As part of our Neuro-inclusive Design series, in this blog we consider some sometimes startling facts and figures on the subject of neurodiversity in the workplace. As companies begin to recognise the importance of understanding the needs of its full spectrum of employees, Milliken’s Whitepaper ‘Designing a Neuro-Inclusive Workplace’ reveals some attention raising statistics that can’t be ignore.
While this number is difficult to pin down and is even quoted by some sources to be as much as 30%, there is no doubt that people are increasingly discovering that their own way of thinking, learning and working differs from what is generally considered to be ‘neurotypical’. As more accurate and inclusive diagnostic criteria are being used, these numbers are undoubtedly set to rise.
To add to this astonishing statistic, prescriptions for ADHD medication have also jumped by 800%. Although based on the UK, these figures are likely representative of wider geographies and certainly provides some perspective on the rate at which our awareness and understanding of neurodivergent conditions is growing. With UK National Health Service waiting lists for neurodivergent diagnostic referrals estimated to be up to eight years long, and even private referrals up to two years long, service provision unfortunately still has a long way to go to keep pace.
A direct finding from the research cited in the Whitepaper, this speaks to the potentially complex requirements of neuro-divergent workers and the very individual nature of these conditions. (The remaining individuals surveyed preferred not to say how many conditions they had.)
The commonly quoted phrase by autism advocate Dr Stephen Shore - ‘if you’ve met one person with autism you’ve met one person with autism’ also serves to emphasise this point.
With a significant proportion of neurodiverse workers potentially having multiple diagnoses, the prospect of designing neuro-inclusive workspaces can be quite overwhelming in itself. However, as these three neurodivergent conditions represent the large majority, this does help to provide some focus when learning what needs to be considered when designing neuro-inclusive workspaces.
Even on recognised spectrums of ‘intelligence’ such as the 100-year-old IQ test, neurodivergent people often have recorded higher IQ scores - especially among those with autism. Creative insights, thinking outside the box, problem-solving and visual-spatial capability are increasingly recognised as key attributes that neurodivergent people bring to workplace. Download our Whitepaper to see the full list of strengths (page 10) that neurodivergent individuals can bring to the workplace.
This enlightening figure is equivalent to 8 times that of neurotypical people. Despite the potential commercial advantages that neurodivergent thinking can bring to the workplace, historical trends have shown that this group has clearly been disproportionately disadvantaged in terms of employment. Generally, because their behaviours have not been seen to ‘fit’ in ways that neurotypical people learn, neurodivergent people have often been required to get on or fit in. On the positive side, as education grows, the tide is beginning to turn.
As open plan, agile workplaces become the norm, studies have shown how noisy work environments can not only negatively impact performance, but also lead to poor health outcomes including stress, sleep disorders, hypertension and even cardiovascular disease. As neurodivergent brains are frequently hypersensitive to sound, they are often unable to filter out excess sounds. This can become extremely debilitating. Improving acoustic management in the workplace with acoustic enhanced carpet and LVT can make a significant reduction in the effects of distracting ambient and impact noise.
Learn more in our related blog 8 PRINCIPALS OF ACOUSTIC DESIGN FOR THE NEURO-INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE
This statistic comes from the US, and supports the 2nd point that diagnoses globally are growing, in this case for one of the ‘top 3’ conditions. While this particular statistic is specific to children, the rise of adult diagnoses of neurodiversity is part of what’s driving the societal shift that is making neurodiverse conditions far more visible than ever before.
When designing neuro-inclusive workplace interiors, it’s crucial to understand that not everyone experiences colour and pattern in the same way. Colours can appear more vivid to those with hypersensitivity. As a rule, colours and textures found in nature are a ‘safe space’ for interiors. Muted palettes and neutrals are universally considered to be calming, soothing and neuro-friendly for all.
Also read our blog USING COLOUR AND PATTERN FOR NEURO-INCLUSIVE WORK ENVIRONMENTS
The final in this set of statistics, builds on point 5 by identifying and quantifying the key strengths that ADHD and autistic neurotypes can bring to the workplace. These figures are based on a ground-breaking report by Birkbeck University of London’s entitled ‘Neurodiversity at Work 2023’ which surveyed 1,117 individuals with one or more neurodiversity diagnosis.