Advice: How can you support a neurodivergent employee who finds communication difficult? Written by CMI Insights Wednesday 12 July 2023 Share Share to LinkedIn Share to Facebook Share via email A lot of highly capable, neurodivergent people communicate and approach work differently. This is how managers can support their staff Do you have a Management & Leadership question or challenge? Send it to us at editorial@managers.org.uk and one of our experts will answer it! Q: I have a new member of staff who is neurodivergent and who is struggling to communicate effectively with colleagues. Can I have some advice on how to best support them? Dr Sarah Wall, senior lecturer in education studies at Anglia Ruskin University, Lucie Wheeler, education research assistant at ARU, and Simon Preston, founder of Embrace Neurodiversity, reply: Communicating effectively is central to all human interaction, not only the neurodivergent population. Equally, not all neurodivergent individuals have communication needs. Focus on their strengths We need to move towards a discussion of how to get the best out of neurodivergent teams. To support someone who is struggling with communication, focus on their strengths, rather than those areas that you believe they should “improve”. This is in the spirit of the inclusive social model of disability, which focuses on adjusting an environment so that everyone can participate fully, rather than the medical model of disability, which implies that the environment is fixed and the individual needs to change. Want to learn more about supporting neurodivergent employees? Login or register below for Free Instant Access Login If you are already registered as a CMI Friend, Subscriber or Member, just login to view this article. Confirm your registration Login below to confirm your details and access this article. Sign in with email Email remember me remember Forget? Please confirm that you want to switch off the "Sign in with email" remember me feature. Yes No Register for Free Access Not yet a Member, Subscriber or Friend? Register as a CMI Friend for free, and get access to this and many other exclusive resources, as well as weekly updates straight to your inbox. You have successfully registered As a CMI Friend, you now have access to whole range of CMI Friendship benefits. Please login to the left to confirm your registration and access the article. Advice Looking for advice and guidance? Whether you are looking for topical tips or information, you can find the latest advice and guidance from the CMI team here. Members See More CMI Members have access to thousands of online learning and CPD resources. Learn more about our membership benefits Join The Community CMI offers a variety of flexible membership solutions, tailored to your needs. Find out more and get involved in the CMI community today.
