out of the crowd. They may experience sensorial sensitivity to noise, light, but also smell, or texture and none of this may be noticeable to their colleagues.
What we call “reading the room” and reacting “as expected” might be challenging for neurodivergent people. As a result, neurodivergent individuals often build a skill set to mask and comply with such?social expectations to fit in, which can be draining. Masking requires extensive amounts of energy and focus, which may be more justly spent on their work contributions.
Information overload, challenges in social expectations and verbal communication, processing text or numbers, and time management can all be things where neurodivergent people need to put extra focus. The virtual world, while offering tools and flexibility, can exacerbate these issues, particularly for those with dyslexia or ADHD. The constant influx of text-based information and demand for attention (multiple browsers, windows, tools, webinars, etc.) and multitasking tendencies poses risk to a variety of neurodivergent categories. You might see people cutting conversation or keeping on a topic for longer than you wish.?
Time management can be a very challenging experience. When people are "in flow”, which is also called hyper focusing, they might get out of sync with their calendar and their time management. Hyperfocus, often seen in neurodivergent individuals, can lead to powerful work, but may disrupt personal schedules and even make one forget to eat on time or rest enough. It's essential for workplace structures to support such passionate work and limit distractions.
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Anxiety and depression, common comorbidities in neurodivergent individuals, can affect productivity, emphasizing the importance of mental health awareness and resource access.
Neurodivergent-specific opportunities
While neurodiversity discussions often focus on day-to-day challenges, the unique strengths of neurodivergent people, such as intuition, pattern recognition, and innovative thinking, are equally important.
Many neurodivergent people have an incredible ability to see patterns and make predictions that other people often miss.?Others have special talents in memory, or the ability to make connections between things that would seem unrelated to a neurotypical person, which leads to skills such as creative problem solving and innovation, as well as strategic thinking.?
These skills, often listed in job descriptions, can be coupled with challenges like hyperfocus, which can lead to intense productivity at the risk of neglecting other tasks or self-care. Encouraging a balance between work and relaxation, including breaks following hyperforcus sessions, can prevent burnout and promote a healthier work rhythm, fostering a positive relationship between neurodivergent employees and their employers.?
Understanding each individual's unique challenges and strengths helps create an inclusive, flexible workplace. As inspiration, we created a list of everyday actions inclusive of neurodiversity, having customer-facing roles in mind. Check it out in my next article.
Acknowledgements
This content was part of a one-of-a-kind internal event organised at Autodesk Spain recently in collaboration with my colleagues Veronika Volchek Krasnikova and Marianne Seemann, and it was edited by Ashley Hershey. At Autodesk we are encouraged to form committees and employee-resource groups based on common backgrounds or dimensions of human diversity that align with our Autodesk Diversity and Belonging Strategy to hire and retain a diverse workforce. Marianne represented the MIND Network (Mental Inclusion, Neurodivergence, and Disability), while me and Veronika represented the Growth and Development Committee in Spain.
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