ARTICLE
NEURODIVERSITY
Dyslexia, dyspraxia and the world of IP How to harness the benefits of neurodiversity in the workplace. By Caelia Bryn-Jacobsen (Fellow), Carolyn Pepper and Stephen Driver
T
he second week of October marked both Dyslexia Awareness Week and Dyspraxia Awareness Week 2020. Dyslexia and dyspraxia are important neurodiversity conditions. They are more widespread than many people realise, and deserve to be better understood. In this article, we talk about dyslexia and dyspraxia from our point of view as IP professionals. Each of us is working to promote inclusiveness in the workplace and the profession, and each of us has a personal perspective based on direct experience of neurodiversity.
What is neurodiversity?
In this article we focus on dyslexia and dyspraxia, but these are part of a wider group of conditions which also includes attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder and autistic spectrum condition. Collectively, these come under the general umbrella of neurodiversity (they are also termed ‘specific learning difficulties’). The term ‘neurodiversity’ recognises the fact that the human brain is configured differently in different people. Of course, this is true of all of us: some people are predominantly verbal, some are more visual, some are big-picture thinkers, some are more detail-oriented, and so on. We recognise this (or should do!) when we put together teams from members having complementary strengths. In neurodivergent people, however, the differences are more pronounced. The precise neurological reasons for this are not known: neural connectivity may be a factor, as may differences in signalling between neurons or groups of neurons. Whatever the reasons, the consequence is that the neurodivergent brain processes information in significantly different ways compared to the neurotypical brain. This may lead individuals to approach tasks in unusual ways. Neurodivergent people may have weaknesses in some areas of performance, but they often have particular strengths as well. They may also show surprising behaviours in the way they work or interact with others. In some cases, these cognitive and behavioural traits may be clear to see. In others, they may not: neurodivergence can be a so-called ‘hidden disability’. 14
As an IP professional, why should I be interested?
It’s estimated that as many as one in seven people are neurodivergent. Almost certainly, someone you know is affected by one of these conditions. It may be you, a member of your family, or one of your friends. It may be one of your colleagues: someone you manage, or who manages you, or a member of their family. It may be one of your clients or customers. You may or may not be aware that that person is neurodivergent. Indeed, they may not realise it themselves if they are undiagnosed. But it will have an impact on how you and they interact, and lack of awareness can cause difficulties. In the workplace, recognising and accepting difference is at the heart of ‘diversity and inclusion’ policies. Awareness is growing of the importance of valuing all of our colleagues, regardless of their gender, age, ethnicity, and so on. A good employer fosters a culture in which all colleagues feel able to bring their whole selves to work, confident that they will valued for who they are and supported to be the best they can be. Readers of this article are likely to be IP professionals. Our clients and customers, the people who generate the inventions and works that are the stuff of IP, typically work in STEM or in the creative arts. It may be that, for many of them, their originality and innovation arises from being neurodivergent – in which case we owe our livelihoods, in part, to their neurodiversity! As IP professionals, of course, we operate within a legal framework, and have typically undertaken legal training as well as training in STEM or humanities subjects. Although reliable statistics are not easy to come by, it seems likely that neurodiversity conditions are unusually prevalent in our profession. Supporting colleagues with dyslexia or dyspraxia to perform to their full potential benefits these individuals and our organisations alike.
What are the impacts of dyslexia and dyspraxia?
There is no simple or single answer to this question. One can list traits characteristic of dyslexia (problems with reading and writing) and dyspraxia (problems with movement and coordination). But not every dyslexic person will have all of the traits of dyslexia, and many of the traits are common also to dyspraxia.
CIPA JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2020
www.cipa.org.uk
