LITERATURE REVIEW OF NEURODIVERGENCY IN ADULTS 1

A Literature Review of Neurodiversity in Adults:

Implications on Workforce Capability and Success

Joshua Watton

Siena Heights University

February 20, 2022

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A Literature Review of Neurodiversity in Adults:

Implications on Workforce Capability and Success

The understanding of neurodiversity is rapidly changing in science literature as well as in

public spaces, educational institutions, and the workplace. A movement has been described as

rising in recent years to tear down societal thinking and social structures surrounding the topic of

neurodivergent individuals and their previous perceived capabilities. Brown (2021) describes

past and common understandings of neurodivergence as a deficit-based spectrum of perspective.

Understanding that this perspective is based on a negativistic social attitude rather than true

science, opens new varieties of perspectives and attitudes society can learn about to better

understand neurodiversity and its positive influences socially (Brown, 2021).

As more information and data-based science is brough to the field each year

understanding of the prevalence of neurodiversity globally is becoming greater. It is inevitable

that much of the world’s organizations, governments and industries are made up significantly

with numerous neurodivergent workers, leaders, influencers, and role models. Understanding this

prevalence and significance is a dutiful prospect in better understanding the organization and the

successes of worker’s social dynamics (Martin, 2021)

Outline

Within this literature review there is an analysis of neurodiversity in adult populations.

The aim of this paper is to discover what implications autism and other developmental disorders

have on individuals and organizations, for their capabilities and successes. This analysis attempts

to discover what societal barriers exist due to stigmatization of neurodiversity, and how

accessibility is viewed in comparing neurotypical and neurodivergent populations.

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With a strong emphasis on qualitative data, the mechanisms of social structure

surrounding types of workers is how this paper makes conclusions. Quantitative data is

secondary, only to emphasize the statistics involved with these themes. Furthermore, this paper

will attempt to answer these following questions:

 What advantages do neurodiverse people bring to communications or

involvement?

 How is capability understood without discrimination?

 What stigma currently surrounds the topic of neurodivergence?

Literature Review

Prevalence of Neurodiversity

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shared recent statistics which

claim that nearly 2.2% of the American Population has Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder

(ASD). ASD is only one of the vast varieties of developmental/behavioral disorders known.

Prevalence of neurodiversity is something that cannot be statistically accurate one hundred

percent of the time. The CDC also claims that studies from neurodivergence in children show

that a of all varieties of behavioral or developmental disabilities, 17% of children in America

suffer from this growing epidemic. This percentage is very large and is growing with every

decade (CDC, 2021).

Understanding this prevalence brings about a better understanding of the evident nature

of type of people that may be getting overlooked. One study was surprised to find that there is a

high number of adults who are unaware of their own neurodivergence and have never thought

about testing for it. Chiarotti writes that due to extensive differences in testing diagnostics across

the globe and in different communities, it is common to find a great deal of misdiagnoses or a
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population which lacks the ability to diagnose. Criteria also vary in diagnostics in behavioral

spectrum medicine (Chiarotti, 2020).

Neurotypical frameworks and advantage

The world has been commonly known to be designed for the neurotypical society. It has

become a political perspective to rethink how we label types of neurodivergence as “disability.”

This perspective is a clue that science and societal opinion is becoming more aware of the

positive attributes divergence in behavior, thought, and learning can have. Contrary to past

thought, autism, and ASD is not necessarily an indicator of social success. A prime example of

this comes with the many successful businessmen and celebrities going public with their own

diagnoses. Elon Musk the billionaire owner of Space X and Tesla made a media frenzy when he

proclaimed in recent years that he has Asperger Syndrome. News like this is steadily being seen

more very year as awareness of mental health and neurodivergence grows.

Diversifying the Workplace

In the workplace communication, teaching/learning, and behavior are subjects that are

invaluable to the organization. There is a spectrum of sorts in adult behavior and development.

Krzeminska (2019) explains the many advantages and disadvantages of neurodivergent people

within the organization. To best understand disability within society, and how to take the

positives from divergency and diversity, the organization should learn about all positives and

negatives that are connected. Just as a neurotypical framework does not necessarily point directly

to success, neurodivergence does not necessarily equal disability.

“Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by

pervasive difficulties in reciprocal social interaction, alongside the presence of strict repetitive

interests and behaviors” (Adamou, p.1). Autism as it stands, is one of the most prominent forms
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of neurodivergence in research literature. As a spectrum, the many varying forms of autism range

on a scale often describing the individual’s ability to perform mundane tasks. High Functioning

Austism (HFA) is a commonly used diagnosis for those suffering from ASD but can manage

things like jobs, relationships, adult responsibilities, etc. Adamou et al. write about autism testing

in adult populations. According to their findings, awareness and accuracy of adult testing for

autism is difficult and is not nearly as prominent as testing in children. Even though Autism

accounts for nearly 2% of the whole population, scientists are very behind in understanding our

own prevalence of autism in our everyday lives. (Adamou, 2021) T

These findings suggest that much of global society is built with a sense of ignorance

toward what neurodivergence is, and that even without understanding, different minds and

communication forms can and do thrive together. For decades the understanding of attention

deficit disorder (ADD) and it’s correlations with other neurodevelopmental disorders has grown

significantly. Cornish (2002) in publishing an extensive paper on the chromosomal make up of

attention deficits, makes many comparisons to the growing research on neurodiversity itself. This

research in bulk is focused on a majority of scientific opinions that attention deficit and neuro

diverse thinking can point to several social and communicative advantages. As knowledge on

these topics grow, there is a bigger understanding of the problematic literature and historical

stances which have suggested divergence and neural deficit as predominantly handicap or

inferior categorically. This is not always the case (Cornish, 2004). Diversifying the workplace is

an endeavor that includes complete understanding of the social constructs both negative and

positive in order to promote the strengths that all people can bring through representation, and

equal opportunity.
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Communication and Involvement

Intersectionality is one advantage neurodiverse people can bring to a shared space, social

gathering, or the workplace. Like a spectrum of brain types, neurodiverse people have many

different thought processes and ways to express communicative forms. These differences can be

a colorful social palette that offers depth, personality, and even greater problem solving or

brainstorming techniques to play (Brown, 2021). Social interaction “involves more than one

person, and social difficulties may arise not just from people with ASD themselves, but also

from the perceptions, judgments, and social decisions made by those around them” (Sasson, P.

2).

Abbas (2021) has a unique study built upon rating and studying social interactions and

communication between neurodiverse and neurotypical people. In the study it was found that

greater understanding and control of communication was found through guided conversational

looping. This was done through repetition and diligent experimentation. Essentially, the findings

concluded that many of the positive or sought after outcomes in the interactions were created by

influencing repeated questions, and looking for explanation and clarity. This showed a great

success not just in how neurotypical counterparts better understood neurodivergent people, but

also how neurodivergent people were able to practice their preferred communications

successfully. Studies like these are important for strengthening differences, and likeness among

counterparts. True involvement and successful communication is brought about through

diligence and shared outcomes.

Haesman (2019) reports that an in-depth study was conducted among different

neurodivergent and neurotypical types. The study paired them in different combinations to

discover trends, and results of effective communication. It was found that the Autistic to Autistic
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group offered the most shared positive interactions with highest scores in shared laughter, joking,

and widespread encouragement (Haesman, 2019). This eye opening study displays a great

example of the many positives neurodiversity can bring to engagement, creativity, and shared

organization. Just as these studies have shown the various forms of communications involved

with the differing neuro types, other papers are available on methodology which breaks down

neurodiverse interactions.

The Concept of Capability

Inclusiveness and diversity are an essential part of the progressive and professional

landscape. However, recent literature finds that there is still a large prevalence of discrimination

whether it is understood as such or not. Many social determinants and sociodemographic factors

come into play when discussing the topic of “capability” and equal opportunity for the

workforce. Discrimination can at times be created by ignorance or construed ideas on topics

such as the ability to perform or ability to work. A very prominent social discussion on this

matter has begun mainly stemming from neurodivergent voices on these matters. Ableism is a

term used in recent literature as a word which describes a social opinion that the most effective

and capable people in each scenario are typically found to be without a disability or handicap

(Karabulut, 2015). Mellifont (2021) explains in their article on ableism that a bigger issue of

misunderstanding disability or disabled people is present in a large portion of workplaces. This is

extremely problematic and discriminatory (Mellifont, 2021).

Pitzianti et al. (2021) write about a study on motor skills and it’s connections with

attention deficit linked to autism. This study goes into detail where “Motor signs exhibited by

individuals with ASD may serve as markers for deficits in parallel systems important for

communication and socialization” (Pitzianti, p.15). This is an important finding, and good to
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apply to the theme of capability conceptually. This study of theirs confirms a high rate of

communicative and social problems found in autistic individuals who also displayed capability

issues with motor skills. The study confirms that there is a known stigma in most social groups

that display some belief that physically incapable or less physically capable individuals are more

often assumed to have social or communication issues as well. This is an interesting aspect to

understanding social stigma surrounding these topics. While this study focuses on a form of ASD

called High Functioning Autism (HFA), it does not go into statistics behind social judgments

regarding HFA itself. It does not touch on facts that in many scenarios, individuals with HFA are

often indistinguishable from neurotypical people a majority of the time (Pitzianti, 2021).

In higher education and academia, many neurodivergent scholars feel misrepresented,

discriminated against, or simply undermined (Mellifont, 2021). Mellifont et. al. (2021) describes

that there is an abundance of academic literature explaining the pros and cons to the

inclusiveness of neurodivergent staff in academia and in holding educator roles. Many of these

articles explain that while the workplace at large is opening to more inclusive discussions on

promoting a neurodivergent inclusive policy, the applications of these efforts are lacking. An

abundance of literature is being conducted to foster more information of the problems of

organizational and social misunderstandings of neuro diversity. Many findings point to the mass

social stigma of the neurodivergent workforce and an underlying problem of misrepresentation

or underrepresented facts on capability and neurodivergence in practice (Mellifont, 2021).

One of the most common forms of neurodivergence is autism spectrum disorder

(ASD). This disorder has been described as a global epidemic and has been a growing topic of

interest in past decades (Kahler, 2015). Kahler (2015) writes that global understanding of ASD

is getting much better, as developing countries continue to become better at studying populations
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with ASD. In 2015 the estimated global number of people with ASD was 52 million. This

estimate also included a total of 1-2% of all Children Globally (Kahler, 2015). With one form of

neurodivergence so prevalent, it has become a major research topic, and a present topic in

workplace politics on diversity as well. To reach inclusiveness with disorders such as ASD and

others, more research on spectrum disorders is essential. Further understanding of spectrums in

neurological capabilities helps researchers better define what capability in general, truly is.

Krzeminska (2019) writes on research-based advantages that neuro diverse people bring

to the workforce. Some of the findings include a better sense of empathy, communication,

creativity, and other attributes in workplaces that have a diverse and neuro-divergent inclusive

space. With a plethora of findings such as this, capability becomes a question of basic job-related

needs, and in its simplistic forms is anti-discriminatory in essence. Basic motor skills or

neurological function or understanding is what is essential to perform in most professional

environments. To separate capability from discrimination, is to better understand how capability

is not about an individual’s abilities, but about basic essential skills to perform a job. As the

above literature suggests, it is more about informing social groups, workplaces, and policy

makers on the needs-based approach to diversity and inclusion. Removing stigma on the

“disabled” is one of the most important needs many neurodivergent scholars reported in the

findings by Mellifont (Mellifont, 2021).

Stigma Surrounding Neurodivergence

Despite the prominent presence of neurodivergent peoples who are highly functioning,

misdiagnosed, or undiagnosed, statistics from the CDC shows that nearly every community faces

the natural occurrence of neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome,

and other neurological disorders including fetal developmental neurological issues etc. (CDC,
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2021). Diversity training is one way for organizations and the public to better understand how to

become inclusive and understanding in the common and practical work that neurotypical and

neurodivergent people share. Education is the path in which constructive diversity can be made.

Combating discrimination, stigma, and misunderstanding is a common theme in Social

Neurological study. Chiarotti’s research (2020) is a great introductory into the epidemiology of

global autism spectrum disorders, and it’s prevalence in everyday society. The abundance of

statistics gathered in this research shows a global rise in autism, but also highlights known

geographical errors and barriers of obtaining accurate data. The research points to a great need of

work to better understand issues surrounding neurodiversity (Chiarotti, 2020).

Current literature suggests there is still a mass misconception that autism is

predominately viewed as severe disability such as mental retardation. This is simply not true for

autism at large, nor is it consistent with dominate research describing the many advantages

autistic people can have over neurotypical people in certain social scenarios (Brown, 2021).

Neurotypical people can often be incapable of understanding neurodivergent people and vis

versa (Sasson, 2017). Stigma in social settings concerning coworkers, or subjects that must

interact, is something common in Sasson’s research.

Sasson (2017) writes that Neurotypical workers are less likely to engage or initiate

interactions with their neurodiverse counterparts. A division between neuro types often arises in

observed experimentation. Surprisingly, this happens more often once people have become vocal

about their own diagnosis. These findings in some studies indicated that stigma, prejudice, or

fear is present for some people concerning neurodivergent people. Much of that was found to be

correlated to learned social behavior, or misconceptions (Sasson, 2017).

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Conclusion

Summary

From statistics brought by the CDC on neurodiversity, to minute social interactive studies

in adults, the papers presented have displayed equal quality on neurodiversity and it’s attributes.

The highlights of research surrounding neurodiversity include the epidemiological effect diseases

such as autism and ADD have on the current global population. The advantages neurodiverse

people bring to communications and involvement are plentiful. Capability is better understood

by utilizing inclusivity and combatting current stigma. The organization is stronger through

diverse brains, and their unique ways or capabilities.

Call to action

There is a great presence of research literature on topics surrounding neurodiversity.

Through growing global awareness, future scientific study and geographic/demographic study

will bring more information on these topics. It is important that researchers combine studies from

global perspectives to bring together conclusions on positive diversification. There is enough

information gathered from prevalence surveying to social and psychological studies. It is beyond

time to bring facts to policy makers and organizational boards. Diversifying the workplace, and

enriching work via shared neurodiverse advantageous is the best possible solution for success.
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