Neurodiversity Celebration Week - how employers can help neurodivergent employees to be their best in the workplace

At the start of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, it's worth remembering that a significant 15-20% of the global population is believed to be neurodivergent. But despite such high numbers, and a growing awareness of what neurodiversity means, life is still not always straightforward for people in a workplace context.

For instance, neurodivergent individuals in the US are three times more likely to be unemployed as those classed as having other forms of disability. The figure jumps to a huge eight times higher if compared to people with no disabilities at all.

Interestingly though, the tech industry is somewhat of an outlier here. A Diversity in Tech report from the UK’s now-disbanded Tech Talent Charter revealed, for example, the average employer estimates that a mere three percent of their workforce is neurodivergent. On the other hand, as many as 53% of employees describe themselves this way.

Autism and ADHD are ...