Volume 40 (4) • August 2025
ABSTRACT
Neurodiversity describes the natural differences in people’s brains and the way they process information. Individuals think, learn and act differently, as well as having different strengths and weaknesses.
The concept of neurodiversity is most often associated with conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), dyscalculia and Tourette’s syndrome. However, for many of those diagnosed as being neurodivergent, it is not something they view as ‘having’; rather it is how they are, and for this reason many prefer identity first language, for example, being described as autistic, not as someone who has autism – although not everyone shares this preference.
Currently, it is thought that around 15–20% of the population are considered neurodivergent. No two neurodivergent individuals will exhibit all of the same behaviour characteristics or face the same challenges, although there are similarities within conditions. Sometimes individuals have more than one condition, referred to as co-occurring conditions.
According to ACAS[1], neurodiversity is gaining much needed attention in the workplace environment, but research in this area is still ongoing and our understanding continues to develop.
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