Neurodiversity Training

Unicus’s neurodiversity training team will open your eyes to the possibilities of a growing neuro-confident workforce.

Neurodiversity training that creates a neuro-confident workforce.

Unicus’s neurodiversity training team will open your eyes to the possibilities of a growing neuro-confident workforce. We’ve put over a decade of our experience working with neurodivergent adults, including autism, into a modular and customizable 10-part education program. We can educate your human resources, DE&I, recruiting, resource groups and leaderships teams – online or in person – on how to be neuroinclusive at every stage of the employment lifecycle.

Now is the time

Employers face a global talent shortage – Unicus can help. By 2030, the global talent shortage is predicted to reach 85.2M workers. (Korn/Ferry, 2021) Worldwide, 87% of organizations are already experiencing a talent shortage or are expecting to face it within a few years (McKinsey, 2020.) The greatest need for talent exists in data analytics and IT management with advanced skills data analysis and mathematics.

Now is the time to attract and retain neurodivergent talent from a largely untapped talent pool. With proper support, neurodivergent employees can thrive in your organization, bringing fresh perspectives, and strengths in math, data and computer sciences.

How will your company benefit?

Through actionable neuroinclusive training, our clients improve the economic and social conditions of neurodivergent adults by providing quality careers, unlocking opportunity, and transforming their workplace into a supportive environment.

  • Be a destination for neurodivergent talent
  • Learn how to provide tailored and flexible accommodations
  • Support employees who are comfortable disclosing conditions
  • Neurodiverse teams bring new ideas and fresh perspectives

In the race to recruit, hire, and retain the best talent, up to 20% of job seekers are expected to be neurodivergent, yet most companies are not confident in supporting their needs.

  • Autism and co-occurring conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety, and depression may impact a person’s ability to perform in a job interview, in social situations with colleagues, and in managing project deadlines.
  • Challenges can occur despite having the hard skills and qualifications required to be a skilled employee and an asset in a team. 
  • Some may camouflage their traits to fit in at work, which causes exhaustion, as well as refraining from disclosing their condition and asking for the support they need, putting their employment at risk.
  • It is estimated that less than 29% (ons.gov.uk) of autistic people are in any form of meaningful employment which aligns with their educational achievements. (Office for National Statistics, UK) 

"Brilliant session, great use of real life situations. We must do more and you have given us the confidence to start!" - Client

What to expect

  • neurodiversity training workshops are created by Unicus’s team of job coaches, who have a background in supporting autistic people, clinical psychology, performance coaching, managing anxiety conditions and special education.
  • All of our neurodiversity training programs are co-authored and approved by our autistic team members who are involved in providing their unique perspectives and candid experiences first-hand in the training.
  • Among our 10 neurodiversity training modules, topics include autism and co-occurring conditions, workplace assessments, disclosure of conditions, mental health, recruitment, retention, and inclusive communication styles.
  • Each neurodiversity training workshop is taught by a member of our coaching team. Workshops are interactive with opportunities for discussion, surveys, videos and quizzes.
  • Costs vary depending on other Unicus services you partner with us for.

Our Promise

You will leave each neurodiversity training session feeling more confident to apply what you have just learned. You will receive lots of examples, case studies and practical solutions that can be applied to your own workplace. We don’t just share our niche expertise, we collaborate with you.

Our clients experience change

Our clients experience our autistic teams first-hand, achieving diversity goals and breaking down stereotypes. As a result, auticon builds awareness around neurodiversity, improves internal practices, and contributes to our clients’ success through the work of our highly skilled consultants. “I now have a much thorough understanding of the positive workplace contribution that someone with autism can make,” responded one client in our recent Impact Report survey, “and what autism actually is.” 

Say perception of autism has changed68%
Feel more confident working with autistic people81%
Have greater understanding of neurodiversity85%
Say Unicus made a positive impact on their culture73%

Let's get started!

We share our decade of experience, intellectual property, coaching expertise and impact measurement, enabling our partners to become neuro-confident, neuro-accepting and ultimately creating, neuroinclusive workspaces, cultures and teams.

Getting started is easy. The first step is to contact our training team to learn more about your diversity goals. We look forward to hearing from you.


Our selection of neurodiversity training workshops

Awareness

Suitable for all employees
  • Understanding Unicus and Neurodivergence

Foundation

Suitable for all employees
  • Neurodiversity and Autism in the Workplace
  • Neurodiversity and Neurodivergent Conditions

Advanced

Suitable for managers, HR, and recruiters
  • Workplace Assessments
  • Disclosure
  • Mental Health and Wellbeing
  • Inclusive Communication
  • Retention
  • Onboarding
  • Recruitment
  • Line Manager Workshops

Neurodiversity training workshops in detail

AWARENESS WORKSHOPS

1. Autism and neurodiversity awareness at work

Audience: Open to all / Steering group
Attendee count: Unlimited
1 hour

Summary:
• Understand Unicus – who we are, what we do and how we do it
• The importance of confident inclusive conversations
• Cognitive differences and autistic strengths
• Autism in the workplace
• Discussion

Foundation workshops

2. Neurodivergence and Autism in the Workplace

Mandatory before other modules.
Audience: Open to all
Attendee count: Unlimited
2 hours 15 mins

Summary:
• Have a new and/or improved understanding of neurodiversity.
• Have a greater acceptance and understanding of autism in particular:
   – Psychology
   – Medical & social model
   – Learn about strengths and challenges
• Best practices on how to work well with your autistic colleagues
• Guidance on workplace accommodation conversations

3. Neurodivergence and Co-occuring Conditions

Mandatory before other modules.
Audience: open to all
Attendee count: Unlimited
2 hours 15 mins

Summary:
• Build on what you learnt in Foundation Module 1
• Co-occurring conditions and their prevalence for autistic people
• Mental health
• Understand co-occurring neurodivergent conditions that can present alongside autism.
• A strengths-based support model
• Audience participation: Case studies

ADVANCED WORKSHOPS

4. Workplace Assessments

Audience: Ambassadors / Steering group / HR / DE&I / Managers
Attendee count: Unlimited
Time: 90 minutes

Summary:
A workplace assessment is a tool that enables a person to have equity in the workplace despite challenges as a result of their condition(s). After an assessment, accommodations will be worked on between the person, assessor and manager.

Some traits of a neurodivergent condition are a core challenge and yet not covered in a traditional assessment, even though they are vital for successful team and one-to-one working e.g. communication. We show you how to adapt and accommodate for your neurodivergent colleagues.

Learning outcomes:

  • What is a workplace assessment? What’s different for neurodivergent colleagues?
  • How can a workplace assessment help managers and ND colleagues to work better together?
  • Workshop: What does a neuro-inclusive workplace assessment look like for your organisation?

5. Disclosure

Audience: Ambassadors / Steering group / HR / DE&I / Managers
Attendee count: Unlimited

Time: 90 minutes

Summary:
Disclosing a neurodivergent condition(s) is scary, personal, sensitive and often comes with lots of negative experiences.

We help you to create an inclusive workplace that allows people to be their authentic selves and to disclose their condition at any point during the employment lifecycle. We want them and their managers to feel supported and confident during such a courageous and sensitive moment in a person’s life.

Learning outcomes:
What is disclosure for ND people, and who they disclose to?
Diagnosis & self-identification
Feel confident in your ability to respond and act
How to inclusively encourage disclosure for better support
Helpful processes and culture

 

6. Mental health and wellbeing

Audience: Ambassadors / Steering group / HR / DE&I / Wellbeing Team / Managers
Attendee count: Unlimited
Time: 90 minutes

Summary:
In our experience, mental health is a common reason for absence.

Mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression are often very common for neurodivergent colleagues and presents differently compared to someone without a condition.

We help you to understand this and apply compassionate methods to supporting your colleagues.

Learning outcomes:

  • Why supporting mental health could make the biggest impact to workplace productivity and wellbeing.
  • Anxiety and depression links to neurodivergence.
  • Learn and be confident to apply preventative methods.
  • Case studies to manage worst case scenarios.

 

7. Inclusive Communication

Audience: Ambassadors / Steering group / HR / DE&I / Managers
Attendee count: Unlimited

Time: 90 minutes

Summary:
Communication in all its forms is a core challenge for most neurodivergent people. But of course, successful communication is vital in the workplace.

Best practices we can recommend will positively impact everyone in your teams, with or without a condition, but will have a huge impact on your neurodivergent colleagues and teams working with them.

Learning outcomes:

  • Reduce communication challenges with neurodivergent colleagues
  • How to use preferred communication methods
  • Universal inclusive communication for positive impact
  • Workplace communication case studies

8. Oboarding

Audience: Ambassadors / Steering group / HR / DE&I / Managers
Attendee count: Unlimited
Time: 90 minutes

Summary:
You’ve hired someone who during the recruitment process shared their condition(s), you supported them, and now, how do you show them you’re as inclusive when they are a permanent employee?

Onboarding is anxiety-inducing for anyone, but particularly for neurodivergent people who are susceptible to mental health challenges. We show you how to remove as many typical onboarding challenges as possible that get in the way for neurodivergent individuals.

Learning outcomes:

  • What is disclosure for ND people, and who they disclose to?
  • Diagnosis & self-identification
  • Feel confident in your ability to respond and act
  • How to inclusively encourage disclosure for better support
  • Helpful processes and culture

9. Retention

Audience: Ambassadors / Steering group / HR / DE&I / Managers
Attendee count: Unlimited
Time: 90minutes

Summary:
Retention can be a challenge for businesses and is also a factor for unemployment in the neurodivergent communities.

We take you through some common business retention transitions that can be challenging for employees and managers, and help you to lower the risk of further recruitment to replace existing talent.

Learning outcomes:

  • Increase your retention, reduce the need for re-hiring
  • Solving common barriers to retaining neurodivergent colleagues
  • What processes are impacted by lack of neuro-inclusion?
  • Promotions; annual reviews; performance reviews; accommodations; change in manager/team

10. Recruitment

Audience: Ambassadors / Steering group / HR / DE&I / Managers
Attendee count: Unlimited

Time: 2 hours

Summary:
Recruitment practices are the number one barrier to employment for neurodivergent people, and a reason organisations aren’t able to attract neurodivergent talent.

Learn how subtle changes can make a big difference for your neurodivergent candidates and have a positive impact on any other applicant, too.

Learning outcomes:

  • Understand the barriers to employment and the solutions
  • Apply universal accommodations to your processes
  • Assess your own attraction processes and make adjustments
  • Why we don’t do interviews
  • What tools do managers and neurodivergent applicants need?

Workshops for line managers

Audience: Ambassadors / Steering group / HR / DE&I / Managers
Attendee count: Unlimited
Time: Tailored

Summary:
Tailored for you.

Meet Kirsty - Global Director Neuroinclusion Services

I joined auticon to support our neurodivergent community with my performance coaching, wellbeing practice (as a certified yoga teacher) and previous career in fintech. With personal experience of anxiety and having neurodivergent family members, I was familiar with the challenges and benefits of self-advocacy, disclosure and support for individuals and their managers.

Today, I lead auticon’s global initiative to support our neuroinclusion partners with services, tools and advice that will help teams to practice and embed the methods auticon has learnt be successful for universal inclusion.

What “autism masking” behavior can employers be aware of, and how can they respond?

The art of masking is that employers may never realise it. For many autistic people, they have this art form perfectly designed, and some won’t know where their masking begins and where it ends.

Some possible indicators could include always having the same response to traditional small-talk questions, such as repeating tone, body language, and the words used.

Masking drains energy and in a hyper-social setting causes cognitive overload and severe social anxiety. A solution is kindly being patient, compassionate, and understanding while someone tries hard to be a part of a team.

 

What do you think employers get very wrong about supporting autistic employees?

Fear is one of the most significant barriers to supporting autistic people well in the workplace. Employers may fear saying the wrong thing, getting support wrong, or simply not being prepared to work with an opening autistic person.

This is why building neuro-confidence is important. As a part of our neuro-inclusion education service, we help employers learn universal support strategies that make a huge impact.

What do employers need to know about performing job interviews with neurodiverse people?

Often, a neurodivergent person cannot be expected to showcase their strengths well in an interview because you’re testing all of their biggest challenges.

One solution is to provide interview questions in advance. This proactive measure allows autistic people to reduce processing time, reduce severe anxiety, and plan for the direction a conversation can take. It’s one small way employers can reduce the risk of losing the right candidate for a role.

How can organisations train their teams to better support autistic employees? What resources are available?

While a general understanding of autism is helpful for every team member, managers, HR, and D&I teams are the go-to people for support by autistic colleagues. These teams need to know how to manage specific scenarios and challenges confidently. Working from a strengths-based model of support to get the best from their neurodivergent colleagues and managers enables teams to flourish.

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