Up to 20 per cent of the global population is said to be neurodivergent, driven by environmental and genetic factors. As we become more aware of these conditions, the numbers are rising.
Neurotypes
There are many different neurotypes, but some of the most well-known are:
Autism
According to the charity Ambitious about Autism, If you’re autistic, your brain functions in a different way compared to if you are non-autistic. This can mean you have a different sensory experience; you process information differently and have different social and communication preferences.
If you are autistic, the challenges people might experience include sensory overload, finding it hard to communicate with non-autistic people (in the same way they find it hard to communicate with you), and finding it hard to have a precise idea of what the emotions are that you are feeling.
It is likely the main disadvantage is that a person has been born into a world that wasn’t built for them, with a school and healthcare system that is very challenging and often stressful to access.
ADHD
Charity Young Minds states that if you have ADHD, there are some differences in how your brain works, which can impact how you act and experience the world.
It’s not a mental health condition or a learning disability. But having ADHD might affect your mental health, and some people with ADHD might also have a mental health condition like anxiety or depression.
There are three different types of ADHD: Inattentiveness and distractibility, Hyperactivity and impulsivity, combined ADHD.
Dyslexia
According to the British Dyslexia Association (BDA), Dyslexia is a neurological difference and can have a significant impact on someone during education, in the workplace and in everyday life. As each person is unique, so is everyone's experience of dyslexia. Dyslexia can range from mild to severe, and it can co-occur with other specific learning difficulties. It usually runs in families and is a life-long condition.
Dyscalculia
The BDA states that individuals with dyscalculia have a severe and persistent difficulty with understanding numbers which affects their daily life and education. The current working definition is:
'Dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with mathematics. It will be unexpected in relation to age, level of education and experience and occurs across all ages and abilities.'
Dyspraxia
According to the BDA, Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), also known as dyspraxia, is a common disorder affecting fine and/or gross motor coordination in children and adults. This condition is formally recognised by international organisations including the World Health Organisation.
DCD is distinct from other motor disorders such as cerebral palsy and stroke. The range of intellectual ability is in line with the general population. Individuals may vary in how their difficulties present; these may change over time depending on environmental demands and life experience, and will persist into adulthood.
An individual’s coordination difficulties may affect participation and functioning of everyday life skills in education, work and employment. Children may present with difficulties with self-care, writing, typing, riding a bike, play as well as other educational and recreational activities. In adulthood many of these difficulties will continue, as well as learning new skills at home, in education and work, such as driving a car and DIY.
Tourette's
Tourette's Action, the UK’s only national charity dedicated to supporting individuals with Tourette syndrome and their families, states that Tourette syndrome (TS) is a genetically determined neurological condition. The key features are tics – involuntary sounds and movements, which must be present for at least 12 months to meet the diagnostic criteria. Up to 85 per cent of people with TS will also experience co-occurring conditions and features which might include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and anxiety.
Mental health
Mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety, can also impact how someone approaches the workplace.
Depression is a low mood that can last a long time or keep returning, while anxiety is a feeling of stress, panic or fear that can affect everyday life physically and psychologically. There is an extensive list of other mental health conditions, including, but not limited to, agoraphobia, claustrophobia, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, phobias, postnatal depression, psychosis and schizophrenia.
Sarah Miles, head of information content at Mind, explains, ‘We all have mental health, just as we have physical health, and each can fluctuate over time.’
Mental health conditions will affect up to 8.5 million adults in England and Wales.
For an early years sector in which the vast majority of employees are women, it is worth noting that women are more likely than men to report having experienced symptoms of depression or anxiety.
How to help
The Equality Act 2010 protects employees from being discriminated against on the basis of disability, if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities.
Employers are required to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to ensure workers with disabilities, or physical or mental health conditions, are not substantially disadvantaged when doing their jobs.
Imogen Edmunds, chief executive of Redwing Solutions, which specialises in HR for early years settings, explains, ‘Employers need to be aware that if someone is recognised as having a disability, they need to make reasonable adjustments if it is possible to do so.’
However, she emphasises the nuance in the language. ‘We should be really conscious that we shouldn't discriminate against people with protected characteristics, but not everyone who is neurodivergent will meet the definition of disabled in the Equality Act, and not everyone who is neurodivergent will consider themselves disabled. We only have a responsibility to consider reasonable adjustments when the individual is considered disabled under the Act.’
Any adjustments made do not necessarily have to cost the earth. Giving an anxious employee an early shift to allay their worry ahead of a work day, or allowing a staff member with sensory processing difficulties to take an early lunch break so they can eat in a staff room that is quieter and has fewer food smells, are easy tweaks employers could think about offering their staff. Relaxing dress codes might make work easier for people with sensory processing difficulties who struggle with uniforms, while helping dyslexic staff to change their screen's background colour might make written work more accessible.
Miles says supporting mental health conditions can sometimes be as simple as opening up a dialogue.
‘As leaders and managers, we shouldn't be fearful of neurodiversity,’ adds Edmunds. ‘It doesn't have to cost money, it's just about thinking what might help, and designing that into the job rather than adding it in as an afterthought.
‘I think employees are far more likely nowadays to fill in a health declaration form and be truthful about their physical or mental health conditions, but it's important we have recruitment, training and induction processes within our nurseries that encourage people to feel the environment is safe for them to tell us if they need support.’
Neurodiversity in the early years
Edmunds acknowledges that it is not always possible to find the right fit. ‘Everything has to be looked at and judged on its merits,’ she says. ‘We may simply not be able to recruit somebody to a nursery who has Tourette's, for example, if we are unable to make enough adjustments to let them perform their role safely and suitably.
‘But the nature of someone's job is a factor. If a nursery worker is struggling to communicate and would rather work from home, we can't drop children off with them. But if they were an area manager who could be based anywhere as long as they were contactable, it may not make a difference if they work from home.’
Ultimately, if settings can ensure they provide an accessible and welcoming place for neurodivergent employees, everyone stands to benefit.
‘Neurodivergent people can make absolutely passionate early years educators, and if they find their fit, they are likely to be loyal and faithful to that workplace,’ says Edmunds.
She adds, ‘We should be providing a reflection of the community we serve. If we're going to be having more and more children with special educational needs, we should reflect that in the workplace.’
