Neurodiversity at Work

Why do some organizations unlock extraordinary talent while others overlook it? In Neurodiversity at Work, Theo Smith and Professor Amanda Kirby argue that building neuroinclusive workplaces is not just moral—it is strategic, practical, and essential for sustainable business. Their case unfolds through ethics, innovation, recruitment design, and management practice, showing you that cognitive variety drives creativity, resilience, and performance when systems allow it to thrive.

The book begins with three overlapping rationales: a moral argument for fairness and equality (aligned to UN Goals 3, 5, 8, and 10); a business argument linking diversity to innovation and profitability (McKinsey and Deloitte research); and a strategic argument urging active redesign of workplace systems. Together they form the foundation of modern inclusion. Neurodiversity is not about charity or exceptional allowances—it’s about designing environments where difference becomes an advantage.

Ethics and evidence

Amanda and Theo remind you that education, health, and employment systems often disable rather than support. Persistent disability employment gaps show that talent routinely goes unused. If fairness matters, your organization carries a moral duty to dismantle those barriers—through inclusive job design, flexible processes, and reliable measurement of representation and retention. Following Peter Drucker, “what gets measured gets managed”: few firms track neurodiversity specifically, yet metrics drive change.

The shift to systemic inclusion

Part of the book’s originality lies in reframing neurodiversity from diagnosis to design. It emphasizes intersectionality—how neurodivergence interacts with race, gender, and class—and argues that inclusion must target systems, not symptoms. Adjustments succeed when baked into policy, recruitment, and everyday management rather than added later. When employers treat inclusion as core architecture, barriers melt and innovation follows.

From labels to lived experience

Language matters because it shapes identity, access to support, and self-understanding. The authors unpack contested terms—neurodiversity, neurodivergent, neurotypical—and connect them to daily human choices. A label can open doors, as in Keith Fraser’s adult dyslexia diagnosis, or confine people to stereotypes. Amanda and Theo promote a biopsychosocial model that asks what context enables success rather than what category explains difference. That perspective turns “What’s wrong with you?” into “What helps you succeed?”

Strengths, kryptonite and superheroes

Core to their approach is understanding “spiky profiles”—uneven peaks of ability across domains—and “MAD abilities” (Moving Attitudes toward Diverse abilities). Everyone has kryptonite: friction points in environment or method that reduce performance. Removing kryptonite—like sensory overload from open-plan offices or rigid psychometric filters—reveals hidden superhero potential. Lincoln Barrett (DJ High Contrast) exemplifies this translation of strengths into success: his synesthesia and intense focus fuel world-class creativity when environments are tuned correctly.

From lost demographics to lasting systems

The authors spotlight those left behind: underdiagnosed women, ethnic minorities, care leavers, and people in prison systems (where one-third show neurodivergent traits). Recruitment pipelines often ignore them entirely. Initiatives like Shelley Winner’s US rehabilitation story and UK “ban the box” campaigns demonstrate how accessible pathways reintegrate talent. Neuroinclusion demands both outreach and fair-chance hiring.

Actionable architecture of inclusion

Policies and law—particularly the UK’s Equality Act 2010—create duties for reasonable adjustment and prohibit discrimination. But the book’s most important insight is practical: legal compliance is the floor, not the ceiling. It takes proactive design, from recruitment (structured, multi-path assessments) to onboarding (peer mentoring and tailored induction), and from line management (trust-based conversations) to networks (trained champions with governance). Each step transforms lived experience into systemic capability.

Central message

Neurodiversity is not a side project—it is a design principle for modern work. By removing kryptonite and building equitable, data-driven systems, you enable superheroes to thrive and transform culture from compliance to creativity.

Across industries—IBM, Autotrader, Admiral Insurance, Specialisterne—the same pattern emerges: inclusion built into recruitment, management, and feedback improves both human dignity and performance. The book ultimately invites you to measure, listen, and redesign so that difference becomes the competitive edge. That is what it means to build a neuroinclusive workplace.

Language defines how you perceive difference. In neurodiversity, word choice is not semantics—it shapes belonging, support, and self-worth. Amanda Kirby and Theo Smith trace the evolution of labels like neurodiversity, neurodivergent, and neurotypical from Judy Singer’s activism in the 1990s to today’s HR policies.

How definitions shift

Diagnostic categories evolve with science and politics. When Asperger’s syndrome was reclassified under autism spectrum disorder in DSM-5, thousands had their identities reframed. The lesson: your language must adapt as understanding grows. Words are tools—use them to connect, not to restrict.

Person-centred dialogue

Labels help access resources but can harm if they reduce individuality. Managers should ask, “What supports your best work?” instead of “What diagnosis do you have?” Amanda advocates the WHO’s biopsychosocial model: look at body, mind, and environment in combination. (Similar principles appear in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory.)

Practical communication rules

• Respect the terms people choose for themselves.
• Treat labels as starting points for understanding, not boxes of assumption.
• Focus on functional needs—what helps someone succeed in context.

Core insight

Changing how you talk changes how people belong. Language that emphasizes difference as diversity, not deficit, transforms culture at its source.

If you reframe neurodiversity as variation rather than deviation, your workplace begins to see individuality as value. Keep language inclusive, flexible and co-created—and you give people permission to define themselves on their own terms.

Every mind has unique peaks and valleys. Amanda and Theo use the term spiky profiles to describe this pattern: extraordinary strengths coupled with distinctive challenges. Recognizing these patterns transforms talent management from standardized to personalized.

Mapping the spikes

Using Do-IT profiling tools, the authors visualize spiky profiles as radar charts of skill distributions. Theo’s own chart shows creativity and empathy peaks alongside dips in auditory discrimination—proof that ability is not linear. This data-driven perspective shifts recruitment toward what people do brilliantly rather than where they struggle. When you map spikes to task demands, you design teams by complementarity, not uniformity.

MAD abilities: shifting mindset

MAD (Moving Attitudes toward Diverse abilities) reframes so-called deficits as domains of advantage. One restaurant manager converted a balloon-maker’s social skill into a front-of-house performance role. Lincoln Barrett’s sensory synesthesia fuels musical genius. The principle: identify peaks and protect from kryptonite—that is, contexts that trigger barriers.

Recruitment implication

Standardized assessments reward smooth profiles; spiky minds often fail those tests but excel in real roles. Replace generic psychometrics with work samples, portfolios, and job simulations that let strengths shine.

• Align job tasks to talent peaks instead of generic competency matrices.
• Offer multiple ways to demonstrate capability.
• Design environments that minimize kryptonite—noise, glare, rigid scheduling.

Understanding spiky profiles redefines fairness. You are no longer judging everyone on flat scales but creating custom pathways to success. That shift—from uniform evaluation to differentiated design—is the essence of strengths-based inclusion.

Recruitment is where most neurodiverse talent disappears. Theo and Amanda explain that common tools—CV screening, psychometric tests, and unstructured interviews—filter not for skill but for conformity. To fix hiring, you must rethink measurement.

Mapping success, not stereotypes

Traditional scales assume a single route to excellence. But neurodivergent people often excel in narrow, high-leverage domains. Bas van de Haterd, cited in the book, argues you should start by mapping which cognitive traits predict success—focus, curiosity, pattern detection—and design assessments accordingly. If you only reward averages, you miss brilliance.

Multiple assessment routes

Game-based assessments and work samples show higher validity than social interviews. Organizations like Microsoft and CAI’s Autism2Work Academy use structured, supported evaluations that let candidates demonstrate problem-solving without bias. (Microsoft’s week-long hiring academy combines job coaching and team simulations.)

AI and ethical caution

Digital tools promise speed but risk bias. Reaction-time tests penalize dyspraxic candidates; speech-to-text misreads stammers or accents. Employers must audit algorithms for diversity and digital poverty impact. Amanda warns against genetic or neuroimaging hiring—premature, unethical, and scientifically unreliable.

Your design checklist

Identify 3–5 traits that matter, use sample-based tests, validate tech for fairness, and provide non-digital options. Recruitment should reveal possibility, not fit prescriptive norms.

Rethinking assessment means measuring what matters and welcoming cognitive difference as a data advantage. Replace exclusionary funnels with multi-route maps, and you’ll find talent that ignored your old metrics.

Workplace adjustments are the cornerstone of equity. The book shows that “reasonable adjustments” under the Equality Act 2010 are not charity—they are smart design. Equity means giving each person what they need to perform, not identical treatment for all.

Principles of equitable design

Ask person-first questions. Use biopsychosocial thinking—consider how body, mind, and environment interact. For a dyscalculic employee, visual tools and time aids beat medication alone. Adjustments range from pre-interview questions, quiet spaces, and flexible deadlines to readability software.

Technology and universal design

Assistive tech democratizes access: Grammarly and Ghotit for proofreading, Rewordify for simplification, immersive readers in Microsoft, or platforms like Recite Me for website accessibility. But technology only works when training accompanies deployment.

Implementation cycle

• Start conversations at induction and assure confidentiality.
• Roll out universal adjustments proactively.
• Review adjustments regularly and adapt to changes.

Guiding idea

Adjustments are design features, not exceptions. You build equality when your systems are flexible by default.

When you integrate adjustments into the way work is structured, inclusivity becomes routine rather than reactionary. Equity replaces equality as the operating principle—and performance follows naturally.

Hiring inclusion must continue beyond recruitment. Onboarding and line management determine whether neurodivergent staff stay and thrive. Theo and Amanda show that the first 90 days can define success or failure.

Early onboarding design

Start the process at job offer. Provide full logistics, schedules, and expectations before day one. This structure lowers anxiety and opens space for early adjustment discussion. In remote settings, clarify digital norms—camera policies, chat etiquette, and help-seeking routes.

Peer mentors and structured check-ins

Assign mentors and frequent reviews. IBM’s ND@IBM and Specialisterne show that early coaching reduces probation failure and builds psychological safety. A co-produced “work passport” helps track adjustments across internal moves.

Manager conversations and disclosure

Managers sit at the center of trust. Disclosure succeeds when the response is informed, empathetic, and confidential. Research cited from Anne Cockayne stresses relationship quality as the main predictor of success. Managers should use short, structured feedback and clarify who will know what.

Job crafting and fairness

Job crafting lets you reallocate tasks to fit strengths. Transparency about fairness keeps teams balanced. The BBC Cape initiative shows how supportive dialogue can grow into cultural transformation through awareness films and networks.

Essential takeaway

Good conversations at the start prevent future crisis. Inclusion begins in dialogue, not policy paperwork.

When you lead with empathy and structure, onboarding becomes an engine for retention, and line management becomes the front line of neuroinclusive leadership.

Lasting neuroinclusion depends on networks and governance. The book ends by showing how community, champions and sponsorship institutionalize what individual leaders start.

Networks as safe innovation labs

Employee networks give neurodivergent people collective voice. Jennifer Offord’s Homes England story demonstrates how such groups surface solutions that benefit everyone—from simpler recruitment forms to awareness sessions. When networks connect to strategy, inclusion stops being performative and becomes practical.

Champions with boundaries

Champions amplify awareness but must be trained and protected from burnout. Nancy Doyle cautions against blurring lines between peer support and clinical advice. Senior sponsorship and supervision safeguard both champions and employees.

External alliances and creative pipelines

Partnerships with organizations like Specialisterne, TapIn, and Universal Music’s Creative Differences foster external talent ecosystems. Admiral Insurance’s phased model—awareness, assessor accreditation, tailored adjustment plans—illustrates how governance creates systemic continuity.

Sustainability insight

Networks flourish when they have protected time, training and visible executive sponsorship. Culture evolves when inclusion is resourced as infrastructure, not voluntary effort.

Inclusion only lasts when built into systems and supported by community. Networks transform isolated stories into organizational design, ensuring neurodiversity remains core, measurable and renewable.