As a manager, how confident do you feel in supporting neurodivergent employees? Do you have the knowledge and tools needed to create an inclusive and productive environment? Many managers want to help but may not know where to start. This guide will provide practical steps to ensure you can support your neurodivergent team members effectively.

Why does it matter?

Neurodivergent people make up a significant proportion of the workforce, with estimates suggesting that around 15-20% of people are neurodivergent. This includes conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and more. As organisations strive for inclusivity, it’s essential for managers to develop the skills and awareness needed to support neurodivergent employees effectively.

Without the right support, neurodivergent individuals can face barriers that hinder their ability to thrive at work. These may include challenges with communication, sensory sensitivities, executive function difficulties, or workplace structures that are not designed with neurodivergence in mind. However, with the right adjustments, these employees can bring immense value, offering unique problem-solving skills, creativity, and innovative thinking.

What can you do as a manager?

The first step is to build your awareness. Let’s start with a glossary of common terms.

Glossary of Common Terms

• Neurodivergent (ND) – A term used to describe individuals whose brains function in ways that diverge from the majority of the population. Examples include Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia etc.
• Neurotypical (NT) – Someone who doesn’t consider themselves Neurodivergent and who’s neurological development aligns with the majority of the population.
• Neurodiverse: Used to describe the differences between all individuals across a population, we’re all neurodiverse in that we all have different brains. With this in mind, it’s more accurate to describe someone with ADHD as Neurodivergent, not Neurodiverse.
• Executive Function – The cognitive processes responsible for organisation, planning, and self-regulation, often challenging for neurodivergent individuals.
• Masking – The act of suppressing neurodivergent traits to conform to neurotypical expectations, often leading to stress and burnout.
• Reasonable Adjustments – Workplace modifications made to support employees, such as flexible working hours, noise-cancelling headphones, or written instructions.
• Access to Work – A UK government scheme providing funding and support for disabled employees, including neurodivergent individuals.
• ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) – A condition affecting focus, impulsivity, and executive function. It can present as inattentiveness, hyperactivity, or a combination of both.
• Autism – A spectrum condition that affects social communication, sensory processing, and flexibility of thought. It can involve heightened or reduced sensitivity to sensory inputs and differences in interaction styles.
• Dyslexia – A learning difference affecting reading, writing, and spelling.
• Dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder, DCD) – A condition affecting coordination, motor skills, and spatial awareness, which can impact handwriting, movement, and organisation.
• Dyscalculia – A learning difference that affects numerical understanding, arithmetic, and mathematical reasoning.
• Dysgraphia – A neurological condition that affects writing abilities, including handwriting, spelling, and organising thoughts on paper.
• Tourette’s Syndrome – A neurological condition characterised by involuntary movements and vocalisations known as tics. Tics can be motor (e.g., blinking, head jerking) or vocal (e.g., throat clearing, repeating words or sounds).
• Umbrella Term – A broad category that includes multiple related conditions or identities. Neurodivergence is an umbrella term that encompasses various neurological differences, such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and more.

This isn’t an exhaustive list, here are some websites where you can find out more:

Recommended websites:

Neurodiversity Week: Resources for Organisations

Dyspraxia Ireland

British Dyslexia Association (BDA)

BDA – Dyscalculia

BDA – Dyspraxia

ADHD UK

HFT: Resources and Guidance – Learning Difficulties

CIPD UK – Neurodiversity

ADHD Aware: ADHD and other Neurodivergent Conditions

Tourettes Action UK

You don’t have to become an expert, but some general knowledge really goes a long way to helping your approach to make others feel supportive.

Imagine your brain is like a high-speed computer with multiple tabs open at once. It’s always on, always buzzing, and always multitasking. For me, living with ADHD and dyslexia, this is what every day feels like. It’s like having a constant companion – a voice, a tune, and a cacophony of background noise that never stops.

The voice is my least favourite part. It’s that nagging, self-deprecating whisper that tells me I’m not good enough, that I’m failing, the voice of all my childhood teachers, my parents. It’s the first to chime in when things go wrong, and it never misses an opportunity to remind me of my shortcomings. The tune is stuck on repeat. One catchy section plays over and over, but I can never seem to get to the next part. It’s frustrating, distracting and I don’t even like the song anymore.

And then there are the noises. Every sound around me is amplified. The hum of the air conditioner, the chatter of colleagues, the rustle of papers – it’s all competing for my attention. It’s like trying to focus on a single conversation in a crowded cafe.

Now, imagine being in a meeting and someone asks you a question you know the answer to. Sounds simple, right? But for me, it’s like trying to find a specific book in a library without a catalogue system. I know it’s there, but it takes a while to locate. The delay in responding makes me feel self-conscious, and that voice in my head starts to get louder, telling me I’m slow, that I’m not good enough.

And just when I think things can’t get any worse, I remember I forgot to put on deodorant that morning. It’s like my brain has decided to play a cruel joke on me. The distraction is instant, and my focus is gone.

My manager asks if I’ve read that article we received this morning and what my thoughts are. Panic mode activates. I know I read it, but where are my notes? And what was my conclusion again? I’m too slow to read it now, and even if I could, the words would just jumble together on the page. It’s like trying to drink from a firehose. Paralysed by the weight of this simple question. Why won’t my brain just cooperate for once?

This is just one side of what it’s like to live with ADHD and dyslexia at work, I haven’t even gone into the burnout and heaviness of a low dopamine day. It’s not just about being a bit disorganised or needing extra time to read something. It’s about navigating a world that’s not designed for brains like mine. It’s about constantly fighting to stay focused, to silence that voice, and to find my place in a system that often feels like it’s stacked against me.

So, next time you see someone struggling to keep up or needing a bit more time to respond, remember that it might not be because they’re not trying hard enough. It might just be that their brain is working differently, and that’s okay. We all need a little understanding and accommodation sometimes.