What Actually Drives Neuroinclusion? (It’s Not Just Training)

Neuroinclusion isn’t about a workshop or a one-time initiative.
It’s about how people lead, relate, and work, every day.

When I ran a recent LinkedIn poll asking:
“What do you need more of to help you be a neuroinclusive leader?”
the top two responses were loud and clear:
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🔹 Practical tools and resources
🔹 Organisational support

Not just training and awareness campaigns. But real, structural, human change.

That reflects what I’ve seen repeatedly in the field, and what the data confirms.

The 4 Core Influencers of Neuroinclusion

1. Line Manager Behaviour

Line managers are the frontline of neuroinclusion. Their day-to-day decisions; how they communicate, how they handle flexibility, how they lead meetings, are often make-or-break for neurodivergent team members.

From the EY report:‍

70% of neurodivergent employees say manager support is essential to feeling included. Yet, only 25% feel confident disclosing their diagnosis at work.

➡️ Neuroinclusion doesn’t happen in policy. It happens in 1:1s.

What matters:

• Psychological availability
• Adaptability over equality
• Clarity, not ambiguity
• Role-modelling vulnerability

2. Psychological Safety

You can’t design for inclusion without safety. That includes safety to speak up, disclose, ask for adjustments, and make mistakes without penalty.

Neurodivergent employees are more likely to mask, overcompensate, or internalise stress, all of which get worse in psychologically unsafe cultures.

What matters:

• Trust is behaviour-based, not stated
• Mistake tolerance and support are essential
• Safety ≠ comfort; it means freedom from penalty

3. Job Design + Environmental Factors

It’s not just who you hire, it’s how the work works. Role expectations, sensory environments, flexibility, tech tools, these all impact how accessible a job really is for neurodivergent people.

And as the EY report highlights:

57% of neurodivergent employees say sensory overload and cognitive load are key barriers to thriving at work.

What matters:

• Clear scope and priorities
• Flexible workflows and schedules
• Tools that support executive function (not just more meetings)

4. Peer & Colleague Behaviours

Inclusion isn’t just top-down, it’s peer-to-peer. Side comments, group dynamics, assumptions around capability or communication; these shape how safe it is to just be yourself at work.

What matters:

• Awareness without assumption
• Avoiding deficit-based framing
• Normalising different communication styles

So What Do Leaders Actually Need?

Based on the poll, and what I hear in conversations every week, leaders want less theory and more real-world tools.

They want to know:

• How do I adjust my leadership style without lowering standards?
• How do I support without overstepping?
• How do I spot when someone’s struggling, without waiting for disclosure?

The answer lies in practical, contextual, psychologically safe support, not checklists and e-learning.

Final Thought

Neuroinclusion is a capability.
It’s coachable. Observable. Embedded through practice.

If you’re a leader or HR team looking to build environments where brilliant minds can actually thrive, it starts with how people lead, relate, and design the day-to-day.

Not just training.
Not just intention.
But structure, safety, and support.

Ready to move beyond awareness?

‍Book a call to explore how we can equip your leaders with the tools to lead neuroinclusively, in real life, not just theory.

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