In a corporate landscape that increasingly recognizes the strategic importance of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), we believe it is important to talk about the many themes that shape our world.
Neurodivergence is one of these. It is a topic that challenges companies to reconsider concepts of “normality” and competence within the workplace.
The talk by Paolo Grampa from Alice ETS offered Mia-Platform an important opportunity to explore neurodivergence, distinguishing it from false myths and oversimplifications. This in-depth look demonstrates how understanding and welcoming atypical neuropsychological functioning is not just an ethical imperative, but also a lever for innovation and growth.
This talk is the second one in a broader program of meetings on DE&I themes, which we propose to the people working at Mia-Platform, with the possibility of sharing the moment with a loved one.
Neurodiversity and Neurodivergence: The Differences
The starting point was to clarify the difference between neurodiversity and neurodivergence:
- Neurodiversity defines the natural variation between one brain and another within the human species. All brains are unique.
- Neurodivergence (or neuroatypicality) describes, in statistical and functional terms, modes of neurological functioning that deviate significantly from those that are most frequent in the population.
It is crucial to note that the term “neurodivergent” is a description and not an official medical diagnosis, although it is the most widespread term.
Areas of Evaluation of Neurodivergence
A professional evaluation for potential neurodivergent functioning focuses on three main areas:
- Cognitive capacity (intelligence): Divided into four families: verbal, visuoperceptual, working memory, and processing speed.
- Executive functions: The brain’s “command center” that allows for planning, organizing, and regulating behavior and thoughts to achieve a goal.
- Social and communicative skills: These concern emotion recognition, understanding social contexts, and “Theory of Mind.”
Main Neurodivergencies
Neurodivergence encompasses several official “diagnostic labels,” called neurodevelopmental disorders, including:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Characterized by communicative-relational and behavioral difficulties (e.g., stereotypies or restricted and repetitive interests). The term “spectrum” highlights the vast range of manifestations. The incidence is 1 person in 77.
- Specific Learning Disorders (SLD): These include dysgraphia (writing), dysorthography (spelling errors), dyslexia (reading), and dyscalculia (mathematics). They affect about 3-4% of the school population and tend to be compensated for in adulthood thanks to strategies, tools, and dispensatory measures.
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Manifests with hyperkinesis or difficulty with attention. Incidence decreases with age (from 5.9% in young people to 2.5% in adults) as one learns to compensate or chooses contexts better suited to one’s characteristics.
- Cognitive Giftedness: Defined by an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) greater than 130 or very high scores in one of the four cognitive indices. Although it may appear to be an advantage, giftedness can entail significant challenges, especially when there are strong discrepancies between different cognitive abilities.
Dispelling Myths and Barriers in the Workplace
Speaker Paolo Grampa also drew attention to potential simplifications or terminology errors often made on the subject, for example:
- Traits vs. Disorders: Having only a few traits is not equivalent to having a disorder. Disorders are pervasive and permanent conditions that, while they can be compensated for, do not completely resolve.
- It is not genius: Neurodivergence does not automatically imply genius. The glorification, especially of giftedness, was criticized for creating social expectations that are often difficult to manage.
- Let’s avoid social network self-diagnoses: Online tests, such as those for ADHD shown during the talk, have no scientific basis and are unreliable for a serious evaluation. The accredited diagnostic path requires a specialist medical visit, a psychological/neuropsychological evaluation, and a thorough anamnesis (history taking) to guarantee a complete clinical picture.
Towards the Inclusion of Neurodivergence
Neurodivergence can be a great resource in any context, including the corporate one, but only if it is truly understood. This requires organizations to go beyond stereotypes and commit to:
- Environmental and communicative adaptations: Creating a work environment that takes individual specificities into account, adapting spaces or modes of communication to the needs of the neurodivergent person.
- Peer support: Beyond the diagnosis, mutual support and help among colleagues are fundamental. It is an individual responsibility to recognize one’s own difficulties to find ways to compensate for them, and it is a collective responsibility to show attention and sensitivity towards the people we meet.
- Deconstruction and information: The importance of an informed diagnostic system and breaking down stereotypes is crucial to avoid reducing a person’s identity to their potential diagnosis.
Integrating neurodivergence into DE&I strategy means recognizing that neurological diversity is a natural variation, and that the goal is not to “normalize” the person, but to adapt the context to valorize their unique potential.
