Neurodivergent people have dynamic ‘spiky profiles’21. with great fluctuating capacity (see figure 1). This means that they can have great strengths in some areas and support needs in others. While neurotypical people also have different strengths and needs in terms of how they function, profiles remain fairly stable. Neurodivergent people’s strengths and needs are usually more pronounced, excelling in one area while experiencing significant barriers in others in relation to (for example) social communication, sensory processing, fatigue, emotional regulation and executive function. This can vary from context to context and enabled or disabled according to the environment, particularly for those with multiple and intersecting forms of neurodivergence (i.e. someone who is Autistic and ADHD). This means that a Neurodivergent person may have excellent creativity, problem-solving skills, hyperfocus and/or attention to detail that flourish when working from home. However, there may be a barrier to accessing these skills when working in an office where the sensory environment is noisy, bright and full of artificial smells, and the social interactions are indirect, vague and imply meaning. The office environment creates a greater demand on the nervous system, resulting in increased dysregulation and impacted executive function. This is because such environments – and the social world more generally – have not been created with Neurodivergent people in mind. This, as we discuss in Part 4, has implications for working with Neurodivergent men who attend a domestic abuse perpetrator intervention.
References
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Creased Puddle. What is the “spiky profile”?
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