A recent report into neurodiversity and the workplace has found that neurodivergent individuals “continue to face a lack of inclusive practices, equitable opportunities and fair career progression.”
The Expert Academic Panel on Neurodiversity published its final report and recommendations on 2nd October 2026.
It says that, while some progress has been made on inclusion in the workplace, “several challenges” remain for neurodivergent individuals, and, despite offering “valuable strengths,” they remain underrepresented in the labour market with higher rates of unemployment and significant barriers to career progression.
The research and analysis was conducted on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) by six leading academics from within the fields of psychology, inclusive environments, disability employment, sociology, autism and neuropsychology.
Professor Amanda Kirby, Chair of the Expert Academic Panel, said in her foreword that she firmly believes that “inclusion matters.”
She explained:
“It serves to improve public health and social justice; and through boosted productivity, inclusion will serve the wider growth agenda. Greater employment participation has the potential to contribute to lessening the burden on our health care and welfare systems. We all stand to benefit from this: individuals, employers, and the economy.”
Neurodivergent individual face specific challenges in the workplace
She added that neurodivergent individuals often faced challenges with exclusive recruitment processes that lack appropriate supports or reasonable adjustments, and which often fail to recognise neurodivergent talent entirely.
Once in work, individuals with neurodivergent profiles may struggle with technological systems and tools if they have mot been designed with neurodivergent talents in mind, while many organisations still rely on a ‘standard’ way to deliver outputs, forcing some neurodivergent individuals to mask or adapt.
As well as an increased risk of burnout for the employee, Kirby says a lack of “impactful accommodations” in the workplace can “result in a negative confidence / competence cycle starting, and the relationship between employers and employee can deteriorate as a result.”
In addition, workplace training can be “rigid” and not always tailored to individual needs.
Workplace adjustments ‘inconsistent’ and difficult to access
The processes for gaining workplace adjustments can be inconsistent and are often only made available to individuals who have a specific diagnosis. When reasonable adjustments are implemented, they are not always reviewed when task demands or working environments change.
Individuals are encouraged to disclose neurodiversity and specific needs in order to gain reasonable adjustments, but Kirby warns that this still often “carries risk of stigma or inadequate responses if employees do not engage in dialogue.”
Ultimately, the report found that workplace adjustments “remain difficult to access, leading to unpredictable and inequitable outcomes and not related to actual needs.”
It can also prove difficult for employers to rely on evidence-based approaches, as formal evidence on workplace inclusion in relation to neurodiversity is fragmented, and some diagnoses are given greater focus than others in research.
Inclusive practices require a needs-led approach
Employers need to be aware that neurodivergent people can face specific challenges that can impact their day-to-day functioning and performance and wellbeing at work. The report also highlights that they may excel in one area while needing support in another, and that a neurodivergent trait can co-occur with other neurodivergent traits and health conditions.
Many workplaces require a specific diagnosis, meaning individuals with recognised conditions and clear diagnostic pathways are able to access support more easily, while those who have not had a diagnosis can completely miss out.
The panel says that workplaces should focus on a needs-led approach which explores the potential barriers that individuals face rather than fixating on specific labels in order to ensure “a fairer, more effective and scalable solution.”
They argue that placing the emphasis on the ‘condition’ that a person has rather than on their individual needs “risks oversimplified tick lists of adjustments that do not always fit the person, the tasks they need to complete, or take into consideration varying work contexts.”
Practical strategies for neuroinclusive workplaces
The DWP launched the expert independent panel in January 2025 to explore opportunities to improve neurodiversity inclusion in the workplace. It builds on the findings from the Buckland Review of Autism and Employment, published in February 2024, but takes a broader view by examining all forms of neurodiversity and identifying evidence gaps.
The Panel drew on long-standing expertise and lived experience as well as calling for formal evidence from the academic community. The subsequent report sets out practical strategies for policy-makers and employers to help make workplaces more neuroinclusive.
They are calling for:
- Workplace support which is needs-led, not dependant on a diagnosis
- Existing disability employment policy to be strengthened
- Further research to be conducted to address gaps in the evidence base
- Workplaces to implement practical, evidence-based strategies to address common challenges for neurodivergent employees
- Universal Design principles to be adopted as a framework for inclusive workplace practices
The report says that greater inclusion of neurodivergent people can lead to the following benefits:
- Enhanced wellbeing
- Improved staff retention
- Reduce pressure on welfare and healthcare systems
- Boosted productivity and innovation
Strengthen existing disability employment policy to boost inclusion
They therefore argue that existing disability employment policy should be strengthened to boost equality, diversity and inclusive practices. The government must ensure employers are informed of best practice in this area and should require, and even incentivise, employers to improve the support they provide to neurodivergent people.
They say that addressing the challenges neurodivergent people face would be “a vital contributor to the government’s growth agenda and to the UK’s long-term economic resilience.”
The key principles for effective workplace adjustments include:
- Maintaining flexibility
- Ensuring effective communication
- Regular reviews of adjustments that have been offered to ensure they remain relevant and effective
How can policymakers improve inclusive practices?
The full list of recommendations for policymakers includes:
- Take a needs-led approach for neuroinclusion in the workplace which takes into account the individual and their work context.
- Provide legal aid and free early advice for Employment Tribunal cases, increased funding for the EHRC to bring legal significant cases and more powers for the EHRC to issue financial penalties for non-compliance. The time limits for bringing disability cases should also be increased and intersectional claims should be allowed, alongside increased funding for the employment tribunal system to reduce delays and backlogs.
- Introduce a 2-week deadline for employers to respond to reasonable adjustment requests.
- Introduce mandatory disability employment and pay gap reporting using standardised questions and data collection methods.
- Reform the Disability Confident scheme so it is based on employers’ disability employment outcomes and introduce limits for how long employers can remain at Level 1.
- Increase resourcing of Access to Work (AtW) to reduce the backlog in applications, remove the AtW support cap and introduce ‘in principle’ indicative awards as well as allowing passporting of awards between organisations and from Disabled Student’s Allowance to AtW.
- Base contract award decisions in part on tendering organisations’ disability employment outcomes.
- Promote consultation and negotiation on disability equality and give union Equality Representatives and Disability Champions statutory rights to time off to perform their role.
- Ensure Universal and sensory-friendly design in national policy and building regulations.
- Fund intersectional, co-produced, longitudinal research and data-linkage projects.
- Ensure that Talking Therapies provisions take into account the range of neurodivergent traits and conditions and that staff involved in Talking Therapies are assessed and trained.
Their concluding recommendation to the government is to embrace Universal Design principles, which they say “reduces the need to retrofit adjustments, supporting all employees, not just those with visible or diagnosed disabilities or health conditions.”
The report includes practical examples and guidelines for how this can be done.
What can employers do to improve neuroinclusion in the workplace?
The report’s key recommendations for employers were:
- Build psychologically safe, inclusive cultures through co-designed policies with lived experience
- Reframe adjustments as “performance optimisation” for all, not as special privileges
- Adopt a triage or graduated response model for adjustments
- Use a triage model for adjustments, prioritising urgent needs and reviewing effectiveness
- Carry out appropriate due diligence to ensure that the services are not introducing bias or exclusionary practices that disadvantage neurodivergent candidates and employees
- Use dashboards and data to monitor retention and identify where gaps in progression or representation may exist across all levels of the organisation
- Co-design improvements with neurodivergent staff and establish regular feedback loops to ensure changes are meaningful and effective.
- Consider the built environment within which their employees operate, taking guidance from set building standard such as PAS6463.
- Move away from one-size-fits-all solutions and towards tailored support that helps every individual perform at their best.
Employers would do well to engage with these recommendations, particularly with research indicating that neurodiverse teams are 30% more productive than others. In addition, neurotypical people also tend to find their morale is higher when they work with neurodivergent colleagues, according to the study published in Harvard Business Review.
Inclusive Employers says can make lasting changes to support neurodivergent individuals in the workplace through:
- Adopting more practical, skills-based assessment to make the recruitment process more inclusive
- Creating accessible resources and embedding inclusive policies and processes across the organisation
- Providing training and education to managers to help them to understand and better support neurodivergent staff
- Offering flexible adjustments to help people thrive. This could include quiet spaces, alternative schedules and clear communication methods
What is neurodiversity?
Neurodiversity is the concept that some people have natural variations, or differences, in how their brains work, and how they experience the world.
A sociologist named Judy Singer, who is on the autism spectrum, came up with the term in the 1990s to describe these natural brain differences. Neurodiversity describes the full spectrum of neurological or neurodevelopmental differences, such as autism, dyslexia or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Neurodivergent or neurodistinct are terms commonly used to refer to individuals with a neurological difference.
An opposite term is neurotypical, which is often used to refer to people who do not have a neurological difference. Neurotypical means that the way a person’s brain functions and processes information and the way they behave is viewed to be ‘standard’.
It is believed that around 1 in 7 people in the UK (15%) are neurodiverse. That’s about 10-13 million people. Across the world, 15-20% of all people living are thought to be neurodivergent.
Figures also suggest:
- Around 10% of the UK population has dyslexia
- 8% of people in the UK have ADHD
- 8% of people in the Uk have dyspraxia
- 6% of people in the UK are thought to have dyscalculia
- 1% of people in the UK have an autism spectrum condition
- 1% of people in the Uk are thought to have Tourette’s Syndrome
Foster an inclusive environment
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading national training provider delivering courses in subjects such as health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, food safety, mental health, health and social care, safeguarding, neurodiversity and more.
They are a Disability Confident Committed Employer and were recently awarded INclusive Worcestershire Leader status. This means they are a fair, equitable and inclusive employer who is proactively and continuously striving for positive change.
The national training provider was one of the first in the country to be approved to offer essential training in line with the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism.
They have since become quality assured to deliver Oliver’s Training through the Quality Assured Care Learning Service (QACLS) from the Department of Health and Social Care and Skills for Care.
They now employ over 100 Experts with Lived Experience Co-Trainers, many of whom are autistic. These Expert Co-Trainers are recruited and supported by a specialist team at FRT, who ensures that individual profiles and reasonable adjustments specific to each Expert Co-Trainer are maintained throughout their employment.
FRT’s aim is to empower and educate learners across the country and transform their practice by embracing the lived experience of autistic individuals and those with learning disabilities. Through the collaborative strength of their Trainer Trios – Oliver McGowan Facilitating Trainers and Expert Co-Trainers – they aim to inspire lasting change in how individuals are understood, supported and valued.
Neurodiversity training solutions
FRT have also developed and delivered a number of Neurodiversity training courses, such as Introduction to the Autism Spectrum, ADHD Awareness, Dyslexia Awareness, Sensory Processing Disorder Awareness and SEND Awareness.
They have also previously worked in partnership with clients to develop bespoke training for them in topics such as Adapting Learning for SEND and, SEND and Barriers to Learning.
They are also currently rolling out a Neurodiversity and Inclusive Practice in Education training programme which has been co-developed and co-delivered by experts with lived experience.
A trainer from FRT says:
“Whether in schools, universities, workplaces or our communities, we need to focus on fostering environments where everyone can thrive.
“With 15% of the UK population identifying as neurodivergent, businesses must take meaningful steps to provide support, make reasonable adjustments, and educate their workforce.
“At First Response Training, we are committed to inclusion through flexible policies, neurodiversity training, and practical workplace adjustments. We can support our clients to make the same commitment, firstly with training to empower staff with the essential knowledge and skills to support neurodivergent individuals, and then with useful resources to help you continue your journey.”
Download FRT’s Neurodiversity Training Brochure here.
You can also download their free Neurodiversity Training Guide and a guide to creating an inclusive workplace for neurodivergent employees.
For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.