Why neuro-inclusivity is critical for elevating human potential and steps to consider for prioritizing it
By Laura Kyttanen
Share on social
During the first episode of “Atypical,” a series on Netflix, the main character, Sam, follows his therapist's advice to “put himself out there” and decides to try dating. After an unsuccessful first date he sits with his sister and her new boy-friend, Evan, and says “Sometimes I wish I was normal.” In which Evan replies “Dude, nobody is normal.”
This intrinsic need of wanting to fit in, to belong, to feel seen, heard and valued…is not just something “atypical” or “neurodiverse” people desire. It is what all human beings desire. It is also what we all deserve.
Yet despite an increasing focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DE & I) in the workplace over the last few years, only recently have leaders started to understand and prioritize the importance of including neurodiversity in the overall strategy. I believe it is time for more leaders to focus on neuro-inclusivity in every aspect of the word. This will not only elevate the potential of organizations in an ever changing world, it supports a more human centric workplace and society.
Even though 15% to 20% of the population are considered to be neurodiverse, most people don’t understand what neurodiversity actually means and what it actually entails to support someone who is considered neurodivergent.
I don’t share this to make you feel bad. On the contrary, I humbly admit that even after receiving a Master’s in Social Organizational Psychology and studying human behavior and the brain for years, nothing prepared me for understanding what I learned in a book until I found myself married to someone who is neurodivergent and then becoming a mother to a neurodivergent son. Even then, it has taken me time to learn how to create an environment and communicate in a way that supports how their brain works. And if I’m being truly honest, I am still learning and growing in this area everyday.
So although I am not claiming to be a DE & I expert, given my firsthand experience with learning how to live with and coach neurodivergent profiles, I am a huge advocate for neuro-inclusivity in the workplace, at schools and in society at large.
Furthermore, I can attest to the growth and expansion it provides when you learn how to expand beyond your own thinking styles and preferences. Which is why I am extremely grateful for the exposure and have pure appreciation for the creativity, innovation and genuine sensitivity of all the different profiles. As Gabor Maté puts it in his beautiful book “Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder”
Excerpt from the book “Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder” by Gabor Maté
However, since it has taken me awhile to navigate the complexities, I can understand if this is not only a new topic for you, I can also recognize that it might feel challenging to figure out how to incorporate neuro-inclusive practices into your workplace, either as a leader or a colleague advocating for your peers.
Which is why I hope to help ignite a bit more awareness around these concepts in order to expand your Mindset Energy towards becoming more neuro-inclusive and therefore create more opportunity to elevate your potential in terms of your relationships, your work or even the support you offer to your customers.
First, let’s take a look at what neurodiversity means. According to a Harvard University publication in Harvard Health “What is Neurodiversity,” contributors Nicole Baumer and Julia Frueh described neurodiversity in the following way:
A quote from Harvard University publication in Harvard Health “What is Neurodiversity,”
I appreciate this lens, because so often, neurodiversity has isolated certain types of people (e.g. autistic, ADD, ADHD, dyslexic) and compares them to those who are considered ‘neurotypical.’ As a result, it isn’t comprehensive of all neurodiversity and thus most neurodivergent people are often labeled, judged and/or stereotyped. For example they could be labeled as behavioral challenges or not as intelligent. This might explain why in a study conducted by the Westminster AchieveAbility Commission on Recruitment and Dyslexia/Neurodivergence discovered that 73% of over 600 neurodivergent individuals are not disclosing their neurological differences at work in order to avoid discrimination. Hiding certain neurological differences is especially easier when there are not explicit or obvious symptoms which we often think of when we hear neurodiversity. Which is why it is important to understand it at a deeper level.
Going back to the first episode of the Netflix Series “Atypical,” Sam declares why he loves Antarctica so much - here I am paraphrasing…
“Antarctica has roughly 2 inches of rainfall per year, so it is actually considered one of the driest places on earth. Yet most people wouldn’t consider it a desert because when you look at it, it’s not what it looks like. This is what it feels like to be ‘atypical’.”
Unfortunately, I have experienced how neurodiversity discrimination can play out specifically in the education system as we are currently solving the puzzle in order to find the best school for my son here in Amsterdam. Unfortunately the majority of schools, like workplaces, are designed for people to fit into a box. And sadly for those people that deviate from this mold, it becomes harder to find a place which isn’t just where society feels they belong - but where we, as parents, feel the child is given a chance to flourish and grow beyond what is ‘typically expected’ of them.
In fact, one of the reasons I am such a huge advocate for more neurodiversity literacy is because it aligns to one of the principles for Zielo Studio - Unlimited Human Potential. When we place limits around what someone is capable of just because their brain works differently, we create not only an organizational dilemma, it becomes a societal issue. Neurodiverse people are 3–8 times more likely to be unemployed than people with or without disabilities, with an unemployment rate of 30-40%. Yet research shows that some conditions, including autism and dyslexia, can bestow special skills in pattern recognition, memory, or mathematics.
Imagine what organizations (and schools) could be missing out on by not deploying more neurodivergent training for leaders, managers, peers (and teachers)? In fact, did you know that preliminary studies show that neurodiverse teams are 30% more productive than other teams?
Plus there is a lot of data which shows that “neurotypical” people can bring new perspectives to a company’s efforts to create or recognize value. For example, at SAP, a neurodiverse customer-support analyst spotted an opportunity to let customers help solve a common problem themselves; thousands of them subsequently used the resources he created.
I also believe Neurodiversity should be more inclusive which is why I like to use the word neuro-inclusivity. For example, what about the difference between left and right brain preferences and how this might impact the future of certain jobs.
In Daniel Pink’s latest book “A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the Future,” he argues that data reveals we have entered a new conceptual age where jobs which are more logical, linear, sequential or routine oriented (more left brain oriented) will be replicated faster and cheaper. Thus, now is the time for right-brainers since they have skills which are harder to outsource or replicate, like creative inventiveness. In his book he is quoted saying “The MFA [Master’s of Fine Arts] is the new MBA.” He goes on to share six senses of a right-brain that we would all benefit from learning with some practical exercises to help with each sense.
Finally, you might also consider generational learning differences in your neuro-inclusive strategy. Pink also shares in his book research done by USC where they believe“games are the new literature for the next generations.” This really excites me as we are currently developing the next iteration of Zielo Studio’s proprietary metaverse which will incorporate more interactive and gamified activities for participants to experience along their coaching journey.
Okay I get this is a lot of information and you might be feeling a little overwhelmed. Maybe you are even wondering what you can do to support more neurodiversity in your company or how you could start to think about it.
I approach this last section from a Change Management expert perspective and a Mindset Energy coach. I believe at the root of what will enable success of your neuro-inclusive initiatives are the values and beliefs (e.g. culture) of the organization, especially of the people around the table which are making the decisions, as well as key people throughout the organization. As a result, I share a few steps to consider in order to get started. I would, of course, highly recommend finding an expert you could hire on the team or to consult with the team.
Start with values and impact: Determine how neurodiversity fits in your company values and the leadership teams overall intentions for a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. Why would this be important and how might it support or even act as a catalyst for the long-term business strategies? What do you hope the impact would be 3-5 years from now? How would this make you feel? What is the one sentence that the press might say about your company which would really bring you joy and satisfaction?
Investigate the unconscious beliefs that might get in the way: What beliefs might each leader have when it comes to recruiting, leading and developing a neurodivergent workforce? Where do these beliefs come from? How might these beliefs limit the business? Where could you find evidence to dismantle or reshape these beliefs in a more expansive way? Feel free to connect with me if you are interested in exploring this step more further.
Require 100% commitment and accountability from the leadership team: This might sound like an obvious step, however this is usually what derails any type of change management initiative.
Create a well thought out and comprehensive strategy which includes metrics, communication plans and ways to get feedback throughout implementation: For neuro-inclusive initiatives to be successful, they must be included in the full suite of HR activities - from sourcing, recruiting, interviewing all the way to leadership development. Find support either online through cause studies or talking with neurodiversity consultants. A growing number of prominent companies have reformed their HR processes in order to access neurodiverse talent; among them are SAP - which is considered the longest running among major companies. For inspiration, you might want to check out their “Autism at work” program. In an HBR article “Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage” managers at SAP say these initiatives are paying off in ways far beyond reputational enhancement. In fact one employee, Nick Wilson, the managing director of HPE South Pacific—an organization with one of the largest such programs—says that no other initiative in his company delivers benefits at so many levels. Understanding how you want to measure the programs and communicate the benefits is key in building awareness and advocates for ensuring effective implementation.
Access current state and identify any low hanging fruit: What current policies and practices exist which might create a gap to your desired future state? Of these gaps, which might have simple solutions which can be prioritized as quick wins? For example, I was recently discussing this with an HR leader at an international company and they realized that in their attempts to be a “flexible” work environment where employees didn’t have assigned workplaces, they were actually creating a disadvantage for neurodivergent profiles who really need consistency in order to perform at an optimal level. This was actually raised by her HR colleague who, by surprise to the HR team, neurodiverse himself. By openly sharing his own challenges, concerns and coping strategies for working around the policy, he was able to support the HR team to talk about this and find other ways to support a broader group of people.
Embed ways to get feedback: Soliciting input and feedback from the workforce is key throughout the lifetime of the initiatives and programs implemented. Having an environment which encourages people to speak up and offer up ideas for techniques or programs that support a more neuro-inclusive workforce is key.
Have courage to share successes and failures: You won’t get everything right all the time. To create a human-centric neuro-inclusive culture means you have the courage to embrace vulnerability - share what you don’t know, what is and isn’t working, lessons learned and what you plan to do to iterate or pivot from existing initiatives or programs.
I hope this post has expanded your perspectives as it pertains to neuro-inclusivity and has inspired you to further consider how you can play a part in this critical discussion. The environment we live in, both at work and the society at large, plays a major role in our ability to elevate human potential. Which is why it is imperative that we do more as leaders, colleagues and human beings to transform how we treat and support all types of people regardless of how they learn, process information or see the world. Because the truth is, neurodiversity is only growing stronger in numbers - an invitation for us all to learn how to interact with people who are different from us. By creating a more neuro-inclusive, human centric workplace, people not only have environments which help them feel psychologically safe they have leaders who encourage them to be their authentic remarkable self and as a result the organization, society and the world at large benefits greatly. Because let’s face it, we are all ‘atypical’ in our own way and still deserve to belong, to be seen, heard, and valued for our unique contributions.
