Journal of Financial Planning: May 2025
Editor’s note: This is a transcript of a Neurodivergent Planners Knowledge Circle event. It has been edited for length and clarity. Visit https://connect.onefpa.org/knowledge-circles to find a planning- or community-focused group that matches your interests.
Neurodiversity describes the variation in the human experience of the world, in school, at work, and through social relationships. Attention deficit hyperactive activity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity that interferes with development and, later, psychosocial and occupational functioning. Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition. It’s characterized by differences in social communication and restrictive interests or repetitive behaviors. Autistic people tend to have unconventional interpretations of body language and social cues and are less flexible with changes to routine and display hypersensitivity to environmental factors such as light or sound.
ADHD and Autism at Work
I’m in some neurodivergent circles on Facebook, and this is a quote I saw that really resonated with me because it’s been my experience as well as my family’s experience: “I’m 25 years old. I have had over 30 jobs, and I really don’t know what else to do.” That’s very representative of the work experience with many neurodivergents. According to the National Autism Indicators Report, only 14 percent of adults with autism hold paying jobs. The unemployment rate for adults with autism is twice as high as those with other disabilities. About 80 percent of people with autism do not have any kind of paid job experience after leaving high school, and autistic workers have some of the poorest outcomes of any part of the workforce, with 78 percent unemployed. Autistic individuals often experience a wide range of barriers and challenges with employment across their lifetime, and that’s despite their strengths and abilities to contribute to the workforce. Autistic individuals have great qualities that can contribute to an organization when the job aligns with their strengths. Employment can be a part of a fulfilling life and has many associations with positive mental health and independence. The report found that it was best to encourage the prioritization of the voice of autistic workers when designing working environments.
Let’s look at some of the statistics for ADHD. Adults with ADHD are 60 percent more likely to be fired from a job at some point in their professional careers. They are 30 percent more likely to have chronic employment issues, and 300 percent more likely to quit a job impulsively. They also earn significantly less, and earnings among adults with ADHD are up to 33 percent lower than those of employees without the condition. Research indicates that individuals with ADHD are more likely to experience very adverse employment outcomes, such as lower performance at work, higher turnover rates, and higher unemployment rates.
Individuals with autism tend to struggle with job acquisition, while those with ADHD seem to struggle with job retention. Both of those things are adding to financial stress, and it works against them if they’re trying to have financial stability, whether they’re trying to acquire a job or keep the job.
Strengths and Challenges
Neurodiversity is not necessarily a hindrance. Resilience, innovative thinking, creativity, energy and passion, depth of thinking and expression, and sensory awareness are all extremely valuable skills that neurodiverse individuals bring to the table at work.
The 2024 Neurodiversity in Business and Work Academic Research report shows some of the strengths that neurodivergent people reported for 2024: empathy and sensitivity, critical thinking and analysis, advocacy for others, resilience and tenacity, crisis management, and narrative thinking.
They also reported their challenges. Dealing with overwhelm is a huge one. Social aspects of work, not knowing how to interact or not picking up on social cues, prioritizing and delegating, and multitasking ... are some of the challenges neurodivergents are facing.
According to the 2024 Neurodiversity in Business and Work report conducted by the Birkbeck University of London, “neurotypical colleagues are having consistently better experiences at work and do not recognize to the same extent the cognitive, sensory, or relationship challenges that are experienced by neurodivergent workers. One reason is that challenges, for example, with processing information or dealing with overwhelm, may not be immediately visible to others, particularly when neurodivergent workers are masking and camouflaging.” I thought it was really important that they brought up the idea of masking and camouflaging. There’s so much more that is invisible going on when neurodivergents are working that is not easily noticeable if you’re not familiar with what those signs look like.
So here are some more reports about some of the “subtle slights” of the work environment and the perspective from neurodivergents: being interrupted or cut short when they need time to express their thoughts, overall sensory distractions, and finding it hard to concentrate if they’re uncomfortable.
“Based on the data, organizations need to consider the quality of training provision and how this enhances understanding between neurotypical and neurodivergent coworkers. The disparities in strengths and weakness are in two main categories that colleagues do not understand the full extent of cognitive challenges faced by neurodivergent people, and that they are therefore struggling to appreciate the resilience and adjustments needed to cope,” according to the report.
This report really did a good job of highlighting the needs and highlighting the strengths as well as helping people in the field know what areas they need to address, emphasizing employer responsibility for flexibility in process, environment, and equipment to meet a range of human neurotypes. This hinges on the idea of equity. Recognizing that neurodivergent inclusion expands the definition of normal, from individuals who struggle with literacy to those who find detailed processing challenging to those who excel at it. There’s more than just the typical neurodivergent stereotype that might first come to mind.
Universal Design
The report authors recommend using the approach known as universal design as a baseline for inclusion rather than trying to cater to a specific need. Universal design aims to change the design of the environment rather than situate the problem as a perceived deficit within the learner. When environments are intentionally designed to reduce barriers, every learner can engage in rigorous, meaningful learning.
Equality means everybody gets the same thing. Equity is fairness through individual needs. What do you actually need to put you on the same level and create that equality? That’s a really important part of providing environments that are conducive to successful work for neurodivergents.
This framework emphasizes flexible methods, materials, and assessments. It recognizes variability in how individuals learn and work. This includes the environment, the employee workstation, or the entire work facility or work site. This also means having flexibility in where the work is taking place. Is it going to be hybrid? Sometimes it’s in the office, sometimes you’re able to work in the comfort of your home. There’s also universal design applied to technology and tools. For example, computers, communication technology, and manufacturing tools. We have a lot of emerging technology with AI, and that’s definitely going to be a great thing to explore and figure out how you can use those tools to increase support and then apply universal design to reconceptualize work policies, so interactions, communications, and, most important for the accommodation process, the methods used to complete work tasks.
One of the cool things about financial planning specifically is that a lot of people run their own firm, so they can make up their own policies. They have to follow the [CFP Board] standards, but in terms of the environment, they can determine whether it’s work from home or hybrid, and they can structure that in the way that works for them. The research even says, “Policy needs to affirm that all neurotypes deserve good work and promote the value of neurodivergent strengths across all neurotypes. Services need to be organizationally structured, but person-centered, aligned to organizational context, and responsive” (62).
Diversity within Neurotypes
We have to acknowledge the diversity in neurodivergence. In the past year, I’m recognizing that among my professors and colleagues and LinkedIn peers and classmates, there are so many people who have the same neurodivergence I have, but we have differences in it. There’s also dyslexia and dyspraxia and so many different ones. It’s important that even as neurodivergents or as people who are advocating for them, we realize the diversity in neurodivergence. We have to acknowledge the spectrum; other people are higher functioning in some areas than others. While neurodiversity itself is not generally considered a mental disability, impairments caused by neurodivergence can be evaluated as mental disabilities. It is worth noting that there are two opposing ideas on the perception of neurodiversity as a disability. The social model distinguishes between disabilities and impairments, focusing on social barriers that limit the accessibility of certain individuals, ultimately leading to disability. It’s not the individual who is disabled; it is the disabling environment, and that’s where we’re focusing: how can we make the environment less disabling and more enabling? Then there’s the medical model, which says that disability is caused by a dysfunction of the individual and requires a treatment or cure. Among the neurodivergent community, there are people who feel both ways or either way.
Solutions
A lot of times when people are neurodivergent, they also have depression, anxiety, and OCD; there are so many other side effects that come with being neurodivergent, and all these things can be impactful in the workplace. It’s really important that employers are aware of these things when recognizing these challenges.
So what can we do? We can be intentional. We can co-create expectations and boundaries with employees. You can create the environment that works for the way you function, or the way your employees function, and provide direct support, visual aids, timers, and written instructions. Provide affirming clarification and make sure there’s no guilt around understanding what is to be done, then follow up to make sure they’re doing it correctly.
Accommodations and Undiagnosed Neurodivergence
Some neurodivergents are, in fact, protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but there are many who do not have a diagnosis and may not be able to easily acquire documentation. These employees are at a disadvantage and ultimately discriminated against, depending on their situation. Under these circumstances, universal design is particularly important. There are a lot of people who are self-diagnosed or undiagnosed who have always had a struggle, and they don’t really know where that’s coming from. As an employer and as an informed financial professional, whether it’s a counselor, a therapist, or a planner, being able to pick up on those signs can help you work with them in a way that’s going to make them more supported and therefore more productive.
Sidebar
Seven Principles of Universal Design
- Equitable use
- Flexibility in use
- Simple and intuitive use
- Perceptible information
- Tolerance for error
- Low physical effort
- Size and space for approach