Insider Progress event discussed utilising neurodiverse people are often highly creative and often bring different ideas to the table. 

The second Insider Progress event entitled Tapping into Autism, put on by Insurance Insider magazine, brought together the neurodiverse community for two hours of education and case studies focusing on (largely) neurotypical world of (re)insurance. It was a heartening two hours of debate suffused with optimism for the future of autism in the UK, particularly as it relates to financial services where people with neurodiverse talents are increasingly in demand, not always in narrow fields such as actuarial science as per the typical perception.  

The audience learnt that, as in wider society, neurodiverse people are often highly creative and often bring different ideas to the table. 

Ambitious about Autism 

Kicking off with praise for the Ambitious about Autism program, which has been prominent in giving a voice to people with autism, the audience then learnt that less than 30% of autism individuals are in full time employment. That reflects structural inadequacies in employment practices, as opposed to a dearth of autistic talent, however, so the debate focused on how we can change HR policies or develop more inclusion through finding ways to make the interview process easier. 

A major topic that came up for discussion was the issue of disclosure or not to disclose? Autism disclosure can be a complicated decision that autistic people experience. Positive outcomes can include feelings of acceptance and support, but negative outcomes can include stigma and discrimination. It is up to the individual journey, said one participant, however they acknowledge being on the end of prejudice after disclosure, which was experienced implicitly as well as explicitly. 

Language is important, a focus on broader neuro diversity can be helpful and for the neurotypical audience members, there were many ideas learnt on the day that could be applied for the wider working population. For example, the features of a neuro inclusive culture include hot desking and individualised accommodations, allyship, flexible working, all ideas which would resonate with any worker. The insurance market must make the first steps from awareness to action: creating autism friendly neuro-inclusive workplaces. 

Spiky Profiles 

The subject of “spiky profiles” was raised which is when a person has both strengths and weaknesses in different areas, often related to autism. The difference to a neurotypical person is that the spikes for an autistic person can be higher and lower. That profile needs to be harnessed in a way that is positive to the individual and the organisation but there is no doubt that thinking creatively, having different ideas – or taking ideas to the end of the earth are all attributes of autistic people. 

Panelists recommended reading the works of Devon Price, an American social psychologist whose works describes an autistic person’s “bottom up way of processing the world.” One participant explained it using the restaurant analogy where a neurotypical person goes straight to the menu to assess how they are going to order whereas an autistic foody would need to zoom into the menu after processing the entire restaurant and all its sensory input before ordering. Professor Nancy Doyle’s work on neurodiversity is also recommended reading. 

In the second half of the session, the panelists referred to sterling work in the field being made by a number of organisations including GAIN (Group for Autism, Insurance, Investment and Neurodiversity) for its neurodiversity wide policies, the London Autism Charity which organises socials, and meet ups as well as the Anna Freud Islington organisation. GAIN events help to create allyship groups, while EY has neurodiversity centres of excellence, providing access to specialist resources. The ABI, meanwhile, also has an inclusion group. 

Neurodiverse Talent 

As more neurodiverse people enter the workforce it brings to the fore questions such as do, we really need to evaluate people against unnecessary skills they need to be good at to do their job – e.g. does an actuary or data analyst really need to have excellent writing skills to do their job well? We operate in a neurotypical construct so we are missing out on the value of people outside that typical profile, for example, developers fit very well with ADHD profiles because tech is always changing every couple of years, but they can also focus when they need to. 

The morning concluded with a recommendation to use Goblin Tools (goblin.tools), which helps with the tone of an email, an aide surely not limited to autistic people! But the day ended on an uplifting notes, with one panellist noting that “first we have to understand ourselves” as autistic people, before a process of “mindful evolution through that collective intelligence” which inform both neurodiverse and neurotypical communities. The last word was the following: “Do Diversity & Inclusion not just for the profits but because it is the right thing to do.”