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Neurodiversity & Neuroinclusion Blog
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Occupational Health Referrals (UK): What to Expect, How to Prepare, and How to Use the Report
Done well, an occupational health (OH) referral is a practical, confidential way to understand someone’s work capacity and agree proportionate adjustments. Done badly, it’s a vague letter and a trust problem. Here’s a plain-English guide—employee and manager views—grounded in current UK guidance. What an OH referral is (and isn’t) Purpose: to give the employer expert advice on function and workplace adjustments , not a diagnosis deep-dive. OH is a medical service used to h
Jun 84 min read
Neurodiversity at Work: A Practical Introduction for Teams
Most workplaces don’t have a neurodiversity “problem”. They have a clarity problem. Neurodiversity simply makes the costs of vague communication, messy meetings, and shifting priorities show up faster—and hit harder. So a practical introduction for teams shouldn’t be a list of diagnoses. It should be a guide to working well together without mind-reading. If you’re looking for an interactive session for your team (online or in-person), the training options are here: https://ww
Jun 53 min read
Revisiting The Waking Nightmare: What I Wish I Had Known About Neurodiversity
I recently stumbled across an article I wrote for The Huffington Post back in 2015. It was titled “The Waking Nightmare” , and reading it now felt like opening the diary of a completely different person. I was 23 then. I had just moved to London, and for the first time in my life I was trying to speak openly about something that had shaped almost every part of my existence: my crippling social anxiety. Reading those words now, from where I stand today as the founder of Div
Jun 47 min read
Beyond the “Disability Card”: Reframing Survival as a Neurodivergent Strength
When I watch back my 2017 speech at the Rock Star Awards , I do not just see a younger version of myself speaking on a stage. I see someone trying to make sense of a life that had already demanded far more than most people ever saw. For anyone who does not know my background, I am autistic, dyslexic and dyspraxic. Today, I am the founder of Divergent Thinking , where my work focuses on helping organisations understand neurodiversity more deeply and create environments where
Jun 37 min read
Closing the Gap from Awareness to Access in Neurodiversity Inclusion
Many organisations talk about neurodiversity and inclusion, but few manage to turn good intentions into real, everyday change. Awareness is just the first step. The real challenge lies in closing the gap between knowing about neurodiversity and making sure everyone has access to the support and environment they need to thrive. This gap often remains open because inclusion is not a one-time statement or policy. It is a set of consistent, repeatable behaviours that must fit int
Jun 24 min read
Neuro-Inclusive Onboarding: Day 0 to Day 90 (What Actually Drives Retention)
Great hiring is wasted if onboarding is guesswork. The first 90 days decide whether a new starter feels clear, capable and safe to contribute—or spends their energy masking and firefighting. Neuro-inclusive onboarding isn’t about special treatment; it’s about designing clarity, control and connection into the job from day one so people can do their best work without disclosure hurdles. Why onboarding is the highest-leverage inclusion moment Role clarity, early wins and socia
Jun 13 min read
Beyond Equality: Why Equity Matters More at Work
The way people talk about fairness at work is starting to change. For a long time, many workplaces focused on equality . In simple terms, that means giving everyone the same thing: the same rules, the same process, the same tools, and the same expectations. That sounds fair at first. But in real life, people are different. They do not all process information in the same way, communicate in the same way, or work best in the same kind of environment. That is where equity comes
May 276 min read
Enhancing Safety Through Neuroinclusion in High-Pressure Environments
Safety in ropes and off-ground work depends heavily on clear communication. When teams operate in noisy, fast-paced settings, messages must be understood the first time. Miscommunication can lead to accidents, near-misses, or delays that put everyone at risk. Neuroinclusion offers practical ways to improve how teams communicate and work together, especially under pressure. This post explores what neuroinclusive operations look like on shift, focusing on real-world solutions t
May 263 min read
Neuro-Inclusive Meetings: Signal, Structure, Silence
Meetings either create clarity or cognitive drag. Neuro-inclusion is about designing for how brains really work: we need stronger signals before the meeting, tighter structure during it, and deliberate silence (recovery) after it. Do that consistently and you’ll see better decisions, fewer follow-ups, and calmer teams. Signal: tell people what kind of thinking is required Most meeting pain starts before anyone joins the call. Ambiguous invitations force people to guess th
May 252 min read
Neurodiversity and Conflict at Work: When Communication Styles Clash (and How Managers Can Fix It)
A practical manager guide to neurodiversity and workplace conflict, with ways to reduce communication clashes and fix systems, not people.
May 224 min read
Reasonable Adjustments at Work: Practical Examples for Employers and Managers
Practical examples of reasonable adjustments at work for employers and managers, showing how small changes can remove major barriers.
May 215 min read
Beyond Awareness: A Manager’s Guide to Neurodiversity Performance Management
A practical guide to neurodiversity performance management, helping managers move beyond awareness into fair, clear, supportive conversations.
May 204 min read
Collaboration spotlight: Neurodiverse thinking is a competitive advantage (with Huckletree)
Collaboration spotlight: Neurodiverse thinking is a competitive advantage (with Huckletree) For Neurodiversity Celebration Week, we teamed up with Huckletree to publish a piece on something founders and operators feel every day, even if they don’t call it “neuroinclusion”: The companies that win aren’t always the ones with the most people. They’re often the ones with the widest range of thinking styles, and the clearest systems for turning that thinking into action. Huckletre
May 192 min read
Neuro-Inclusive Digital Communication: Email, Chat and Docs That Don’t Drain Brains
How to make email, chat, and shared documents easier to process with neuro-inclusive digital communication that reduces ambiguity and cognitive load.
May 183 min read
Neurodiversity & AI at Work: Risks, Bias, and Opportunity (A Practical Guide for Employers)
A practical employer guide to neurodiversity and AI at work, covering risks, bias, vendor questions, accessibility, and responsible use.
May 153 min read
Raising the Volume: Why Dyslexia Awareness Week Mattered for Adults Too
Why Dyslexia Awareness Week matters for adults too, and what workplaces can learn from raising the volume on dyslexia, support, and inclusion.
May 146 min read
Beyond Accessibility: Why Co-Designing with Autistic Users Is the Future of Digital Communication
For a long time, digital accessibility has too often been treated like a checklist. Add alt text. Check contrast. Make sure the page technically works with assistive tools. All of that matters. But anyone who has ever tried to navigate a cluttered intranet, an overloaded Teams channel, a confusing booking system or a visually chaotic website knows that true inclusion is about much more than whether a screen can be accessed. It is also about whether the information can be proc
May 136 min read
Neurodiversity and Style: How Sensory Comfort Influences Performance
with Alexandra Standley For Neurodiversity Celebration Week, we wanted to explore something a little different from the usual workplace posts. Because sometimes the thing that drains your energy isn’t your workload. It’s the “small” stuff your body has to tolerate all day. That’s why we teamed up with Alexandra Standley for this guest piece on sensory comfort and style: https://www.alexandrastandley.co.uk/post/neurodiversity-style-sensory-comfort If you’ve ever stood in front
May 123 min read
Job Descriptions That Don’t Exclude: Essentials vs Desirables, Plain English and Fair Tests (UK)
If your job description reads like a wish list, you’re shrinking your talent pool and raising legal risk. A good JD does three things: states measurable outcomes, lists only true essentials, and tells candidates exactly how they’ll be assessed. Everything else is noise—or worse, a barrier. Start from outcomes, not adjectives Open with the mission and the 3–5 outputs the role is accountable for this year. Then name the capabilities that directly drive those outputs. Keep the l
May 113 min read
Manager Scripts Pack: The 9 Sentences That Make Work Neuroinclusive (and More Effective)
Nine practical manager scripts that reduce ambiguity, support neuroinclusive communication, and make everyday workplace conversations more effective.
May 82 min read
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