The Impact of Neurodiversity on Internal Communication

The following is an extract from Internal Communication Strategy.

I live in a neurodivergent household. I’m acutely aware of the criticality of communication and the impact of not being able to process information or emotions.

Uncovering the specific communication needs of my family has led to a journey of self-discovery and appreciation of my own neurodivergence.

Think about your organization and how you can best include and support all colleagues and customers, to enable everyone to have the best possible experience.

The word neurodiversity was coined by Judy Singer in 1998. It’s used ‘as an umbrella term for neurological differences’. Neurotypes can include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyslexia, dyspraxia and tic conditions.

Let’s examine the language, as it’s important to get it right. I’ve referred to ‘working definitions’ from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Jargon busting

Neurodiversity: Neurodiversity is, ultimately, a biological fact of the infinite variety of human neurocognition. It is also being used to describe the subcategory of workplace diversity and inclusion that focuses on people who are neurodivergent.

The neurodiversity paradigm: A perspective on neurodiversity that suggests it is the result of natural human variation and that there is no one ‘normal’ brain type.

Neurodivergent: Having cognitive functioning different from what is seen as ‘normal’.

Neurodivergence: The state of being neurodivergent.

Neurotypical: Given the biological fact that there is no such thing as a ‘normal’ brain, neurotypical is best thought of as ‘not neurodivergent’.

Neurominority: A group such as autistic people, or dyslexic people, defined by sharing a similar form of innate neurodivergence.

It’s important not to draw simple lines in the sand between ‘neurotypicals’ and neurodivergent people – human neurodiversity is a highly complex spectrum, in which everyone sits.

Neurodiversity is "gaining prominence in organisational practice with specific programmes springing up; yet we witness varied levels of organisational practice and support. Employee experience at work drives performance and productivity, as well as job sustainability, inclusion and mental wellbeing. Work makes a huge contribution to our overall wellbeing, our social and financial health and even our life expectancy".

Reasonable adjustments

As the neurodivergent parent of a neurodivergent child, I’ve adapted the way we communicate at home. For example, when planning a day out, I must give my family advance warning, detailed plans, visual and verbal cues, show videos or photos of where we are going, outline what they can expect to happen and what I think will happen.

Once we are out, I keep checking in to manage the environment, scan the horizon, answer questions and defuse situations. Once we’re back home we have a debrief and I know a detail of something that happened during that trip can be referred to for months to come, particularly if it was negative. Something I couldn’t have predicted, such as a pre-planned menu choice not being available, or an inability to decide something, causes a meltdown as their nervous system is dysregulated.

This isn’t dissimilar to the way I manage change communication! The parallels between my personal and professional life have converged. I’ve had to relearn how I communicate and make reasonable adjustments in every area of my life as I’ve discovered more about myself and my family.

Consider your organization, do you know how many employees are neurodivergent? How are you making internal communication work for them? Are there reasonable adjustments you could make to your internal communication to aid neuro-inclusivity?

For example:

• The option to turn off cameras during online meetings
• Replacing verbal instructions with written
• Allowing extra time to read
• Variety of activities in training scenarios
• Noise-cancelling headphones
• Captions on videos
• Circulating meeting/employee event agendas
• Clear visuals, such as maps
• Making fidget toys available to aid concentration
• Transcripts from audio such as podcasts
• Software to record and transcribe meetings and town halls
• Coloured paper to support people with dyslexia
• Using different colours to help organize and process information.

The best way to gain insights about your workforce is by listening to them. Don’t make decisions about your neurodivergent colleagues in your internal communication strategy without involving them. Speak with your HR or people colleagues too, to hear their perspectives about your workforce.

Key priorities for neurodiversity

A Neurodiversity at Work 2023 report identified key priorities for the neurodiversity in business movement:

• Make well-being and inclusion for everyone, including neurodivergent workers, a pillar of corporate strategy to harness diverse talent
• Objectively evaluate and promote the effectiveness of adjustments to find out what works for whom, and how quality of provision can be benchmarked and shared
• Focus on relationships, in particular psychological safety and line manager confidence, to foster joint responsibility
• Consider how policies and practices can develop careers and ambitions, beyond surviving, to thriving.

Committing to communicating well with neurodivergent employees could form a principle in your internal communication strategy.