Workplace conversations about neurodiversity have become more visible in recent years. Yet for many neurodivergent professionals, the decision to disclose a diagnosis still feels risky
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Workplace conversations about neurodiversity have become more visible in recent years. Companies talk about inclusion. Leaders discuss accommodations. Employee resource groups are growing. Yet for many neurodivergent professionals, the decision to disclose a diagnosis still feels risky.
New findings from Understood.org’s Neurodiversity at Work survey suggest that progress remains uneven. While awareness has increased, many employees continue to worry about stigma, lack clarity about available support, and question whether sharing their neurodivergence could affect their careers.
At the same time, a growing number of leaders are pushing for a broader conversation, one that looks beyond accommodations and examines how workplaces can better support neurodivergent employees, neurodivergent parents, and the strengths that different ways of thinking bring to organizations.
Neurodivergent Employees Still Face A Gap Between Awareness And Action
One of the survey’s most striking findings is that 70% of neurodivergent employees fear disclosing their neurodivergence at work.
According to Nathan Friedman, Co-President and CMO of Understood.org, awareness alone does not create psychological safety.
“Conversations and awareness about inclusion are a great first step. But this fear of disclosure may persist when there’s a gap between awareness and action,” Friedman says. “Employees need to believe their workplace will respond with clarity, support, and respect to feel safe to disclose.”
That disconnect appears throughout the survey data. Friedman points out that 69% of employed adults say their manager understands neurodiversity, yet 79% of neurodivergent adults report stigma around requesting workplace accommodations.
“For many neurodivergent employees, disclosure still feels like a risk calculation,” he says.
Those concerns can have significant consequences. Employees who spend energy masking challenges or worrying about how they will be perceived often carry an invisible burden that affects engagement, well-being, and career growth.
Neurodivergent Workers Need Support They Can Actually Access
Policies alone do not guarantee that employees know how to get help.
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The survey found that 70% of neurodivergent employees do not know what accommodations they are entitled to, up from 60% in 2024. Another 60% say they do not know who to approach when they need workplace support.
For Friedman, those numbers point to a cultural issue rather than a policy issue.
“If accommodations live in a handbook but not in manager conversations, onboarding, team norms, or day-to-day culture, employees may never see them as real options,” he explains.
He believes organizations need to make accommodation processes visible, accessible, and easy to understand. Employees should not have to spend valuable time searching through internal systems or trying to identify the right contact person before receiving support.
“Accessing support should not depend on an employee having to find and navigate complex systems,” Friedman says. “It should be built into the culture of how the workplace operates.”
Organizations often assume employees will speak up when they need help. The survey suggests many employees are unsure where to begin.
Neurodivergent Women Face Distinct Workplace Challenges
The research also highlights unique barriers for neurodivergent women.
Historically, women have often been diagnosed later in life with conditions such as ADHD. Many learned to compensate for challenges from a young age, often without the support or language to explain what they were experiencing.
According to Friedman, those patterns frequently continue into adulthood.
“By the time they enter the workforce, they may have spent their whole lives hiding their struggles without the language, support, or accommodations that could help them thrive,” he says.
The survey found that 22% of neurodivergent women who requested accommodations were denied, compared with 7% of neurotypical women. Meanwhile, 68% of neurodivergent women say they are afraid to leave their jobs because they worry another employer may not provide adequate support.
That fear reflects more than hesitation about a career change.
“It is a lack of confidence that the next workplace will be any better,” Friedman says.
For employers seeking to improve retention and advancement opportunities for women, those findings deserve attention.
Neurodivergent Employees Are Turning To AI For Support
Another surprising trend involves artificial intelligence.
According to the survey, 78% of neurodivergent employees use AI tools at work, compared with 59% of neurotypical employees.
Friedman believes the appeal is straightforward. Many AI tools assist with executive function tasks, including organizing information, managing priorities, drafting communications, and structuring projects.
“What makes these tools so powerful is that they’re not just helping people complete tasks more efficiently,” he says. “They’re helping people feel more capable and confident at work.”
The impact appears to extend beyond productivity. More than half of neurodivergent employees surveyed said AI tools increased their confidence about pursuing higher-level positions. Another 57% reported they would be more likely to disclose their neurodivergence if AI tools were offered as a standard accommodation.
Friedman cautions that technology cannot solve workplace culture issues on its own. AI works best when combined with supportive leadership, clear policies, and an environment where employees feel comfortable requesting help.
Neurodivergent Caregiving Often Happens Out Of Sight
The conversation around neurodiversity extends beyond employees themselves.
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The conversation around neurodiversity extends beyond employees themselves.
Many working parents raising neurodivergent children face significant caregiving responsibilities that often remain invisible inside organizations.
According to Karishma Patel Buford, Chief People Officer at Spring Health, employers frequently underestimate the labor required.
“Caregiving for a neurodivergent child is a second shift that happens entirely behind the scenes,” Buford says. “Most employers have no idea how much time and cognitive load are actually involved.”
Research shows some parents spend as many as ten hours each week coordinating care. That work can include therapy appointments, school meetings, insurance disputes, provider research, medical visits, and daily support at home.
“Parents of neurodivergent children are functioning as case managers,” Buford says.
The result is often cognitive exhaustion that follows employees into their workday.
“The cumulative weight of that is cognitive depletion,” she explains. “And cognitive depletion shows up at work even when someone looks fine on the surface.”
Neurodivergent Family Support Is Becoming A Workplace Issue
Buford believes neurodiversity support is approaching a turning point similar to the one mental health benefits experienced years ago.
“There is recognition that infrastructure is the gap,” she says. “Most employers want to help but don’t know what meaningful support actually looks like.”
She notes that caregiving for neurodivergent children differs from many other caregiving situations because there is rarely a defined endpoint. Support needs often continue for years, requiring ongoing coordination, advocacy, and adaptation.
That reality helped inspire Spring Health’s Neurodiversity Program, which offers care navigation, coaching, assessments, and specialized support for children and caregivers.
Women often feel these pressures most intensely.
“When the child is neurodivergent, that gap doesn’t just widen, it compounds,” Buford says. “The career impact isn’t a motivation problem. It’s a capacity problem.”
She also points out that parents of neurodivergent children often develop valuable leadership skills, including resilience, systems thinking, advocacy, and problem-solving.
“We should be finding ways to keep those people at the table, not inadvertently designing them out,” she says.
Neurodivergent Leadership Can Strengthen Organizations
For many leaders, neurodiversity is no longer solely a conversation about support. It is increasingly a conversation about talent.
In a recent LinkedIn post, Sabrina Caluori, Chief CMO of Chief, shared how a later-in-life ADHD diagnosis helped explain strengths she had relied on throughout her career.
“Looking back, those instincts have been a throughline in every role I’ve had,” Caluori says. “And I consider them to be a strategic advantage, not a deficit.”
She credits neurodivergence with fostering curiosity, creativity, and an ability to connect ideas in unexpected ways.
Caluori also believes organizations often miss an important part of the conversation.
“We’ve spent a lot of time talking about how to support neurodivergent employees, and that’s incredibly important,” she says. “But I’d love to see us spend just as much time talking about the strengths they bring.”
Research cited by both Caluori and Friedman suggests that teams including neurodivergent professionals can outperform teams without that diversity in certain roles.
Creating workplaces where employees feel safe disclosing, requesting support, and contributing fully may become an increasingly important business advantage.
As Friedman puts it, the employers that stand out in the future will be those that move beyond awareness and build systems people can actually use. Clear communication, flexibility, accessibility, and thoughtful leadership help neurodivergent employees succeed. They also create better workplaces for everyone.
