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Supporting Neurodivergent Staff

Updated: Sep 26

Inclusive and individualized strategies


Is it possible to support your neurodivergent staff members without asking them to reveal all or part of their diagnoses or details of their neurodivergence? By adopting inclusive strategies that happen to support neurodivergent folks, and continuing to get to know your team members as individuals - their needs, communication styles, and strengths - I believe you can take the burden of disclosure off of your staff and support them doing their absolute best work.  


If you’re curious why a staff member wouldn’t just tell you about a diagnosis, consider that there’s real risk involved that each individual has to weigh when deciding whether to share private medical information with someone in positional power over them. Personally, I’m pretty skittish when it comes to speaking openly about my ADHD diagnosis at work until a certain level of trust has been earned. 


What is Neurodivergence?

Neurodivergence is a non-medical term that folks can use to self-describe their less common cognitive variations or “brain-based disabilities.” From a grammar standpoint, the term “neurodivergent” refers to an individual, “neurodiverse” refers to a group of people, and “neurodiversity” or “neurodivergence” refers to a concept. 


There are many types of neurodivergence. They can overlap and exist on spectrums and they may also share similar symptoms. For example, people with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or ADHD or a traumatic brain injury may all struggle to focus under bright fluorescent lights. You don’t have to know someone’s diagnosis to honor their request to move to a setting with natural or dimmer lighting. 


In fact, you don’t need to know or guess someone’s diagnosis at all to ask what needs they have and offer support.


Inclusive and Individualized Strategies for Support

Let's talk about the curb cut effect. You may expect to see someone in a wheelchair navigating towards a cut curb at an intersection. But you might also see a nanny using one with a stroller, or a couple rolling their suitcases behind them. This design, intended to help one segment of the population, has benefits for a lot of people. This is the principle behind universal design. “If an environment is accessible, usable, convenient and a pleasure to use, everyone benefits.”


What would this look like in the world of management? There is likely support and flexibility you can offer to everyone on your team that might especially benefit neurodivergent staff members. For example: giving instructions and feedback in writing, getting someone’s attention before telling them something important, and being clear and concise with directions.


Additionally, one of your responsibilities as a manager is to get to know your team members individually. You want to know folks’ strengths, communication styles, and motivations so you can plug them in where they’ll be most effective and offer the kind of support that will be most meaningful to them. If a staff member asks for noise-canceling headphones, or the ability to move between more and less stimulating spaces, you don’t need to know about their neurodivergence to provide resources that they have told you will help them focus at work. 


Helping Neurodivergent Staff Thrive

As a manager, if you learn about inclusive strategies that can create a positive and productive work environment for neurodivergent staff members and spend time getting to know your team members and offering individualized support, you’ll experience first hand the wealth of talents and strengths neurodivergent staff members can bring to your team - creativity, passion, directness, pattern recognition, authenticity, and innovation - to name a few. 


By doing so, you’ll also be furthering Amplify’s mission of amplifying the voices of developing leaders from historically excluded communities (including those discriminated against on the basis of ability) in technology, and those who support them.


Resources: 

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