Embracing neurodiversity: 6 ways to support employees and colleagues

The assessment will cover your strengths and the challenges you experience in the workplace. At the end of the assessment the assessor will recommend solutions specific to your challenges, such as workplace 121 coaching, assistive technology with training or a virtual assistant. If you have any ideas of what would be best for you, please share it with your assessor. Whether you’re supporting someone new to the organisation or a long-standing team member navigating challenges, this workplace assessment provides clear insight, expert guidance, and practical outcomes. The people management aspect of a manager’s role should be given due time and priority. Managers should regularly check in with their team and with individuals, giving people the opportunity to raise any issues and ask for support at work if they want to.
Unlike many  other practices that separate Autism and ADHD into two assessments and often charge separately for each, Neudle takes a holistic approach by exploring both together in one comprehensive report. This recognises how Autism and ADHD often overlap, while also considering co-occurring conditions, different presentations (including masked or internalised profiles), and the role of trauma or other factors where relevant. All of this is reflected in the Diagnostic Report, giving you a clearer and more meaningful understanding of your neurodivergence within a formal diagnostic framework.

As a result, these assessments can be very accommodating, far more than many organisations realise. Traditional face-to-face interviews can be extremely challenging for neurodivergent candidates, particularly those with autism, but also for other neurotypes. Additionally, CV sifting has historically been a major barrier for candidates with dyslexia, as spelling errors often result in candidates being screened out. At the current time, an adult in Australia who suspects they have one or more type of neurodivergence, will have difficulty even getting an appointment to be assessed and diagnosis can take many months or years. The purpose of this pre-employment or fitness for duty assessments, which are usually undertaken by Occupational Physicians, is to ensure the prospective worker is able to perform the essential requirements of the role safely.
Cognitive ability tests, also known as ability tests or aptitude tests, are the assessments that concern HR professionals and hiring managers the most. Indeed, the terminology itself, i.e. “cognitive ability” and “neurotypes”, suggests an interaction implicitly, making organisations nervous. In reality, however, different neurotypes respond differently to cognitive assessments, and adjustments tend to be quite straightforward.

Traditional interviews, timed assessments, and vague job descriptions often disadvantage neurodivergent candidates who may excel in real world tasks that are not well captured by conventional hiring tools. The most effective organisations adapt by offering interview questions in advance, using skill based assessments, and training interviewers on inclusive practice. The ADHD Centre offers a broader range of assessments and support to reflect how often ADHD co-occurs with other neurodivergences. Alongside ADHD assessments and treatment, we provide services for autism, special learning difficulties such as Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, alongside our coaching services designed specifically for people with ADHD and co-occurring conditions.
As specialists in workplace neurodiversity, Lexxic offers a range of assessments to help organisations better understand and support neurodivergent employees. Many organizations may not have specific organizational policies to support neurodivergent professionals, as they do for other minority groups (gender, race, ethnicity, etc.). Clear organizational policies can ensure that everyone understands them in the same way. It is also important to codify and specify unspoken rules that some neurodivergent workers might otherwise miss.And these policies can be helpful if intervention is required for discriminatory behavior.
But they can also help staff with ADHD and ASD reduce the number of distractions around them and improve focus. This can lead to better productivity and improve individuals’ sense of well-being by making more positive contributions at work. These can range from specialist equipment like assistive technology to personal coaching or specific working patterns. Get in touch with us today to learn how neurodiversity assessments can benefit your organisation. Accommodations like flexible hours, quiet workspaces, remote options, or written (vs verbal) instructions may not be available for neurodivergent employees​. Or, employers might offer them inconsistently, which can be confusing and frustrating.

Common employee selection methods may significantly disadvantage neurodivergent candidates. For example, reading-based assessments that require rapid verbal processing speed may disadvantage candidates with dyslexia. Selection methods involving a social component—such as interviews or assessment centres—may disadvantage autism-spectrum candidates. Employers should also consider that hiring algorithms may be biased against neurodivergent individuals if they have been trained on data from neurotypical candidates (Mahto et al., 2022).
Embracing neurodiversity isn’t just about doing the right thing—it’s also a smart business decision. Diverse teams drive innovation, solve problems from unique perspectives, and enhance productivity. For example, Alysia Steinmann, Managing Partner at EY, told the audience at the 2024 Catalyst Awards that one neurodivergent employee developed an algorithm that saved the company millions by streamlining a process that previously took four weeks. Traditional hiring processes often create barriers for neurodivergent candidates. Organizations should consider adopting skills-based hiring, shifting away from rigid interview formats that may disadvantage neurodivergent candidates. Training interviewers on neurodiversity helps ensure recruiters understand how to differentiate between nervousness and lack of preparation.

An organisation that respects diversity enough to understand and accommodate it with reasonable adjustments reaps the benefits of creativity, fresh perspectives and adaptability. Here’s how to build a more welcoming workplace for neurodivergent employees, which will benefit all your people. These differences can affect cognitive and executive functioning, communication, and sensory processing, influencing Occupational Health Services how individuals perceive and respond to risk, regulate attention and emotion and experience the physical environment.
A key concept to emphasise is that neurodiversities are differences, not disabilities or deficits. Organizations  that actively recruit, retain, and support neurodivergent employees can gain a competitive advantage through increased diversity in skills and approaches to problem-solving. Neurodivergent employees often approach problems from unconventional angles, leading to fresh ideas and innovative solutions.