Neurodivergent individuals – people whose neurological development is either under or over-developed such as with autism, ADHD and dyslexia– were found to be most suitable for roles in the technology industry.
They score a staggering 10 percent higher than the general population.
Also, individuals with dyslexia were found to score higher in spatial awareness, a key capability for careers in IT systems administration and user experience.
Autistic individuals typically score 10 percent higher in their digital skills aptitude than those with neurotypical traits, according to new data from digital skills company WithYouWithMe.
The data, collected from 12,000 test results from more than two years of aptitude testing, observed individuals’ aptitude and attitude to identify their suitability and adaptability to a career in tech, with the aim of identifying people who can help solve the UK’s digital skills crisis.
What else did the research find?
The research also found that almost a third (32 percent) of neurodivergent individuals scored higher in spatial awareness and 10 percent high in Digital Symbol Coding. These key skills directly translate to careers in the engineering, IT and data analytics sectors.
The research also revealed that autistic individuals are most commonly matched with careers in software development, consulting, and digital marketing, as well as scoring higher than the general population in verbal reasoning.
Neurodivergent individuals face extreme underrepresentation
Neurodivergent individuals are grossly underrepresented when it comes to employment in the UK, and this research shows they possess the necessary aptitude and skills that employers are looking for.
Jack Desmond, Neurodiversity Lead for WithYouWithMe, commented:
“Our research has shown that autistic, dyslexic or ADHD individuals, as well as those with other cognitive differences, can play a key role in solving the digital skills crisis which engulfs the technology industry.
“As an autistic person, I am greatly encouraged to see neurodivergent people recognised for the unique value they bring, but the next step is for widespread training and deployment into key roles within the technology industry where they will make a tangible difference. The benefit will be enormous for individuals to be given more opportunities, and for organisations to help solve the digital skills crisis.”
Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.
Wonderful that more research has been done, but this is not new knowledge! At least 40 years ago it was widely accepted in the IT industry, particularly in systems & software development.
30 years ago, when laptops became more available, neurodivergent school children were shown to be capable of maintaining comparable academic progress.
Perhaps we’ve lost ground more recently by over-emphasis on defining new categories of divergence and allocating individuals to a set of descriptors, whilst forgetting to just do our best in the meantime to give them opportunities now?
interesting article that individuals with dyslexia score high in spatial awareness, a key ability for careers in IT systems administration and user experience
thanks for this article, that dyslexic individuals get high scores based on technology and IT