Myth: ADHD is just a childhood condition that people grow out of.

Reality: ADHD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition (Doyle, 2024). While it’s often first noticed in children, many people continue to experience ADHD throughout adulthood. Research shows that around 6% of all adults and roughly 3.5% of working adults live with ADHD (Samosh, Lilius & Atwood, 2024).

People don’t “grow out” of ADHD. Instead, symptoms can change over time. Adults may develop coping strategies or choose jobs that match their need for variety, fast-paced environments, or high levels of stimulation (Samosh, Lilius & Atwood, 2024; Doyle, 2024).

Myth: Supporting neurodivergent employees costs too much.

Reality: This belief is widespread, but it’s not true, and it often stops employers from hiring talented people (Scott et al., 2017). Evidence from the Job Accommodation Network, USA, shows that almost half (49.4%) of all workplace adjustments cost nothing at all. For the rest, the typical one‑off cost is around $300, which is minimal compared to the benefits of a more productive and engaged workforce (Bruyère & Colella, 2024).

Many of the most effective adjustments, like offering noise‑cancelling headphones, allowing flexible working hours, or providing written instructions, are simple, inexpensive, and easy to implement (Bruyère & Colella, 2024; Scott et al., 2017).

Myth: Dyslexia is only a problem with reading and writing.

Reality: Dyslexia does involve difficulties with reading, writing, and recall of rote information, but it is not just a deficit. Research shows that dyslexia is also linked to a range of significant cognitive strengths (Fung, 2024). These strengths often include:

• Exceptional visuospatial skills

• Advanced three‑dimensional and structural problem‑solving

• Strong “big picture” reasoning and conceptual thinking

(Fung, 2024; Wiklund, Tran & Rahm, 2024)

Many highly successful entrepreneurs and innovators are dyslexic, and they frequently credit their achievements to these strengths, such as creative problem-solving, seeing patterns others miss, and powerful storytelling abilities (Wiklund, Tran & Rahm, 2024).

Myth: All neurodivergent people have “savant” abilities or special technical superpowers.

Reality: This stereotype, sometimes called the “savant tech” myth, is a form of occupational typecasting and can be just as restrictive as negative stereotypes (Agha et al., 2024; Praslova et al., 2023). While some neurodivergent individuals do thrive in technical fields like coding, data analysis, or engineering, neurodivergent people are highly diverse. They succeed across many professions, including sales, HR, education, social care, entrepreneurship, and the creative industries (Agha et al., 2024).

Assuming every neurodivergent person is a “tech genius” not only overlooks their individual strengths, interests, and identities—it also reduces people to a stereotype that doesn’t reflect the wide variety of talents within neurodivergent communities (Chang et al., 2023; Doyle, 2024).

Myth: Neurodivergent conditions are “broken bits” or disorders that need to be cured.

Reality: This idea comes from the traditional medical model, which has historically framed neurodivergent conditions purely in terms of deficits and pathology (Fung, 2024). The neurodiversity paradigm offers a different perspective: it views these conditions as natural and meaningful variations in human cognition, an essential part of the “rich tapestry of human experience” (Doyle, 2024; Mohammadiounotikand & Babaeitarkami, 2024).

This shift changes the focus from trying to “fix” people to fixing environments. Instead of expecting individuals to fit into rigid systems, approaches such as universal design aim to reshape workplaces, schools, and public spaces so that neurodivergent people can thrive as they are (Fung, 2024; Bölte et al., 2024).

Reference List

Agha, Z., Banerjee, N., Hebl, M., Khan, M., Nittrouer, C., Vincent, N. and Zhou, C. (2024) 'Motivations to hire neurodiverse workers', in Patton, E. and Santuzzi, A. M. (eds.) Neurodiversity and Work: Employment, Identity, and Support Networks for Neurominorities. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 131–155.

Bölte, S., Carpini, J. A., Black, M. H., Toomingas, A., Jansson, F., Marschik, P. B., Girdler, S. and Jonsson, M. (2024) 'Career guidance and employment issues for neurodivergent individuals: a scoping review and stakeholder consultation', Human Resource Management, pp. 1–21.

Bruyère, S. M. and Colella, A. (2024) 'Workplace accommodations and neurodiversity', in Patton, E. and Santuzzi, A. M. (eds.) Neurodiversity and Work: Employment, Identity, and Support Networks for Neurominorities. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 181–205.

Chang, H.-Y., Saleh, M. C., Bruyère, S. M. and Vogus, T. J. (2023) 'Making the employment interview work for a neurodiverse workforce: perspectives of individuals on the autism spectrum, employers, and service providers', Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 59(1), pp. 107–122.

Doyle, N. (2024) 'Defining neurodiversity and identifying neurominorities', in Patton, E. and Santuzzi, A. M. (eds.) Neurodiversity and Work: Employment, Identity, and Support Networks for Neurominorities. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 13–38.

Fung, L. K. (2024) 'Strengths-based models and neurodiversity', in Patton, E. and Santuzzi, A. M. (eds.) Neurodiversity and Work: Employment, Identity, and Support Networks for Neurominorities. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 39–59.

Mohammadiounotikand, A. and Babaeitarkami, S. (2024) 'Understanding autism: dispelling myths and embracing neurodiversity', European Journal of Medical and Health Sciences, 6(4), pp. 109–117.

Praslova, L., Bernard, L., Fox, S. and Legatt, A. (2023) 'Don’t tell me what to do: Neurodiversity inclusion beyond the occupational typecasting', Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 16(1), pp. 66–69.

Samosh, D., Lilius, J. and Atwood, K. (2024) 'ADHD and career success: barriers, facilitators, and future research directions', in Patton, E. and Santuzzi, A. M. (eds.) Neurodiversity and Work: Employment, Identity, and Support Networks for Neurominorities. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 257–281.

Scott, M., Jacob, A., Hendrie, D., Parsons, R., Girdler, S., Falkmer, T. and Falkmer, M. (2017) 'Employers’ perception of the costs and the benefits of hiring individuals with autism spectrum disorder in open employment in Australia', PLOS One, 12(5), e0177607.

Wiklund, J., Tran, M. H. and Rahm, R. (2024) 'Neurodiversity and entrepreneurship', in Patton, E. and Santuzzi, A. M. (eds.) Neurodiversity and Work: Employment, Identity, and Support Networks for Neurominorities. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 283–309.