“Since leaving that company, I have never again disclosed my diagnosis of ADHD to any employer or coworker.” That’s a 35-year-old manager describing what happened after she told a previous employer about her ADHD. Her diagnosis was raised every time she made a small mistake or arrived late. One good day was met with a...
Over the past few months, I’ve watched several conversations unfold in the media questioning whether too many women are being diagnosed with ADHD. As someone who has spent more than two decades working alongside neurodivergent individuals in education, workplaces and through one-on-one coaching, I understand why clinicians want diagnostic processes to remain rigorous. Accurate diagnosis matters. It always...
Lessons in Inclusion from Remote Australia A reflection by Edmund D’Cruz on culture, community and neurodiversity in Aurukun I was fortunate to be invited to support the operations of Aurukun State School, a remote Aboriginal community school in Far North Queensland. What began as an opportunity to contribute my experience in education and organisational improvement...
Your hiring process isn’t broken. It’s working exactly as designed — and that’s the problem. Here’s what to change. You’ve invested in diversity training. You’ve updated your careers page with stock photos of smiling, diverse teams. You might even have an ERG for disability inclusion. And yet, your hiring funnel is systematically screening out...
Most organisations that want to become neuro-inclusive start in the same place: an awareness webinar, an inclusion working party and maybe a Slack channel. These are worthwhile first steps. But if you stop there, you’ll miss the single biggest lever for real change — your people managers. Research from Gallup consistently shows that the manager...
How inclusive hiring practices unlock neurodivergent talent — and strengthen outcomes for everyone There’s a quiet irony at the heart of most hiring processes. Organisations say they want innovation, creative problem-solving, and diverse perspectives — then funnel every candidate through the same rigid, socially performative interview format that systematically disadvantages the very people most likely...
In 2017, Xceptional started a mission to create meaningful careers for neurodivergent talent. Our initial focus was providing technology services, namely software testing. Our aim was to bridge the gap between neurodivergent individuals and employers. The employers we approached had other ideas, they were interested in hiring skilled neurodivergent individuals for themselves. From there we...
Psychological injuries take time, attention and resources to manage. They are damaging for individuals who experience psychological injuries, managers, HR business partners and teams. Â In this article, I will cover the new requirements for employers to actively manage psychological injury, the unique risks neurodivergent staff face and how to mitigate them. As well as the...
In our three-part series, we’ve guided HR leaders and businesses through actionable steps to foster neurodivergent talent, culminating in this final segment where Nicole Done sheds light on the crucial stage of preparing individuals for success within Xceptional’s neuro-inclusive framework.The Xceptional approachXceptional goes beyond recruitment, adopting a total-life-cycle approach. This commitment ensures tailored support for...
Nicole Done, with over 25 years of expertise in the neurodiversity space, continues to lead Xceptional’s neuro-inclusive initiatives. In this three-part series, we delve into the intricacies of nurturing neurodivergent talent beyond recruitment. Following Part One of Xceptional’s Nurturing Neurodivergent Talent series, we will now focus on embracing neurodiversity by personalising the onboarding experience.Part two...
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