Neurodiversity is a term that has recently made it to the mainstream. You may have heard it being used, particularly in conjunction with conversations about creating inclusive workplaces. Attitudes are most definitely shifting, but we need to ensure a real understanding is embedded across the tech sector when it comes to what neurodiversity means, and how we can make a difference at work.
It could be the TikTok effect, but it’s bittersweet when a topic such as neurodiversity becomes popularised so suddenly. On the one hand, it’s great that more people have awareness. On the other, there is a risk that a real issue becomes reduced to a buzzword that people consider ‘trendy’ and therefore less important.
“We are a community of people who naturally think outside the box. In fact, some of us just ignore the box completely”
Whilst this is a widespread problem, there is a particular conversation to be had within the context of cybersecurity as 15% of the cyber community is thought to be neurodiverse (in reality, this figure is likely to be higher).
Addressing this at Byte-Sized Cyber we had Becca Edwards, ADHD Coach and Delivery Partner at InfoSec People – the cybersecurity specialist recruiters, and techSPARK’s Cyber Month sponsors – share her knowledge on the topic. In case you missed it, here’s the rundown on defining neurodiversity, how workplaces in cyber can be more inclusive and why this is such a crucial conversation to keep going.
What is neurodiversity anyway?
The term ‘neurodiversity’ was coined in the late 1990s to describe brain differences in areas such as attention, learning and sociability.
Becca emphasises that the term refers to your physiological makeup: “It’s not a mental health condition; it’s something you’re born with. In his book Scattered Minds, Dr. Gabor Mate makes the brilliant point that ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects the prefrontal cortex of the brain.”
“It’s a term to be celebrated rather than viewed as something that needs to be treated or cured”
It’s been reported that 10-15% of the UK population is neurodiverse, but it’s important to remember that this is a broad term within itself. It’s reductive to group all neurodiverse people together – everyone is different and faces differing problems.
Fundamentally though, Becca pointed out that, “it’s a term to be celebrated rather than viewed as something that needs to be treated or cured.”
Neurodiversity in cybersecurity
“We are a community of people who naturally think outside the box. In fact, some of us just ignore the box completely,” says Becca. “That lends itself extremely well to cybersecurity as a whole.”
Cyber is an industry that seriously requires a significant amount of diversification. Since it intersects across every sector in the modern age, diversity of thought is essential for developing strong protection. Out the box thinkers will particularly thrive in this type of environment that requires constant innovation to match rapidly changing demands.
“As someone with ADHD, people who know me, know that I’m great in a crisis, but ask me to do something like make a list then… well”
Becca elaborates, “Since cybersecurity is such a broad industry – it’s something that every company should be investing in – there are ample opportunities for neurodiverse people to break into the space.
“Neurodiverse people are very good at detecting patterns. In particular, people I know in the Autistic community excel in roles like penetration testing. It’s also common that we’re are very good at remaining calm under pressure, which aligns well with the required skills for Incident Response. When things get catasprohic, we need to be able to resolve it quickly and calmly. As someone with ADHD, people who know me, know that I’m great in a crisis, but ask me to do something like make a list then… well.”
However, it’s not all roses; there still are important considerations that need to be recognised. One key issue that is often encountered within the neurodiverse and cybersecurity community alike is burnout (more on this here): “For all intents and purposes, as much as I’m sure you love you jobs, having a highly demanding role, it’s stressful, right?
“It’s really important to address and make sure that we are giving ourselves that break, as well as taking the time to ensure we’re working how our brains work,” explains Becca.
Thankfully there is are people out there putting in the work to provide support. Becca cites NeuroCyber, a nonprofit based in London founded by Stephanie Aldridge: “It’s specifically setup to place neurodiverse people in the world of cybersecurity, with the goal in mind of increasing and improving on diversity, equity inclusion strategy for companies.”
“We are failing the neurodiverse and cybersecurity community respectively by not addressing this and not supporting people adequately”
There is also current a mismatch between neurodiverse individuals seeking employment and a growing skills gap in cybersecurity. In the UK, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published data to show that just 22% of autistic adults are in any kind of employment.
“I don’t know about anyone else, but every time I go on LinkedIn there seems to be an article about the gap in cyber skills, but then you also see statistics like illustrate people who identify as neurodiverse, as having a disability, are out of work. Are we not putting two and two together here?” highlights Becca.
“Cybersecurity needs diverse thinking to thrive. It’s not a job where you logically go, I will do number one, number two, number three. You need to be able to think outside the box. We have that gift of being natural outbox thinkers.
“We are failing the neurodiverse and cybersecurity community respectively by not addressing this and not supporting people adequately.”
Why is this conversation important?
“Neurodiversity is not just a trend; it is a disability under the protected characteristics section laid out in the Equality Act 2010. There’s legislation in place meaning we should, legally and morally, be able to thrive in what we’re doing,” says Becca.
It’s incredibly important that employers are aware of how being neurodiverse impacts your daily experience as human, whilst also understanding how to make reasonable adjustments. Everyone deserves the very best chance to thrive at work, but how can we make sure this is achieved, as employers and colleagues alike?
Becca offers us all some useful tips:
- Support your colleagues by having a clear Diversity, Equality and Inclusion strategy in place
- Learn what reasonable adjustments people need on an individual level
- Give them the equity to do their jobs
- Offer flexible working
- Utilise Access to Work if applicable: this is a government funded scheme, where neurodiverse individuals are entitled for to up to £62,000 worth of funding a year for supporting equipment.
- Seek out local charity resources i.e. the ADHD Foundation
- Provide adequate time and space
- Check in when necessary
For the latter, Becca elaborates that it’s OK to help people set boundaries: “If you see somebody in the office working 12 hour days, seven days a week, they are going to burnout. So be that person says, ‘I think you might… are you OK?’”
Infosecurity Magazine reports that despite one fifth of women working in tech being neurodiverse, many have kept this fact to themselves. Code First Girls polled 1200 female tech workers and found that over two-fifths (42%) had not made their employer or university aware of their neurodiversity, for reasons including not feeling comfortable doing so (46%), fear of being judged (45%) and a belief that it would impact their progression (34%).
Most importantly, we all have a responsibility to keep clued up. If you’ve made it this far into the article, you’re already doing just that (go you!). Make sure to check out the key resources and learnings out there.
The ONS reported that 64% of employers still admit to having ‘little’ or ‘no’ understanding of neurodiverse conditions – we need to change that!
Thanks to InfoSec People for sponsoring Cyber Month and to Becca for her insightful talk that informed this piece. Come along to our next Byte-Sized Cyber event for more content like this!
