Understanding Neurodivergence at Work
Neurodivergence at Work – Article 1
Every workplace is filled with people who think, communicate, learn and solve problems in different ways. Yet many working environments are still built around one narrow idea of what concentration, professionalism, communication and productivity should look like.
In this article, I explore understanding neurodivergence at work with a practical and compassionate focus. I have written this article to offer a gentler and more accurate way of understanding neurodivergence at work. Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other neurological differences are not simply lists of difficulties. They are different ways of experiencing and responding to the world, each with its own combination of strengths, needs and challenges.
As both a psychotherapist and someone with lived experience of autism and ADHD, I know how exhausting it can be to spend years believing that you are the problem. Very often, the difficulty is not the person. It is the mismatch between their nervous system and an environment that was never designed with them in mind. A diagnosis may help someone understand themselves and access support, but it can never describe the whole person. Two people with the same diagnosis may communicate, organise, focus and regulate themselves very differently. Neuroinclusive practice begins with curiosity rather than assumption.
The resource considers the everyday experiences that can make working life easier or more difficult. Neurodivergent employees may bring creativity, honesty, sustained focus, pattern recognition, innovative thinking or exceptional knowledge. They may also experience sensory overload, executive-function difficulties, communication differences or fatigue from masking. Both realities can exist together. It looks beyond surface behaviour and encourages us to notice the environment, expectations and systems surrounding the person.
I have written this for neurodivergent employees who want language for their experience, managers and colleagues who want to understand neurological difference, employers developing inclusive workplace practices, and families or supporters helping someone navigate working life. Support does not mean lowering standards, removing responsibility or expecting managers to become therapists. It means creating conditions in which people can communicate clearly, ask for support, use their strengths and remain well enough to contribute.
The article also encourages us to move away from individual blame. Clear information, predictable processes, flexibility and respectful conversations can remove barriers without lowering expectations. When people are supported to work in ways that suit their brains, confidence and contribution often grow. When somebody is overwhelmed, struggling or using enormous energy simply to get through the day, asking them to try harder may overlook the barriers around them. Sustainable working grows when personal strategies and organisational responsibility work together.
My hope is that this resource helps start thoughtful conversations before difficulties reach crisis point. Small changes in communication, flexibility, workload, sensory demands, recovery time and psychological safety can have a meaningful effect when they are consistent and genuinely supported.
A neuroinclusive workplace does not have to be perfect. It needs to be willing to listen, learn and respond. When people feel respected and safe enough to be honest, both wellbeing and good work have more room to grow.
By Maggie Learoyd
Psychotherapist | ADHD, Autism & ARFID Specialist
Founder of Space to Breathe Therapy
