Written by Susan Fitzell

The difficult conversation we need to have before diving into neurodiversity in the workplace

We understand that the reason businesses exist is to make money. So naturally, an employer wants people who can best contribute to that goal. From the start of the industrial revolution, the ideal employee had no “hindrances” in helping the company meet its goals. As such, types of work were divided along gender lines. The striation is evident even today. Thankfully, the needs of society in the 1700s are not the needs of today. Further, current issues need innovative, out-of-the-box solutions, so a cookie-cutter “ideal” doesn’t have to exist for many roles.

Written by Susan Fitzell

So often, managers call a meeting, share information, then end the session expecting employees to understand, assimilate, and implement the new information into their work endeavors. When this does not happen, a manager may feel frustrated with employees that just can’t do what they told them to do. Or a more self-reflective manager may wonder what is wrong with their presentation style. Add the fact that more managers are managing neurodiverse employees, and the challenge increases exponentially.

Here are a dozen ways to lead more effective presentations and meetings when managing neurodiverse employees.

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

For all the acceptance that neurodivergence has been receiving, including workplace initiatives to recruit and train neurodivergent talent, we still have a long way to go to attain equity and full inclusion. Stereotypes still impact hiring patterns. Hiring practices are standardized around these stereotypes.

I am guilty of espousing the idea that neurodiversity is a competitive advantage. I’ve quoted corporate studies confirming the belief that having neurodiverse teams fuels innovation.

Neurodiversity Terms and Definitions in the Age of Inclusivity
Written by Susan Fitzell

In my work to help businesses and educational organizations develop and implement strategies that optimize learning and productivity in a neurodiverse world, I have come to realize that there is quite a bit of confusion out there about the simple terminology and vocabulary we use to discuss neurodiversity and the neurodivergent community.

An AHA Moment in a Podcast

by Susan Fitzell

And Avoid Stigma, Labels, and Discrimination

Fostering diversity and promoting inclusion is an essential component of organizational culture. Most of us are familiar with diversity in gender, race, and physical disabilities. When I mention neurodiversity to people, most often the response is a puzzled look and a question.