Neurodiversity & Psychological Safety: A Friendly Guide

I love to speak in public, whether it's to a large convention, a classroom of students, or in an online training. I've even found myself speaking onstage between DJ sets at a music festival, or two.

Given my love for public speaking, it was more than frustrating last month when I found myself unable to physically speak while co-presenting an online training on the subject of neurodiversity.

As an autistic person, an inability to physically speak is something that I routinely plan for. You see, about 25% of autistic folks do not physically speak at all. This means that - instead of spoken words - they might communicate through assistive communication devices, iPads, body movements, sounds, or a host of other ways. The other 75% of autistic people are what others often label as “speaking” - meaning that we do regularly communicate with spoken words. That includes autistic people like me. However, what many don't realize is that a good number of us autistic folks whom others label as "speaking" still have times when we find ourselves unable to physically speak. I’m proof.

When this happens, I typically use a text-to-translation app (as with a panel I did a few years ago in Australia). When this happened last month during our online neurodiversity training, I was fortunate that day to be co-presenting with my colleagues Khushboo Chabria and Ranga Jayaraman .

They knew me well enough that - as my speaking began to slow - I asked them in front of our audience if they could present my slides for me. They happily did. We were able to seamlessly transition my slides to them largely due to one important thing: psychological safety.

What is Psychological Safety?

Psychological safety is a work environment where individuals feel safe to express themselves, share ideas, and take risks without fear of negative consequences. It’s an environment where one can freely speak up (or not speak up), share ideas, and even make mistakes without worrying about being judged or punished. And it’s foundational for a healthy, productive, and innovative work environment.

The concept of psychological safety was introduced by Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson in the late 1990s. Since then, it’s grown to be widely accepted as a concept that is foundational for a healthy, productive, and innovative work environment.

The Benefits of Psychological Safety

When you have psychological safety, you can take risks and try new things because you know your team has your back. You don't have to hide your mistakes or pretend to know everything. Instead, you can be honest and open, which leads to better problem-solving and creativity. It's like having a safety net that allows you to stretch beyond your comfort zone without the fear of falling.

Think back to our presentation on neurodiversity. During this typical training, there is a fine-tuned rhythm to it. Ranga presents some slides, I others, and Khushboo more still. Yet, when that couldn't occur, we tried something new - and succeeded.

Let’s contrast that to some previous work environments that I experienced while starting out in my career. In those less supportive workspaces, my occasional difficulty with speaking may have sent me into a panic (years ago, I would have stopped the presentation without explanation and walked out of the room out of professional fear and shame).

Creating psychological safety starts with trust and respect. Leaders play a big role by showing empathy, listening actively, and encouraging everyone to contribute. Ranga and Khushboo have certainly done that with me. But it's not just up to the leaders of the organization; everyone on the team needs to support each other and create a culture where diverse perspectives are valued. When everyone feels heard and valued, the team can thrive together.

Psychological Safety and Neurodiversity

While psychological safety is crucial for all employees, it can often prove critical to neurodivergent colleagues. If you’re unfamiliar, neurodivergence includes a range of cognitive variations, like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and more. Neurodivergent individuals might face unique challenges and bring different perspectives that can greatly benefit the team, but only if they feel safe and supported.

How can we make neurodivergent colleagues feel psychologically safe? First, understand that all employees need things to help them thrive at work. Second, understand that everyone’s needs are different. For neurodivergent colleagues, these needs might be workplace accommodations. Accommodations vary from person-to-person: some neurodivergent colleagues might need clear and direct communication, others might appreciate written instructions or flexible work hours, while still others may ask to use common - yet dyslexic friendly - fonts.

If you boil it down, providing psychological safety to a neurodivergent colleague or employee is not much different than providing psychological safety to anyone else. Appreciate the person, understand that they have a desire to be understood and included, and accommodate them as you would anyone else.

The Two-Way Street of Psychological Safety

Remember that psychological safety is a two-way street. When we make an effort to foster a safe environment for others, we create a culture of trust and support that benefits everyone. When neurodivergent colleagues feel safe to share their ideas and be themselves, they contribute their unique strengths, making the team stronger and more innovative.

Fostering psychological safety for others can further enhance our experience of feeling psychologically safe. When you show empathy and support for your colleagues, you build stronger relationships and a more cohesive team. So, extending mutual trust and respect to colleagues not only benefits them - it also benefits you.

If you're a neurodivergent employee, it's important to keep this in mind. Psychological safety at work isn't just about how well our colleagues can understand and accommodate us, but how well we can understand and accommodate our colleagues as well.

Let me give you an example: Although I knew that Ranga and Khushboo could pick-up on what was happening with my speech during the presentation without me saying anything, it provided them a deeper sense of psychological safety when I was later able to acknowledge their act. So, when I was able to once again speak at a point later in the conversation, I acknowledged and thanked them for their accommodation as I began to once more present my assigned slides.

As neurodivergent employees, do we need to go around and thank every person for providing us every single accommodation we might possibly use? Not necessarily. But, every human has a desire to be seen, understood, and appreciated. So, by thanking my colleagues, I let them know that I appreciate and support them just as they had appreciated and supported me. It's little, consistent acts like that that can allow all of us to build up more psychological safety at work.

Three Tips to Facilitate Psychological Safety

Here are three simple tips you can implement to help create psychological safety, especially for neurodivergent colleagues:

1. Listen Actively and Empathetically: Make sure to really listen when your colleagues speak. Show empathy by acknowledging their feelings and experiences. This makes everyone feel valued and understood.
2. Encourage Open Communication: Create an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas. Encourage questions and discussions, and make it clear that all contributions are welcome.
3. Be Flexible and Accommodating: Understand that different people have different needs. Be open to making accommodations, whether it’s flexible work hours, quiet workspaces, or providing information in various formats. Small adjustments can make a big impact on someone's comfort and productivity.

By implementing these tips, we can create a work environment where everyone feels safe, supported, and empowered to do their best work. Let's all strive to build a culture of psychological safety where we can thrive together.

John Marble is the founder of Pivot Neurodiversity and is a training partner and classroom instructor with Neurodiversity Pathways. Along with Ranga Jayaraman and Khushboo Chabria , he is the co-author of Neurodiversity For Dummies (Wiley), which is available now. He is autistic.