There is an increasing number of people being diagnosed with Autism and ADHD (see
The truth about ADHD and autism: how many people have it, what causes it, and why are diagnoses soaring? for more information). With the rise in diagnosis and increased understanding, it is important that we provide the accommodations that will support and enable our colleagues to be their best.
One of the challenges for both employees and employers is knowing what reasonable adjustments are available. The Autism, ADHD and AuDHD at work guide provides some inspiration for reasonable accommodations. On reading the accommodation, like allowing time between meetings and providing meeting recordings are beneficial to most employees. There are no accommodations listed that have prohibitive costs to implement, despite this often being a concern for employers.
In my previous post Neurodiversity in the workplace, I share a video explaining what a typical day is like and how what may be considered normal is challenging for many.
The incidence of autism in the United States is now 1 in 42 among boys and 1 in 189 among girls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And although corporate programs have so far focused primarily on autistic people, it should be possible to extend them to people affected by dyspraxia (a neurologically based physical disorder), dyslexia, ADHD, social anxiety disorders, and other conditions. Many people with these disorders have higher-than-average abilities; research shows that some conditions, including autism and dyslexia, can bestow special skills in pattern recognition, memory, or mathematics. Yet those affected often struggle to fit the profiles sought by prospective employers.
https://hbr.org/2017/05/neurodiversity-as-a-competitive-advantage
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