Managing those with Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity isnt just a term for those on the Autism Spectrum, it includes those with ADHD, Dyslexia, and other neurological conditions. Guest, Angela Broach, will share her stories and advise on making your management approach more inclusive.

Transcript

Welcome back to my podcast, Scaling Out!

 Recently I invited my co-worker Angela Broach to speak to my management team about managing neurodiverse team members. You might think this means this podcast doesn’t apply to you since you don’t have anyone autistic on your team, but neurodiversity spans additional conditions including but not limited to ADHD, Epilepsy, and Dyslexia. As you recruit, hire and then manage team members, you will not know what conditions if any they might have but its very important to be considerate of these situations and build an environment that can be successfully navigated by all employees. 

 Angela was featured in an external blog post in April 2019 titled ’Not bad, not better. Just Different. Why Im proud to be Autistic.’ I would like to welcome her to my podcast today. 

 Angela, I cannot thank you enough for joining me!

(Angela Broach)Thanks so much for inviting me!

 (Angela Hall) One of the initial questions from the management team was whether we should adjust our recruiting & hiring to ensure we are not eliminating neurodiverse candidates at the beginning of the process.
 
 (Angela Broach) COVID has pushed everyone to complete virtual interviews, and this is a really a benefit to neurodiverse individuals. Virtual recorded responses as well as virtual video conferences are much more comfortable for many autistic candidates because they have the ability to control their own environment. The lighting, sounds, temperature, etc are all very manageable in your own home. 

 (Angela Hall)  Once employed, a manager might not even know the team member is on the spectrum. Due to HIPAA and other HR constraints, managers cannot really ask either. So if the team member doesn’t disclose their diagnosis, but the manager suspects that the individual requires some accommodations to be successful, what would you suggest?

(Angela Broach) Well, lets first talk about some of the signs of autism. A few examples may be repetitive movements or stimming is typically a coping mechanism to deal with all the sensory input. Lack of eye contact or unusual body language is also common so its important not to assume that the blank expression means confusion or disinterest.  What’s critical to understand is that autism is a very complex diagnosis with a wide range of visible and non-visible impacts, so while you cannot ask your employee you also cannot diagnose them. And be very careful researching this on your own, there is a lot of misinformation & outdated information out there.  

To create a more successful atmosphere there are a few steps that can be taken. And I would suggest that this be done for everyone on the team.

Ad-hoc meetings are a nightmare.  Unexpected conversations can be landmines.  Provide topics, agenda, even discussion notes in advance. If you need any input from others, generate the framework for that input in written form up front.

Ask each team member how they would like to communicate. While many would prefer oral, written (whether email or text) is preferred by others. This helps everyone whether they are on the spectrum or not!  Meet your team member where they are.

(Angela Hall) If someone does disclose their diagnosis, you mentioned there are key things to not say. 

(Angela Broach) Definitely don’t gaslight the individual to say ‘you don’t look autistic’! It takes so much courage to disclose because you hide the disability all your life. Just be appreciative that they confided in you & offer support. Listen to them and ask what you can do differently to make the work environment a successful place for them.

 (Angela Hall)  Well Angela, I am always in awe of your courage to share your own story and I am super impressed by your drive to go outside of your own comfort zone to share with others. You have already helped so many with your involvement in our work community. Thank you!

And, thanks to everyone for listening to today’s discussion, until next time stay safe.