Written by Susan Fitzell

We know, from surveys and studies over the past decade, that people who are neurodivergent – those on the autism spectrum, or who are diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, etc. – have far more trouble finding employment. Globally, it’s estimated that as many as 40 percent of neurodiverse individuals are unemployed.

A White House report on bio-workforce development noted that, “Young adults on the autism spectrum have the lowest rate of employment compared to their peers with other disability types,” And yet, “In many cases, employers have found that, with relatively small changes, many individuals who are neurodivergent are able to fully participate in the workforce.”

Written by Susan Fitzell

How do you overcome unconscious bias when interviewing to hire a neurodiverse team?
Difficulty recruiting and hiring neurodiverse talent is a common scenario. It happens because hiring practices favor neurotypical people. A talk of mine about the unconscious bias surrounding neurodivergence was recently nominated for a Virtual Speaker’s Hall of Fame Award. It got me thinking a bit more about how unconscious bias keeps neurodiverse people from being hired, even when a company is motivated to employ neurodiverse people.

What Is Unconscious Bias?
Unconscious bias is preconceived notions about what people may be like based on a single attribute. It is often made up of stereotypes, experiences, and things we have heard. Even if we consider ourselves open-minded, we can still have unconscious bias.

Written by Susan Fitzell

The importance of team trust in neurodiversity
There are many different ways that human brains work.

Anyone who has ever worked with another human knows that great things can evolve when we approach conversations, problems, or ways of being in the world differently. Yet, while wisdom unfolds when people with differently wired brains collaborate, there is also a chance of friction. Some friction can spur better problem-solving, yet it can sometimes interfere with cohesive teamwork.

Individual success vs. team success
Employees naturally seek to grow in their careers. Because opportunities for recognition, professional reward, and promotion are limited, competition can cause conflict among team members. The potential for conflict is especially likely when a team member stands out as non-conformist, intense, and talented. However, at the same time, most individuals realize that working together is integral to achieving a company’s overall business goals. Managers also recognize that the company can only succeed if everyone works together.

Written by Susan Fitzell

Historically, people have viewed neurodiversity from a deficit model point of view. Unfortunately, I’d say that this is the prevailing view. The world is still very much neurotypical-centric. Consider that neurodivergent brains are the other side of the same human neurological coin.

Humans tend to categorize, sort, and normalize information. In short, we do this to facilitate our understanding of a complex world. This tendency to categorize makes things manageable so we can focus on what we need to do. Unfortunately, this approach fails us when attempting to understand humans. We desperately want human interaction to be simple, but it isn’t.

Written by Susan Fitzell

Strategies to Help Neurodivergent Workers Help Themselves

Now, more than ever before, businesses are embracing innovation and flexibility when it comes to meeting the needs of their workforce. If the COVID pandemic taught us anything, it’s that with a little creativity, solutions can be found for even the most insurmountable obstacles. Since early 2020, nearly every single business has had to make accommodations for their workforce of one kind or another to keep their “doors open” and ride out the instability and uncertainty that defined this last year and a half.