When students get neurodiversity, they’ll take it to work (podcast)
Published on 9 September 2025 • Written by Dr Lisa Colledge
Download the podcast transcript.
When students build awareness of neurodiversity, they don’t leave it behind at university - they carry it into the workplace.
That’s the underlying message I shared in my recent conversation on University of Leiden’s Access and Support Platform podcast with Ana Zlatevski.
We talked about why awareness of autism, ADHD, and dyslexia matters so much when studying at university, and how the lessons students learn about neuro-inclusion today will shape our workplaces of tomorrow.
Here are three practical shifts I highlighted:
Be clear and literal. Ambiguity creates unnecessary barriers. Clear communication supports autistic students, international peers, and neurotypical colleagues alike.
Add visual support. A diagram, list, or flow chart alongside oral and written information helps neurodivergent learners, and improves understanding and retention for everyone.
Assume positive intent. What looks like disengagement to you may really be stress or a different information processing style, and the best that someone can offer on a given day.
Students who understand neurodiversity bring those expectations into the world of work. But there is a broader lesson here too: clarity, multiple ways of engaging with information, and curiosity about differences in how people process and contribute aren't only accommodations. They are useful design principles for environments where different people need to think and work together.
For research-intensive institutions, this matters well beyond wellbeing or talent attraction.
As research becomes more cross-disciplinary, mission-driven, and partnership-heavy, enabling different thinking styles to work together becomes part of the infrastructure for effective research – not simply an inclusion concern.
➡️ If these ideas resonate, you can explore how I design leadership and coordination for complex, high-pressure environments on the Services page.
Originally published by University of Leiden’s Access and Support Platform podcast here.
