In an article written for ‘Training Journal’ on supporting wellbeing at work, Cass Coulston and Ricardo Twumasi examine neurodiversity.
It is estimated that the neurodiverse represent 15 to 20% of the population, a strength that is still underutilised within our society, leading to inequity and a lack of inclusivity in workplaces. Despite research highlighting that conditions such as autism and dyslexia can present numerous sought-after workplace skills, including, but not limited to: pattern recognition; memory; attention to detail and creativity and diversity of thought, neurodiverse people are more likely to suffer from unemployment than any other disability. This is leading to millions of neurodiverse adults remaining unemployed. In fact, as just one of many examples, recent statistics from Deloitte show that 85% of individuals who are autistic are unemployed compared to 4.2% of the population.
By Cass Coulston