Matthew Bellringer is a neurodiversity and innovation specialist.
Alongside their private practice, they are Chair and Co-founder of NeurodiverseIT, a group for neurodivergent IT professionals.
They are also founder of the Curious Being community. Matthew was the speaker at Diversity Network’s LiveMeet event, where they discussed and disseminated some common workplace neurodiversity myths.
Where do neurodiversity myths come from?
“One place is popular culture – fiction books as well as television and film. Perhaps the first time you came across an autistic person was Dustin Hoffman’s character in Rain Man. A more recent example is Sheldon Cooper in the Big Bang Theory TV programme. News media often criminalises neurodiversity – a recent crime story mentioned the fact that one suspect was autistic.
“The stereotype is that neurodivergent people look and behave the way that neurodivergence looks in white cis boys from middle-class parents. That’s a common misconception and a real issue because although it is the biggest group that is diagnosed, it isn’t necessarily the most common type of neurodivergent person. Particular for autism, it is suggested that as many women as men may have the condition but women are less likely to be diagnosed.
“It’s important to remember as well that we in the UK are diagnosing neurodiversity according to Western approaches which don’t always work cross-culturally. Some things are better in other cultures when it comes to supporting neurodiversity – and some things are worse in different cultures.
“Stereotypes can be unhelpful because people then expect neurodiversity to look a particular way. But people can develop adaptations that are against the stereotypes, such as hyper-empathy: some people are so interested in people and listening to others that they have developed these skills better than others.
“It’s a common story when children are diagnosed, a parent might recognise that they have similar behaviours. People might unhelpfully say: “But you can’t be autistic. You don’t behave like my eight-year-old nephew.” If you’re a woman in your forties, you probably won’t behave like an eight-year-old boy, will you?
“And it’s important to remember intersectionality when supporting neurodiverse colleagues.”
Why can stereotypes be a problem in workplace?
“Stereotypes can be harmful before people even get into the workplace. One of the biggest reasons why people don’t share they have a condition is because of the fear of being stereotyped. Yet if they don’t share, they can’t get appropriate support and accommodation. It is a barrier.
“I am a late-discovery neurodivergent person, which means I am even less likely to fit the stereotyped models – many people in your workplace may not know they have something that can be supported and helped.
“Stereotypes can ignore or invalidate people’s needs, such as their environmental needs. When you don’ fit stereotype or model, sometimes people have a problem being supported because they are told they don’t need help.
“There can be a misidentification of skills – in both directions. For example, people with autism are expected to have high focus, high attention to detail and struggle with change. But if you are someone who has hyper-adapted to cope with their environment, they won’t necessarily have been given the chance to use those skills. The other side of this expectation is to set someone up for failure – what happens if an autistic person is employed but then doesn’t have the skills they are expected to have because of their neurodiversity?
“It really is about seeing a neurodivergent condition as one aspect of the person, and to treat each person as an individual with individual needs.
“Sometimes being neurodivergent is really relevant but other times, it isn’t relevant at all. Remember that everyone has much more in common than what separate us.”
What are some common accommodations in the workplace that benefit neurodivergence?
“Flexibility is the most important – look at outcome rather than output: knowing what your business wants to achieve but accepting there are many different pathways to achieving that. It’s important to support your people to achieve your business goals such as digital tools and assistive technology as well as the built environment – addressing sensory needs such as offering both stimulating spaces as well as quieter, darker spaces.
“Remember that about 80 per cent of adaptations can support the wider workforce.
“ERGs or employee resource groups are proven to be really effective for supporting neurodiverse colleagues so consider setting one up if you haven’t got one already.
“The more we are allowed to work as ourselves, the better it is for organisations. While there might be work for leadership to embrace this, it is work that is really worth doing.”
