Date post: | 18-Jan-2017 |
Category: |
Recruiting & HR |
Upload: | nancy-doyle |
View: | 155 times |
Download: | 0 times |
MPG Handout Pack
Dyslexia and Neuro-differences in the Workplace
Nancy Doyle Msc. C. Psychol. AFBPsSCheryl Winter, FCIPD
Directors Genius Within CIC
MPG Handout PackOverview
What is Neurodiversity?Flash Points
Disability DiscriminationAction: Reasonable Adjustments
Do they work?Case Studies
Examples
SpLD? Learning Difficulties?
Dyslexia
Dyspraxia
Dyscalculia
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC)
Tourette’s Syndrome
Acquired Brain Injury
Chronic neurological conditions
Mild-to-moderate mental health needs (?)
What is ‘neuro-diversity’?
What is ‘neuro-diversity’?
VR WM PR PS60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
Neurotypical
What is ‘neuro-diversity’?
VR WM PR PS60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
NeurotypicalDyslexia / ADHD
What is ‘neuro-diversity’?
VR WM PR PS60
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
NeurotypicalDyslexia / ADHDDyspraxia
Verbal Skills
Verbal Comprehension
• Articulate, explain• Understand, explore, listen
for meaning and patterns
Interviewing, presenting, building rapport, customer service, dealing with conflict, debating
Working Memory
• Sound, image/movement• Immediate attention• Magic number 7 +/- 2
Verbal instructions, using new equipment or software,remembering names and numbers, data transfer, reading
Performance Skills
Perceptual Reasoning
• Visual, ‘whole picture’ processing
• Looking for gaps, patterns, order
• 3D visuo-spatial
Building, driving, using equipment, body language, understanding context and surveying environment
Processing Speed
• Visual detailed processing• Sequencing and order• Following simple rules
Data entry, completingforms, following a newprocess, writing, reading
Difficulty concentrating in busy environments
In groups where s/he has to wait to speak in turn, finds it difficult to hold
comment and interrupts, or contributes less
Requires regular repetition of the instructions
Flash Points: Working Memory
•Use of headphones or ear plugs•Using alternative space when needing to focus
Difficulty concentrating in busy environments
•Observation and establishing the expected rule•Strategies for ‘holding’ questions and commentsIn groups where s/he has to wait to speak in turn, finds it difficult to hold
comment and interrupts, or contributes less
•Giving and receiving instructions in the preferred sensory format
•Awareness of own upper limits
Requires regular repetition of the
instructions
Flash Points: Working Memory
New Manager
• Might have a different instructional style
• Might have a different set of expectations
New Location
• Could be noisier or more distracting
• Perhaps they were relying on their previous colleague
New Process
• Requires added load on working memory until learning embedded
• Might reduce ability to employ previous strategies
Flash Points: Change
Which neuro-diverse profiles affect these ‘day to day’ activities?
• mobility• manual dexterity• physical co-ordination• continence• ability to lift, carry or move everyday objects• speech, hearing or eyesight• memory or ability to concentrate, learn or understand• understanding or perception of physical danger
Direct Discrimination• Making assumptions
about capability and treating differently as a result
• Failure to make reasonable adjustments
• Victimisation• Harassment
Indirect Discrimination
• By treating all people the same, you may inadvertently be discriminating
• As an employer you are still accountable for this
”
Dyslexia is the third most frequent disability reported to Access to Work
Source: Xpert HR, 2010
67% of dyslexics request support for stress at work 54% request support with reading
52% reported significant sleep difficulties
This is significantly different to the UK population norms of 37% experiencing insomnia
Dyslexia affects GHQ scores
Dyslexia affects well-being at work scores
Doyle and Cleaver, 2016
”
Ensure you consider stress as a mitigating factor – Do the employee & manager need a co-coaching session to reset the relationship?Does the whole team need an awareness training sessions to deal with animosity?
*If you are happy that adjustments are comprehensive/reasonable and performance is still not up to scratch, a capability assessment is absolutely still the right action*
Identify concern as disability – screening
with HR / Occ Health
or diagnostic with a
Chartered Psychologist
Formal discussion
with Manager and Employee
to review performance
in light of condition –
adjustments can be
obvious an implemented
here
Work Place Needs
Assessment from HR, Access to Work or specialist
provider to recommend adjustments
Reasonable Adjustments
recommended and
implemented, performance management paused while adjustments
take place
Wait for adjustments
to ‘bed in’ before
reassessing performance or capability
Action Plan
An HR intervention can start at reasonable adjustments depending on level of difficulty and tribunal risk – you can also go back a step if an intervention isn’t successful
Reasonable Adjustments
Assistive Technology
• Spellcheckers & auto-correct
• Text-to-speech & Speech-to-text software
• Mind mapping software
• Adaptive use of everyday software
• Adaptive pens, mouse, keyboard
Coaching
• Extra time with manager or tasks
• Memory skills• Organisational
skills• Timekeeping• Condition
Awareness• Working to
strengths• Literacy/numeracy• Co-coaching with
line manager
Environment
• Font size, coloured paper, bullet points
• Environmental noise management
• Double screens for computer work
• Reading stands• Flexible hours and
working from home
MPG Handout Pack
Genius Within CIC, providing 1:1 coaching to around 1000 individuals per year
1) Recorded which work related topics were raised by coachees and managers to be addressed through coaching. Average 4.5 coaching sessions per client.
Memory (92%)Organisation (82%)
Time Management (78%)
Stress management (67%)Spelling (67%)Reading (54%)
2) Compared coachee and manager ratings of performance on the above topics before and 2-4 months after coaching intervention
Coachees: 3.9 → 6.0 out of 10t (92) = 19.35, p < .001, d = 1.94;
Line managers: 4.8 → 6.1 out of 10t (40) = 10.72, p < .001, d = 0.85
Doyle and McDowall (2015)
Does Coaching Work?
MPG Handout Pack
Case Study 1
• Claims processor• 6 years good service• New Software system• Dyslexia disclosed in performance management hearing
Context
• Taking far longer to adjust to software than colleagues• Productivity levels unacceptable according to company
policy• HR Director asked for a 15% improvement after each
coaching session
Problem
• Why might dyslexia be causing this problem?• Is the HR Director’s request reasonable?• Is the coaching the only reasonable adjustment you
might consider?
Questions to
consider
MPG Handout Pack
Case Study 2
• Library Assistant in College, with 4 years service• Excellent rapport with students and tutors, comes across well in person• Applied for promotion on 2 occasions and failed• College knows of dyslexia and are applying for Dyslexia Friendly Award
Context
• Taking longer than colleagues to re-file publications and books• States he cannot follow library sign posting• Colleagues have complained he takes a long time when helping students
with IT queries
Problem
• Why might dyslexia be causing these difficulties?• How might coaching help?• What reasonable adjustments would you consider?
Questions to
consider
MPG Handout Pack
Case Study 3
• Autistic man employed for 10 years in IT role• 9 different managers in that time• Current line manager not an IT expert, wanted to develop an
appraisal framework and manage productivity
Context
• Queries over productivity – internet access• Line manager unable to establish job role and tasks• Line manager frustrated, stated “he just doesn’t play the game” and
“he’s too reactive”
Problem
• Is the line manager’s criticism a discrimination issue?• Does internet access reduce productivity?• What reasonable adjustments might work here?
Questions to
consider
MPG Handout Pack
Dr McLean ‘The Triune Brain’
Example exercise