Event 26th Feb 2026 Unleash the potential of your neurodiverse team

This summary outlines the key points and insights from the third Business Hwb event, which focused on the intersection of academia, business, and neurodiversity in the workplace. The session featured Anne Rees Director of Dyslexia Action Wales, specialists in dyslexia and ADHD, followed by an interactive discussion with attendees.

The Main Presentation: Redefining Neurodiversity

The speaker emphasised that neurodiversity is rooted in distinct brain architectures and life experiences, rather than a lack of intelligence. Functional MRI scans demonstrate clear differences in brain activation during tasks, yet these differences are often incorrectly perceived as problems in schools and workplaces 

Key Strengths of Neurodivergent Profiles:

• Dyslexia: Individuals often possess specialised skills in fields like architecture and engineering. They tend to be highly resilient, accustomed to overcoming failure, and excel at big-picture thinking.

• ADHD: Characteristics include intense focus (hyperfocus) on engaging tasks, high levels of creativity, and the energy to generate new ideas and approaches.

• Autism (ASD): Common strengths include astonishing attention to detail, extreme honesty, a strong sense of justice, and highly focused problem-solving abilities.

• Dyspraxia (DCD): Often manifests as strong verbal skills and creative problem-solving.

Recommended Workplace Adjustments:

• Role Matching: Productivity is highest when an individual’s role is specifically matched to their unique strengths.

• Environmental Considerations: Many neurodivergent people are sensitive to sensory interruptions; providing quiet workspaces or the option to work from home can prevent "physical pain" and burnout.

• Communication: Use clear, written structures for tasks to support those with weaker working memories. Avoid "unspoken rules" by defining expectations explicitly.

• Document Design: For better readability, use visual aids, avoid all-caps text, and use ragged right-hand margins instead of justified text to keep letter spacing consistent.

• Assistive Technology: Tools such as text-to-speech, mind mapping, and voice recognition software (like Dragon Naturally Speaking) are "game-changers" for efficiency.

  
  

Key Themes from the Floor Debate

The subsequent discussion highlighted practical applications and the lived experiences of attendees:

• Equity vs. Equality: The debate underscored that equity—giving individuals the specific tools they need to succeed—is more vital than treating everyone exactly the same (equality).

• Low-Cost Solutions: A participant noted that simple changes, such as using the "hands up" function in Teams to manage memory-related interruptions, cost nothing but significantly improve work life.

• "Employment Passports" and Wellness Plans: Attendees discussed using employment passports or "Wellness Action Plans" (via Mind) to document what support an individual needs and how they work best.

• Reimagining Recruitment: There was a strong consensus that CVs are "archaic" 19. Participants suggested moving toward competency-based frameworks or interviewing policies that account for neurodivergent applicants who might be screened out by AI.

• The Impact of Late Diagnosis: Many professionals are only diagnosed in their 30s, 50s, or 60s. This often brings a sense of self-forgiveness for past struggles but can also lead to individuals being "taken advantage of" for their strengths without receiving support for their challenges.

• The "Allowable Weakness" Concept: Using the Belbin team roles model was praised for introducing the idea of "allowable weaknesses," encouraging teams to compensate for each other's gaps rather than forcing individuals to be "perfect" at everything.

  
  

Conclusion: The Strength-Based Approach

The session concluded with the idea that diverse teams make better decisions because they lack the shared "blind spots" found in homogeneous groups. Embracing neurodiversity is not just a matter of compliance but a "productivity factor"—supporting individual needs leads to lower sickness rates, higher engagement, and better long-term retention 30, 31. Attendees were encouraged to view their teams as a collection of different strengths, much like a "megazord" of unique components working together.

The slides for this event are available here