Neurodiversity recognises that there’s no single ‘right’ way for a brain to think, learn or experience the world.
Explore support, services and practical guidance available across Lothian and the wider community on our newly launched website:
Over a third of workers (35%) think that their employer is ineffective at training managers to support neurodiversity at work, according to a new Acas survey.
The survey, carried out by YouGov, of 1,000 employees across Great Britain found that just 32% think their organisation effectively trains managers to make reasonable adjustments for neurodivergent colleagues.
By contrast, 35% said their employer was ineffective, with 18% of those describing their employer as “very ineffective.” Almost one-third (32%) of respondents said they didn’t know how effective their employer was at supporting neurodivergent staff, pointing to a potential lack of understanding of neurodiversity at work.
Julie Dennis, Acas Head of Inclusive Workplace Strategy and Policy said: “These stats show a potentially worrying lack of knowledge when it comes to supporting neurodivergent colleagues, and how to put support at the centre of workplace policies and training.
“Supporting neurodivergent staff can be simple and cost-effective, and it should be integral to any business. When everyone is given the chance to thrive, every business can too.
“Acas has advice and training for employers on how to raise awareness, be inclusive, sensitive, and stay within the law when managing neurodiversity at work.”
Neurodiversity describes the natural differences in how people’s brains behave and process information. Well-known types of neurodivergence include neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia.
A lot of neurodivergent people do not see themselves as disabled but will often be considered as having a disability under the Equality Act.
The Equality Act gives disabled employees protection against discrimination and the right to reasonable adjustments at work. A reasonable adjustment is a change that an employer makes to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to someone’s disability.
According to Acas figures, around 15-20% of adults experience and process the world differently. Acas advice is that employers should make their organisation more inclusive, so that staff feel comfortable sharing and talking about neurodiversity.
Acas has some top tips for employers:
Acas has training in the year ahead on neurodiversity and advice too:
An idea to transform chewing gum wrappers into a fold-up coping device for neurodiverse teenagers has earned industry recognition for three Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) students.
Caitlin Christina Borst, Ewan Bell and Sana Ziyaeen’s project, Origumi, has been named among the winners of this year’s D&AD New Blood Awards – a notable honour for emerging creatives.
The MSc Creative Advertising students are among those displaying their work at the 2025 Degree Show, which is open to the public at ENU’s Merchiston campus until Friday 6 June.
Responding to a brief from the chewing gum giant Extra, the trio designed a series of special wrappers for strip gums, with folding lines to help create origami-inspired paper creations.
Their campaign is aimed at young neurodiverse people, many of whom use fidgeting and stimming to help manage stress and anxiety. It combines unique packaging, out of home billboard adverts and a social media strategy.
Being recognised by D&AD, the leading industry organisation for the UK creative industry, came as a very welcome surprise to the team.
Sana, who is 24 and from Iran, said: “It’s crazy! I remember opening the email and still not quite believing it.
“It was an amazing feeling!”
24-year-old Ewan, who is from Aberdeen, added: “I was actually getting my hair cut at the time! I looked at my phone afterwards and it was going wild!
“When we all met up afterwards, we jumped about like kids!”
The Origumi team will find out which level of D&AD New Blood pencil they have won during an award ceremony in London in July.
They have put this success down to a rewarding year on the MSc course, which they hope will help to launch their career in advertising – as it has done for many predecessors.
Caitlin, 25, from Livingston, said: “It is a massive confidence boost to know that we’ve developed these skills which can be used in the industry.
“I think throughout the year we’ve all learned a lot from each other.”
“It feels like we’ve come a long way very quickly,” added Sana.
“We all have quite different backgrounds in terms of what we were doing before – which has really helped.”
Caitlin, Ewan and Sana have also followed in the footsteps of previous ENU Creative Advertising students Brianna Price and Mairi MacRae, whose Heineken Stim project drew on similar ideas, and was also recognised by D&AD in 2023.
The trio sought out their advice while developing Origumi.
“The fact that we have had industry professionals coming in has been so helpful,” said Ewan. “Having the help of predecessors has been really nice.
“I like that the course teaches you about the structure of a campaign. I feel a lot more equipped to take that out into work.”
Caitlin said: “We learned a lot about neurodivergence when putting this together. We noticed we were involuntarily fidgeting and stimming while discussing ways to take away the stigma.
“The project took a lot of different turns along the way, but I think we’re all pleased with where it has ended up.”
You can see Origumi and other work from across ENU’s School of Arts & Creative Industries at the 2025 Degree Show.
The week-long celebration of undergraduate and postgraduate students is free to attend and open to all until Friday 6 June – find out more about it here.
On Wednesday, May 14, 10 – 11:30am, Mindroom, a leading Edinburgh based charity that champions all forms of neurodiversity and works to improve the quality of life for neurodivergent people by removing barriers, increasing opportunities and shaping a more accessible world, will launch ‘Thriving Workplaces: A Practical Guide to Neuroinclusion’ with a free-to-attend online event .
The guide – developed through a collaborative partnership with Neuroinclusion at Work partners and the Prince Couple’s Foundation in Sweden – brings together real voices to offer meaningful insights into creating more inclusive workplaces.
Registrations to the online event now open: Wednesday, May 14, 10 – 11:30am
Mindroom, a leading charity that champions all forms of neurodiversity and works to improve the quality of life for neurodivergent people by removing barriers, increasing opportunities and shaping a more accessible world, will launch ‘Thriving Workplaces: A Practical Guide to Neuroinclusion’ with a free-to-attend online event on Wednesday, May 14, from 10 to 11.30am.
The launch, which will be hosted by Mindroom’s CEO, Alan Thornburrow, will include:
With research showing that diverse perspectives lead to better problem solving, stronger teams and improved performance, the guide – developed in collaboration with a series of Neuroinclusion at Work partners and with active participation from the Prince Couple’s Foundation in Sweden – is rooted in lived experience and brings together perspectives from neurodivergent individuals, parents, carers and employers to support organisations on their journey towards creating more inclusive workplaces.
Alan Thornburrow comments: “By embracing neuroinclusion, organisations can create better working environments, where new talent is recognised, employees prosper and an inclusive business culture shines through, thus positively affecting growth and innovation in the workplace.
“We are very proud of the work we conducted in collaboration with our partners, and very grateful for everyone’s time. ‘Thriving Workplaces’ is not a set of instructions.
“This is a starting point; a resource grounded in experience and created by listening to neurodivergent individuals and collecting their thoughts on taking meaningful and lasting steps towards inclusion.
“We are very much looking forward to hosting the event and welcoming as many participants as possible to join on the journey to a more accessible world and a more inclusive working environment.”
The guide – structured around core principles of building an inclusive culture (with concrete everyday actions), support and psychological safety (where people feel free to speak openly without fear of judgement) and leadership and accountability (setting the tone with empathy) – aims to support on a practical level, including real-life insights and tools to either get started, or continue on the journey to inspire real change for the better.
“We are pleased with this collaboration and appreciate the concrete guide it has resulted in – especially since it has been developed together with neurodivergent individuals themselves”, says Helene Öberg, Secretary General of the Prince Couple’s Foundation, which is a partner in the project.
“We believe this will be a functional and important tool for employers to see and harness everyone’s full potential, something that truly aligns with our work for dyslexia and everyone’s right to be themselves.
“Being able to complement our portfolio, which focuses on tools for children, with tools that ensure that people with dyslexia/neurodivergent individuals have the best conditions throughout their whole lives feels very valuable, and we look forward to seeing the guide used in workplaces worldwide.”
Whether beginning on this journey or building on existing actions and effort, the guide provides a flexible starting point, including practical and adaptable ideas to help start meaningful conversations in the workplace and take action in a way that works for each specific organisation.
A free downloadable link to this resource will be available after the event.
For more information and to join the launch of ‘Thriving Workplaces: A Practical Guide to Neuroinclusion’, please book your place here:
‘Thriving Workplaces: A Practical Guide to Neuroinclusion’
For more information about the work Mindroom does, please click here:
Workplace expert, Acas, has published new advice on neurodiversity to help employers create inclusive organisations and raise awareness at work.
Neurodiversity describes the natural differences in how people’s brains behave and process information. Some well-known types of neurodiversity include ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia:
A lot of neurodivergent people do not see themselves as disabled but will often be considered as having a disability under the Equality Act.
Acas Head of Inclusive Workplaces, Julie Dennis, said: “Employees may not want to tell people that they are neurodiverse or may mask their condition due to concerns about a negative reaction at work.
“Bosses also need be aware that the strengths and challenges that come with a neurodiverse condition may not be the same for everyone.
“Our new advice has tips for employers on how to raise awareness, be inclusive, sensitive and stay within the law when managing neurodiversity at work.”
The Equality Act gives disabled employees protection against discrimination and the right to reasonable adjustments at work. A reasonable adjustment is a change that an employer makes to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to someone’s disability.
Acas ran its own poll on neurodiversity with 1650 line managers in November last year. It asked about the barriers to making a reasonable adjustment for neurodiverse employees. The barriers identified by respondents included:
Acas advice is that employers should make their organisation more inclusive so that staff feel comfortable sharing and talking about neurodiversity.
Raising awareness can help normalise it, which can help ensure employees get the support they need. Being inclusive can help:
Acas has some top tips for employers on raising awareness of neurodiversity at work such as:
Acas’s full advice has information about various different types of neurodiversity, their common traits, how the Equality Act 2010 applies to neurodiverse employees, how to support people, raise awareness and approach it sensitively at work:
The soaring need for support with neurodiversity has signalled a huge jump in demand for the services of Salvesen Mindroom Centre.
The charity, which champions all forms of neurodiversity, has experienced an 18% rise in enquiries over the last year.
Access to education and assessment and diagnosis were key issues raised by parents and carers, along with communication, rights and responsibilities and mental health.
Data shows that children and young people were particularly concerned with challenges including post-diagnosis support, mental health and the transition from leaving school to moving into adulthood.
The latest statistics from the Edinburgh-based charity, which supports children and young people under the age of 25 with all forms of neurodiversity, show that over 1,393 people have been helped in the first three quarters of 2023, an increase of 19% against the entirety of 2022. The most common condition, affecting 82% of clients, was autism.
The enquiries came from within Scotland, predominantly from Edinburgh, Glasgow, and East Lothian, with the vast majority coming directly from potential service users and a third via professionals.
Salvesen Mindroom Centre’s Chief Executive Officer Alan Thornburrow says: “Raising awareness is one of the key goals of Mindroom. Our vision is a world where no mind is left behind. And while we’re delighted to have been able to help so many people this year, the story behind the statistics is one of huge need.
“It’s encouraging that so many more people are now aware of the help and support we can offer but the big rise in demand demonstrates an ever-growing desire among parents, carers, professionals and the young people themselves to help them lead the best life they can. We’re committed to doing everything we can to facilitate that.”
The charity’s latest initiative is a three-year specialist outreach service, financed by a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund, to deliver a dedicated one-to-one support service for children and young people who have neurodevelopmental conditions and neurodiverse families in North and South Lanarkshire.
Alan Thornburrow says: “We saw a rising demand in this area and have responded because we know just what an enormous difference receiving the appropriate help can make.
“The latest rise in figures is a challenge for us but one we are longing to overcome to help people achieve their true potential.”
For more information on the charity’s work go to https://www.mindroom.org/
With as many as 1 in 5 people thought to be neurodivergent, Scotland will host an international event exploring hard-hitting topics ranging from stigma to sexual taboos associated with neurodivergence and provide a platform for work that showcases the diversity and expertise of neurodivergent people.
The ‘It Takes All Kinds of Minds’ global event at the EICC in Edinburgh will run from 13 – 14 March 2023 bringing together more than 50 of the world’s top neurodiversity thinkers, alongside healthcare experts, policy decision-makers, educators, employers, and families. Neurodivergent people will be represented in every part of the programme and amongst the delegates.
Edinburgh will play host to the international conference organised by the Salvesen Mindroom Centre, an international centre of excellence focusing on all kinds of neurodiversity.
The neurodiverse speaker line-up will include neuroscientists and nutritionists, campaigners, clinicians, artists, actors, and activists.
Keynotes will include Professor Sue Gathercole, OBE, of the University of Cambridge – an expert in cognition and education, and Chair of the UK’s REF panel for Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, and Dr Kathy Leadbitter of University of Manchester, who has pioneered work on neurodiversity-informed early intervention.
Other key speakers include Swedish clinician and psychiatrist Dr Lotta Borg Skoglund, who has been commended for her research into gender and neurodiversity, as well as her efforts to break down stigmas faced by neurodivergent young people.
She will be joined by popular Scandinavian writer and speaker Pelle Sandstrak who uses humour to share experiences of living with Tourette syndrome, jewellery designer Charlotte Garnet who launched an “anti-anxiety” collection, and leading sexologist Professor Lotta Löfgren of University of Malmö.
Looking ahead to next year’s event, Sophie Dow, Founder of the Salvesen Mindroom Centre and Co-Chair of ITAKOM said: “Since launching in 2000, Salvesen Mindroom Centre has been committed to raising awareness of neurodiversity, supporting families and funding research to improve the lives of neurodivergent people.
“It Takes All Kinds of Minds is a conference like no other. It will bring together science and reality by drawing on personal, practitioner and academic experience from around the world. Uniting different perspectives will help us all to understand neurodiversity better and we look forward to welcoming guests from around the globe.”
Dr Sue Fletcher-Watson, Director of the Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre and Chair of the It Takes All Kinds of Minds conference, said: “Neurodiversity is such a powerful idea but its transformational potential is only just beginning to be explored.
“ITAKOM will provide a platform for experts to share their findings and ideas, and for collective exploration of how they can be applied. That’s why we’re bringing together lived, research and practitioner expertise at the ‘It Takes All Kinds of Minds’ event next year.”
Marshall Dallas, EICC Chief Executive, said: “We are thrilled that the ‘It Takes All Kinds of Minds’ conference has chosen Edinburgh and the EICC. As a pioneering hub for life sciences, Edinburgh is very well placed to host to this major international event in the field of neurodiversity.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming everyone involved in the event to the EICC next March.”
The conference will run from 13 – 14 March 2023. Early-bird tickets are £195 for personal tickets, £295 for delegates with funding, and £137 for those on reduced incomes. They can be booked at itakom.org.
To mark the one-year countdown, Salvesen Mindroom Centre partnered with the EICC to host an event on Thursday, 24th March 2022 as part of the conference centre’s ‘EICC Live’ series.
‘EICC Live: Beautiful Brain’ featured world-renowned neurological experts and was the most popular event in the series to date, breaking previous sign-up records.
