People with disabilities face a range of obstacles navigating the workforce and workplace, and for those that make up the neurodiverse population, having conditions that can often 'hide in plain sight' presents unique challenges that can have a devastating impact on their health.
Between 15-22% of the US population is neurodiverse, with around 10% diagnosed with dyslexia, 5% with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 1-2% with autism. As of 2022, seven million American children aged between three and 17 had an ADHD diagnosis. More than half, or six in 10, kids had "moderate or severe" ADHD. And an estimated 15.5 million adults – 6% of the US population – have been diagnosed with ADHD.
Despite an uptick in later-life ADHD and autism diagnoses, the myth that neurodivergent conditions disappear in adulthood prevails. That is despite long-term studies showing that only around 9% of children get to a point where their symptoms are clinically deemed in "sustained remission" by the time they're adults.
And unlike, say, a broken leg, which highlights uniform ways in which a working space can be adapted for anyone who is on crutches, the extremely complex, individualized and fluctuating ways neurodiversity informs behaviors has made it much harder to address. Because there is no single way that will help every neurodiverse worker.
Now, in an Australian first, the Victorian state government has taking a bold step, this week rolling out the Neurodiversity Employment Toolkit, addressing the stigma and misconceptions of the suite of neurobiological conditions that fall under the umbrella term, showing the shift in attitudes towards workers who often struggle in silence or even feel forced to leave the workplace altogether.
The proactive toolkit, developed by La Trobe University for around 300,000 public sector workers in the state of Victoria, aims to dispel misconceptions around neurodiversity and develop nuanced ways to work with employees in a way that benefits both individuals and the business.
“There’s a real need for this kind of resource,” said Rebecca Flower, a researcher at La Trobe. “Many employers have spoken to me about wanting to support neurodivergent employees and not knowing where to find information about how to do that.
“This resource includes information for employers about neurodiversity; tips for how to respond if someone shares their neurodivergent identity in the workplace; and a range of suggestions for making recruitment processes and working environments inclusive for neurodivergent employees.”
As one of these neurodivergent types in the workplace, I certainly don't think this toolkit is perfect – but it's a start, and normalizing talking about neurodiversity helps dispel some of the most pervasive misconceptions, and focuses on the valuable skills of those who just work in different ways.
"Traditional parts of the recruitment process (like interviews) can be a barrier to neurodivergent people," noted the researchers. "This is because the focus is often on how someone communicates. Many neurodivergent people communicate differently to what may be considered ‘typical’ – such as how they use body language, tone of voice and eye contact."
As a neurodiverse person in the workforce, I'll be the first to admit that this toolkit does feel like it's designed for 'neurotypical' colleagues to navigate communication minefields. But no two neurodiverse people are the same, and the toolkit doesn't take into account how conditioned people have become, having to 'mask' their real self throughout school and then into the workforce. Nonetheless, the fact that neurodiversity is becoming something most people have heard of shows how far we've come over the last decade.
“Neurodivergent employees may know in what areas they need support in, but may not be sure what changes could be made or how to ask for them,” said the toolkit's co-author, Ellen Richardson.
Source: La Trobe University