Neurodivergent glossary
Neurodiversity at Work
The growing recognition that cognitively diverse teams perform better—and that workplaces designed for different kinds of brains benefit everyone, not just neurodivergent employees.
What it means
Neurodiversity at work encompasses both the business case and the human case for building workplaces that value and accommodate different kinds of thinking. The business case is increasingly well-documented: cognitively diverse teams are better at problem-solving, innovation, and quality assurance. The human case is simpler: neurodivergent people deserve to work in environments where they can succeed.
Companies like SAP, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, and others have launched neurodiversity hiring programs that redesign interview processes, provide workplace accommodations, and pair neurodivergent employees with mentors. These programs have shown strong results—not because neurodivergent people were given advantages, but because barriers were removed that had been preventing their contributions.
The deeper shift isn't about special programs for special people. It's about recognizing that traditional workplace norms—open offices, real-time verbal communication, rigid schedules, social-performance-based interviews—were designed for one kind of brain and accidentally exclude many others. Fixing this isn't charity; it's organizational design.
In practice
What this can look like
- Your company redesigns its interview process to include work samples instead of behavioral questions. They intended it for neurodivergent candidates, but the hiring quality improves across the board because they're now testing for ability instead of social performance.
- A team includes someone who notices patterns nobody else sees, someone who documents everything meticulously, and someone who challenges assumptions relentlessly. They were hired for their "deficits" under old criteria. Their strengths changed the team's trajectory.
Context
Community note
Neurodiversity at work programs are a step forward, but many neurodivergent employees note that being hired through a "special program" can feel othering. The goal isn't separate tracks for different brains—it's a single track designed for cognitive diversity from the start.
NeuroDiversion 2027
A gathering built for unique minds
Three days in Austin with people who get it.