Neurodiversity Programming Needs a Reset

It’s time to face the truth. We have been looking at neurodiversity programming all wrong, and it’s not working. Our focus on autism at work and supported internships started with the best intentions, but has hardly accomplished anything, in the greater scheme of things. The number of newly employed people remains trivial, and the number of currently employed workers who’ve received real benefits from neurodiversity programming is even smaller.

It's time for a paradigm shift.

Let’s look at some facts:

The latest CDC data tells us one of every eight people is neurodivergent, with traits of ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or other inborn neurological differences. The flip side of that is most people are not neurodivergent. They are neurotypical.

This is not a new situation. Researchers have followed genetic markers associated with neurodiverse back tens of thousands of years, and they see some today in our ape cousins. All the press about an ADHD crisis and autism epidemic set us up for a serious misapprehension of a situation that’s always been here, hiding in plain sight.

We’ve focused entirely on how neurological differences disable us while overlooking the reason neurodivergent traits persist in our genome, they benefit our species in subtle but significant ways. We’ve been blinded by the fact that neurotypical people can do many jobs better than neurodivergent workers. Neurotypical people also have an advantage in many social settings. But it’s important to remember: many isn’t all. The abilities of neurotypical people don’t establish a “normal” for the neurodivergent population to aspire to. Concerning how we are born, every person is their own “normal.” Mine is not yours, or vice versa.

There are some jobs where neurodivergent people have substantial advantages. And in companies that have such jobs, neurodivergent people will be a vital part of the enterprise. Even in businesses that lack neurodivergent-centered jobs, the presence of neurodivergent people in the workforce makes for more effective teams, with greater efficiency and higher morale.

Finally, neurodiversity at work and school is the current state of affairs. It’s not just a concept or a goal. One of eight workers in your company is neurodivergent right now. One in eight customers you deal with is also neurodivergent, as is one in eight of your neighbors. Yet you probably can’t identify most of those people. Their neurology is invisible to you, just as yours is to them.

We tend to run up against our mutual neurodiversity when our differences cause friction. One thinks the other is acting like a jerk; another is sad when someone seems inconsiderate or mean. When those things happen, we all lose.

But knowledge is power. We know neurodivergent people perceive events differently than neurotypical folks. With different perceptions, neurodivergent people are likely to interpret those events differently and respond differently, in ways that may be surprising or disturbing to neurotypical folk, who make up the majority.

While neurodivergent people are a minority, the things they do are important to everyone. Therefore, our society works far better when neurodivergent and neurotypical interact smoothly. This isn’t a situation where one must change to accommodate the other. Instead, society has changed subtly through the 20^th century to exclude neurodivergent people and we need to work together to turn that around.

Here’s the thing. Neurodivergent people have rare gifts, but they are also disabled in other contexts. Humans have a certain amount of brainpower, and when it’s so exceptional in one domain, you shouldn’t be surprised it’s lacking somewhere else. Neurodivergent people can make great contributions that help us all, but they need support and acceptance to do it. Neurotypical people need neurodivergent people, and neurodivergent people need neurotypicals. Society is like a team sport, we win or lose together. Neurodiversity programming should not be focused on hiring neurodivergent workers. Instead, it should be focused on supporting the neurodivergent workforce and making the workplace accepting of all sorts of people.

In this light, tomorrow’s successful neurodiversity program will help neurodivergent and neurotypical people recognize and understand each other. Understanding on the part of everyone leads to cooperation, and that leads to success. This will be true no matter what sort of business you are in.

Businesses that do this well will become known as neurodiversity friendly and attract more neurodivergent workers, further strengthening their organizations.

Neurodiversity Essential Reads

Your Employee Experience Is Probably Missing This One Thing

When Therapy Harms Neurodivergent Clients

How will organizations do this? I’d like to see some comments and discussion from readers, and I will address that in a subsequent post.

Until next time.

John Elder Robison