What is Neurodiversity?

Maybe you’ve heard the word ‘Neurodiversity’ recently, and don’t really know what it means. Or perhaps this is the first time you’ve come across the term. Maybe you have some idea of ‘Neurodiversity,’ but are wondering why we think it’s worth talking about? Maybe you are a Neurodiverse person who wants more people to know about it! 

That’s why we brought Emma Wee, Neurodiversity Coach, to speak to our Design Leaders cohort and we wanted to share her insights with our #neverstoplearning community.

So… What is Neurodiversity? 

Neurodiversity is about differently wired brains. It occurs in roughly 15-20% of the population, which is why it is so important knowing about Neurodiversity and finding ways to support different profiles so that everyone can reach their full potential. 

Neurodiverse conditions include Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD, Autism, Tourette Syndrome and many others. Being Neurodiverse is definitely not an illness and does not need ‘fixing’ or ‘curing’ – quite the opposite! A recent programme run by JPMorgan Chase in the US found that their neurodiverse teams were up to 48% more productive than “neurotypical” teams. 

Neurodivergent individuals bring tremendous strengths to a team dynamic – by championing your Neurodiversity in your workplace, you’re helping your teammates become their most creative, empathetic, and driven selves. But when an environment isn’t set up to support these differences, that’s where challenges may arise. Let’s look at 3 neurodiversity examples – ADHD, Dyslexia and Autism and what each of them can bring to the table.

Neurodiverse conditions include Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD, Autism, Tourette’s Syndrome, temporary mental health and neurological conditions. Being Neurodiverse is not an illness and does not need ‘fixing’ or ‘curing’ – quite the opposite! Neurodiverse individuals bring tremendous strengths to a team dynamic – by championing your Neurodiversity in your workplace, you’re helping your teammates become their most creative, empathetic, and driven selves! Supporting Neurodiverse individuals reach their full potential helps everyone to thrive.  

Essentially, being a Neurodiverse person might mean you process information in different ways: executive, social and visual.

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

An ADHD person can generate a high level of energy for projects, come up with big ideas and identify connections others might overlook. A lot of famous creatives have been open about their ADHD, including “The Everything Everywhere All at Once” co-director Daniel Kwan.

⭐️ Strengths:

• High level of energy in projects
• Pattern-spotting across different inputs that others may overlook
• Idea generation at speed
  

🤔 Challenges:

• Lack of focus on tasks that are not energising
• Unfinished work without the immediate pressure of a deadline
  

☀️ Design Leadership Approach:

• Break big tasks into smaller, clearer chunks
• Raise the stakes with self-imposed intermediate deadlines
• Pair rapid ideators with steady finishers
  

Autism

There are many skills associated with Autism such as honesty, attention to detail, an ability to find or create patterns and processing information and memory. And there are some incredibly successful examples of autistic people who talked about their journey including Tesla founder Elon Musk.

⭐️ Strengths:

• Deep focus and precision
• Systems thinking
• High-level processing and problem-solving
  

🤔 Challenges:

• Sensory overload
• Issues with reading social cues and socialisation
  

☀️ Design Leadership Approach:

• Offer quiet zones/async work
• Agree on explicit collaboration norms
• Use clear acceptance criteria
  

Dyslexia

Dyslexia is all about information processing. Many dyslexic people show strengths in areas such as empathy, spatial reasoning and creative problem-solving. Some great examples of dyslexic people who used it to their strength are Richard Branson, Cher and Steve Jobs.

⭐️ Strengths:

• Big-picture thinking
• Visual storytelling
• Simplification of complex systems
  

🤔 Challenges:

• Difficulty processing and remembering information they see and hear, which can affect spelling or any other sequencing
  

☀️ Design Leadership Approach:

• Introduce tools that support writing, remembering, from Grammarly for spellcheck to automatic note-taking software like Granola
• Prefer visuals over wall-of-text briefs
• Record key decisions
  

To embrace these differences and amplify the unique assets our Neurodiverse teammates bring to the table, it’s important to get to know everyone’s individuality in order to find the best ways to support one another.

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