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Dyslexia and Neuro-differences in the Workplace

Nancy Doyle Msc. C. Psychol. AFBPsSCheryl Winter, FCIPD

Directors Genius Within CIC

MPG Handout PackOverview

What is Neurodiversity?Flash Points

Disability DiscriminationAction: Reasonable Adjustments

Do they work?Case Studies

Examples

SpLD? Learning Difficulties?

Dyslexia

Dyspraxia

Dyscalculia

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC)

Tourette’s Syndrome

Acquired Brain Injury

Chronic neurological conditions

Mild-to-moderate mental health needs (?)

What is ‘neuro-diversity’?

What is ‘neuro-diversity’?

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Neurotypical

What is ‘neuro-diversity’?

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NeurotypicalDyslexia / ADHD

What is ‘neuro-diversity’?

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NeurotypicalDyslexia / ADHDDyspraxia

Verbal Skills

Verbal Comprehension

• Articulate, explain• Understand, explore, listen

for meaning and patterns

Interviewing, presenting, building rapport, customer service, dealing with conflict, debating

Working Memory

• Sound, image/movement• Immediate attention• Magic number 7 +/- 2

Verbal instructions, using new equipment or software,remembering names and numbers, data transfer, reading

Performance Skills

Perceptual Reasoning

• Visual, ‘whole picture’ processing

• Looking for gaps, patterns, order

• 3D visuo-spatial

Building, driving, using equipment, body language, understanding context and surveying environment

Processing Speed

• Visual detailed processing• Sequencing and order• Following simple rules

Data entry, completingforms, following a newprocess, writing, reading

Difficulty concentrating in busy environments

In groups where s/he has to wait to speak in turn, finds it difficult to hold

comment and interrupts, or contributes less

Requires regular repetition of the instructions

Flash Points: Working Memory

•Use of headphones or ear plugs•Using alternative space when needing to focus

Difficulty concentrating in busy environments

•Observation and establishing the expected rule•Strategies for ‘holding’ questions and commentsIn groups where s/he has to wait to speak in turn, finds it difficult to hold

comment and interrupts, or contributes less

•Giving and receiving instructions in the preferred sensory format

•Awareness of own upper limits

Requires regular repetition of the

instructions

Flash Points: Working Memory

New Manager

• Might have a different instructional style

• Might have a different set of expectations

New Location

• Could be noisier or more distracting

• Perhaps they were relying on their previous colleague

New Process

• Requires added load on working memory until learning embedded

• Might reduce ability to employ previous strategies

Flash Points: Change

Which neuro-diverse profiles affect these ‘day to day’ activities?

• mobility• manual dexterity• physical co-ordination• continence• ability to lift, carry or move everyday objects• speech, hearing or eyesight• memory or ability to concentrate, learn or understand• understanding or perception of physical danger

Direct Discrimination• Making assumptions

about capability and treating differently as a result

• Failure to make reasonable adjustments

• Victimisation• Harassment

Indirect Discrimination

• By treating all people the same, you may inadvertently be discriminating

• As an employer you are still accountable for this

”

Dyslexia is the third most frequent disability reported to Access to Work

Source: Xpert HR, 2010

67% of dyslexics request support for stress at work 54% request support with reading

52% reported significant sleep difficulties

This is significantly different to the UK population norms of 37% experiencing insomnia

Dyslexia affects GHQ scores

Dyslexia affects well-being at work scores

Doyle and Cleaver, 2016

”

Ensure you consider stress as a mitigating factor – Do the employee & manager need a co-coaching session to reset the relationship?Does the whole team need an awareness training sessions to deal with animosity?

*If you are happy that adjustments are comprehensive/reasonable and performance is still not up to scratch, a capability assessment is absolutely still the right action*

Identify concern as disability – screening

with HR / Occ Health

or diagnostic with a

Chartered Psychologist

Formal discussion

with Manager and Employee

to review performance

in light of condition –

adjustments can be

obvious an implemented

here

Work Place Needs

Assessment from HR, Access to Work or specialist

provider to recommend adjustments

Reasonable Adjustments

recommended and

implemented, performance management paused while adjustments

take place

Wait for adjustments

to ‘bed in’ before

reassessing performance or capability

Action Plan

An HR intervention can start at reasonable adjustments depending on level of difficulty and tribunal risk – you can also go back a step if an intervention isn’t successful

Reasonable Adjustments

Assistive Technology

• Spellcheckers & auto-correct

• Text-to-speech & Speech-to-text software

• Mind mapping software

• Adaptive use of everyday software

• Adaptive pens, mouse, keyboard

Coaching

• Extra time with manager or tasks

• Memory skills• Organisational

skills• Timekeeping• Condition

Awareness• Working to

strengths• Literacy/numeracy• Co-coaching with

line manager

Environment

• Font size, coloured paper, bullet points

• Environmental noise management

• Double screens for computer work

• Reading stands• Flexible hours and

working from home

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Genius Within CIC, providing 1:1 coaching to around 1000 individuals per year

1) Recorded which work related topics were raised by coachees and managers to be addressed through coaching. Average 4.5 coaching sessions per client.

Memory (92%)Organisation (82%)

Time Management (78%)

Stress management (67%)Spelling (67%)Reading (54%)

2) Compared coachee and manager ratings of performance on the above topics before and 2-4 months after coaching intervention

Coachees: 3.9 → 6.0 out of 10t (92) = 19.35, p < .001, d = 1.94;

Line managers: 4.8 → 6.1 out of 10t (40) = 10.72, p < .001, d = 0.85

Doyle and McDowall (2015)

Does Coaching Work?

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Case Study 1

• Claims processor• 6 years good service• New Software system• Dyslexia disclosed in performance management hearing

Context

• Taking far longer to adjust to software than colleagues• Productivity levels unacceptable according to company

policy• HR Director asked for a 15% improvement after each

coaching session

Problem

• Why might dyslexia be causing this problem?• Is the HR Director’s request reasonable?• Is the coaching the only reasonable adjustment you

might consider?

Questions to

consider

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Case Study 2

• Library Assistant in College, with 4 years service• Excellent rapport with students and tutors, comes across well in person• Applied for promotion on 2 occasions and failed• College knows of dyslexia and are applying for Dyslexia Friendly Award

Context

• Taking longer than colleagues to re-file publications and books• States he cannot follow library sign posting• Colleagues have complained he takes a long time when helping students

with IT queries

Problem

• Why might dyslexia be causing these difficulties?• How might coaching help?• What reasonable adjustments would you consider?

Questions to

consider

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Case Study 3

• Autistic man employed for 10 years in IT role• 9 different managers in that time• Current line manager not an IT expert, wanted to develop an

appraisal framework and manage productivity

Context

• Queries over productivity – internet access• Line manager unable to establish job role and tasks• Line manager frustrated, stated “he just doesn’t play the game” and

“he’s too reactive”

Problem

• Is the line manager’s criticism a discrimination issue?• Does internet access reduce productivity?• What reasonable adjustments might work here?

Questions to

consider

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Dr McLean ‘The Triune Brain’

Example exercise