Programme overview
Introduction:
Neurodiversity at work is often handled case by case, after a capable autistic, ADHD, dyslexic or dyspraxic employee has already struggled with an opaque job advert, an unstructured interview, a noisy open-plan floor or a manager unsure what to say. Organisations lose talent they never saw and pay for exits that small changes would have prevented. This Core Concept course gives HR, recruiters and line managers non-clinical methods to redesign hiring, onboarding, workspaces, conversations and performance processes around cognitive difference. Participants build a Neuro-Inclusion Plan for a case organisation.
Course Objectives:
- Explain autism, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia in respectful, non-clinical workplace language and apply a strengths-based view of cognitive difference
- Audit recruitment steps, from job advert to offer, for barriers that screen out neurodivergent candidates and redesign them
- Agree person-centred workplace adjustments covering sensory environment, communication, task structure and time management
- Hold supportive manager conversations about disclosure, adjustment requests and wellbeing while protecting confidentiality
- Adapt probation, objective setting and performance reviews so that neurodivergent employees are assessed fairly on outcomes
- Produce a Neuro-Inclusion Plan with policy changes, manager training priorities and inclusion measures for a case organisation
Target Audience:
- HR business partners and advisers who handle adjustment requests, casework and people policy
- Talent acquisition and recruitment specialists who write adverts, choose assessments and run interviews
- Line managers who lead neurodivergent team members day to day and set objectives and reviews
- Inclusion and employee experience leads who design networks, training and inclusion measures
- Learning and onboarding coordinators who plan induction and early-career programmes
Course Outline:
Day 1: Neurodiversity at Work: Concepts, Language and Current Practice
- Neurodiversity Paradigm Versus Medical Model: Origins and Key Terms
- Social Model of Disability Applied to Job Design
- Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia: Non-Clinical Workplace Profiles and Co-Occurrence
- Strengths-Based Profiling: Pattern Recognition, Hyperfocus and Detail Orientation
- Neuro-Inclusion Maturity Self-Assessment of Current HR Practice
Day 2: Neuro-Inclusive Recruitment and Selection
- Plain-Language Job Advert Rewrite and Essential Versus Desirable Criteria Split
- Adjustment Invitation Statements Across the Candidate Journey
- Work Trials and Practical Task Assessments as Interview Alternatives
- Interview Adjustments: Questions in Advance, Extra Time and Literal Phrasing
- Psychometric and Timed Test Barrier Review for Dyslexic and ADHD Candidates
Day 3: Onboarding, Workplace Adjustments and Environment Design
- Structured Onboarding Plan with Written Instructions, Checklists and a Named Buddy
- Workplace Adjustment Passport: Recording and Reviewing Agreed Support
- Sensory Environment Audit: Noise, Lighting, Smell and Quiet Zones
- Task Structure Supports: Task Flow Charts, Colour-Coded Planners and Reminders
- Assistive Technology Options: Speech-to-Text, Text-to-Speech and Focus Tools
Day 4: Disclosure, Masking and Fair Performance Management
- Voluntary Disclosure Pathways and Confidentiality Protocol for Health Information
- Masking, Exhaustion and Burnout Signals Managers Can Act On
- Manager Conversation Guide for Adjustment Requests and Check-Ins
- Performance Review Redesign: Outcome-Based Objectives and Clear Feedback Formats
- Disciplinary and Capability Process Review Through a Neurodiversity Lens
Day 5: Case Study: Building the Neuro-Inclusion Plan
- Case Organisation Diagnosis: Attrition, Adjustment Log and Employee Voice Data
- Neuro-Inclusion Policy Gap Review Against Hiring, Performance and Development Processes
- Manager and Recruiter Training Needs Matrix for Neuro-Inclusion
- Inclusion Measures: Belonging Pulse Questions, Adjustment Turnaround Time and Retention
- Neuro-Inclusion Plan Presentation and Peer Panel Challenge
Skills You Will Gain:
- Neuro-Inclusive Recruitment Design
- Workplace Adjustment Planning
- Sensory Environment Auditing
- Disclosure and Confidentiality Handling
- Strengths-Based Talent Profiling
- Neurodiversity Policy Review
- Inclusive Performance Review Design
- Inclusion Metrics Selection
Why Attend This Course:
- Return with a Neuro-Inclusion Plan for a case organisation that sets out policy changes, training priorities and inclusion measures
- Rewrite job adverts, interviews and assessments so capable neurodivergent candidates are no longer filtered out
- Respond to disclosure and adjustment requests with confidence, using agreed wording and a confidential recording process
- Compare practice with HR, recruitment and line management colleagues from different sectors and organisations
Conclusion:
Neurodivergent employees perform best where hiring, workspaces and management habits are designed for different ways of thinking rather than a single assumed norm. The week moves from the neurodiversity paradigm and respectful language, through neuro-inclusive recruitment and selection, to onboarding, adjustments and sensory environment design, then to disclosure, masking and fair performance management. The final day applies these methods to a case organisation, and each participant completes a Neuro-Inclusion Plan ready to discuss with HR leadership and line managers.