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Best practice for supporting neurodiversity in technology

Catherine Leggett, Ambitious about Autism

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Catherine Leggett, Ambitious about Autism

Tom Allen spoke with Catherine Leggett, Training Consultant at Ambitious About Autism at the IT Leaders Festival 2022 about the practical ways that tech employers can recruit neurodiverse people and support them to be successful.

Before beginning any conversation about neurodiversity and autism it is very important to emphasise that they are not one and the same thing. Autism Spectrum Condition is just one type of neurodiversity, and whilst there is a buzz in technology employers around the topic of neurodiverse recruitment, autism can still carry a stigma. However, as Catherine Leggett, Training Consultant at Ambitious About Autism explained to the audience at the IT Leaders Festival, that with the right support, autistic people can build successful tech careers.

There are many neurodiverse conditions and they often overlap. Conditions such as Attention Deficit Disorder which in itself can be hyperactive, inattentive or a combination of the two quite often overlap with autistic spectrum conditions. Other neurodiverse conditions include dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia.

Catherine Leggett is understandably keen to emphasise that the "autistic maths genius," stereotype is a myth, and that neurodiversity isn't some sort of superpower or special talent. Perceptions like this can load expectations onto neurodiverse hires and set them up for failure. However, there are some autistic spectrum conditions for example which make individuals well suited to a tech career.

"For lots of autistic people it's thought that their white matter pathways, which are the threads that connect different parts of our brain and allow us to communicate and carry out actions and react to input coming in are very differently connected - usually over-connected. That diversity of thought really fosters innovation and creativity and unusual problem solving," she explains.

Trying to move our understanding away from these stereotypes also involves imparting an understanding that conditions vary in severity, and that early diagnosis is important in setting up positive long-term outcomes for autistic people.

Leggett commented, "We're getting much better at diagnosing, and we know that the earlier an individual is diagnosed and they have access to meaningful support it improves outcomes. Meaningful support does not include non-autistic social skills training because it can be harmful but we support autistic individuals to communicate in ways that are natural to them."

Optimising recruitment for neurodiversity

There are lots of people who have hidden neurodiverse conditions and Tom Allen, Editor of Computing, asked Leggett how best to support neurodiverse individuals who may be unaware of their condition through recruitment processes.

Leggett made the point that, "most of what we say is really good best practice for being inclusive and accessible to autistic candidates is actually just best practice and it helps with lots of different communities."

Leggett's suggestions included avoiding recruiting tools such as pre-recorded videos from candidates as these rely on sophisticated communications skills rather than a test of whether a person can really do a job. Gamification should also be used with caution because it can exclude those with dyspraxia, and any person who has processing delays which many autistic people do. The same goes for any quick fire question styles. Employers should also consider whether there is an alternative to attending assessment centres in person.

Leggett mentioned SAP as an example of an employer who does these things well and acknowledged that investment in neurodiverse talent is necessary.

"It takes money to design really inclusive and accessible jobs trials and aptitude tests," she said. "We know that autistic candidates or those with other conditions who weren't diagnosed or supported early on often don't achieve academically to their full potential. They won't have the high-level qualifications that many tech vendors look for. SAP have designed a series of tests such as virtual robot building where you can work in a team or alone. They also provide great visual, written and supporting information so candidates understand exactly what is required of them."

Supporting neurodiverse employees to fulfil potential

During the discussion questions were raised from the audience about how best to support neurodiverse people working in their organisations and crucially how to enable them to reach their full potential and contribute the most to the business.

Leggett mentioned that the proportion of autistic people in work rose from 21.7% before the pandemic to 29%. Whilst this is still very low, it suggests that the remote recruitment and working models that were in place at the time were helpful. She expressed a keenness that this flexibility was embraced and built on rather than being rolled back.

Employers should also understand that formal diagnoses are not necessary to prove that an individual has a neurodiverse condition. This is because of the difficulty of getting onto an NHS referral pathway, which leads many to private practice or self-diagnosis.

Leggett says that the most effective way to encourage people to share information about their differences is to display an "Adjustments Pledge." This is a request to get in touch with a named contact if there are any helpful adjustments that a neurodiverse individual thinks could be made. This pledge should then be displayed in as many places as possible such as job listings, websites and any place where DEI data is gathered or displayed.

Ambitious about Autism also has a handy transition to employment toolkit. Resources are available to employers and employees. One of the tools is an employee profile which enables to employers and employees to figure out some of the challenges that are likely to be encountered and plan to overcome them. Leggett provided the example of independent task completion and organising and planning workloads. This can be a real strength in some autistic people but what they often require to fulfil this potential is extra context, detail and information so they can fully understand what is expected of them in terms of the task. Good visual supporting material such as infographics, decision making trees are also important.

Best practice for supporting neurodiversity in technology

Tom Allen spoke with Catherine Leggett, Training Consultant at Ambitious About Autism at the IT Leaders Festival 2022 about the practical ways that tech employers can recruit neurodiverse people and support them to be successful.

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