How firms can improve neurodiversity during the lockdown

Caroline Turner is the founder of Creased Puddle.

York-based Creased Puddle has launched a new guide to help both employers and those who are neurodivergent make adjustments for working from home through the lockdown.

Caroline Turner, founder of Creased Puddle, told The Yorkshire Post that businesses need to start to invest time and money into improving their understanding of neurodiversity.

“It’s about investing and getting good quality training so that people understand that it isn’t them and us,” she said. “Neurodiversity is for everybody.”

The ‘Empowering Neurodiversity in the Workplace During Covid-19’ pack has been put together by Creased Puddle to help organisations looking for practical ideas to assist inclusion for those who are autistic, dyslexic or have ADHD.

Ms Turner says in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, the needs of neurodivergent workers will have been overlooked. But as businesses now adapt to a new rhythm it’s important to ensure reasonable adjustments are made.

The pack also provides advice to those that are neurodivergent giving them a guide on creating the right environment for them to enable them to work from home.

“It’s little practical things about being able to create uncluttered workspaces,” Ms Turner, who herself has ADHD, says.

She added: “Even if you’re neurotypical, reducing the amount of information your eyes have to look at and take in will help to preserve the energy in your brain because you won’t have to process it.”

The pack aims to help line managers better understand and implement communication strategies with neurodivergent members of their workforce.

The impact of the lockdown on neurodivergent people has been varied. Some may be struggling to adjust to a new routine while others welcome the social distance that’s been implemented. The lockdown is providing a glimpse to neurotypical people of what it’s like to be neurodiverse, Ms Turner says.

The former police officer added: “A lot of the characteristics of what neurotypical people are feeling during lockdown, we’ve been feeling it for years. Imagine feeling this uncomfortable, this out of place and this out of sorts but for years and what that does to your mental health and anxiety levels. Then multiply that.”

Ms Turner set up Creased Puddle after her son was diagnosed with autism.

She said: “When my son was diagnosed I started to look at how we engaged with our autistic communities.

“While in the context of looking at how we interact with the autistic communities, it became apparent that there was a need to not just look at this in a wider context.”

The Empowering Neurodiversity in the Workplace During Covid-19’ pack can be downloaded for free at: https://www.creasedpuddle.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Neuro-teamC19-Covid-and-Neurodiversity-Guidance-for-Organisations.pdf