Neurodivergent people can succeed in work when support is tailored to their needs rather than their diagnosis, an independent report has found. According to the Department for Work and Pensions, the Expert Academic Panel on Neurodiversity published its findings today, alongside the government's response.

Key points

  • Tailored support — the report says help should respond to individual strengths and challenges, based on need rather than diagnosis.
  • Programmes already running — Connect to Work and Pathways to Work advisers are helping neurodivergent people into jobs, with 1,000 people on the specialist pathway moving into work by the end of June, including 470 young people.
  • Funding commitment — the government has backed disability employment support with £3.5 billion by the end of the decade.
  • Employment gap — in 2024/25, 34 per cent of disabled people with autism were in work, compared with 55 per cent of disabled people overall.

The panel's report calls for support that responds to individual strengths and challenges, strengthening of existing disability employment policy, further research to address evidence gaps, practical strategies to help employees succeed, and wider adoption of Universal Design principles so workplaces are built with everyone in mind from the outset.

In response, the government has launched a sixteen-week policy discovery exercise to explore how Universal Design principles could be applied to workplaces. Other measures include reforms to the Disability Confident Scheme, nearly 500 additional staff to clear the Access to Work backlog, a £259 million expansion of WorkWell, 1,000 Pathways to Work advisers, a £60 million innovation fund, and a £2.5 billion youth employment package.

Editor's comment

What it means in practice

If you are neurodivergent and looking for work, the government wants employers to focus on what you can do with the right support, not on your diagnosis. That could mean quicker help through Access to Work, more tailored support from job advisers, and workplaces designed to be more inclusive from the start. The changes are likely to take time, but the direction is clear: support should fit the person, not the other way round.

  • Access to Work — extra staff should mean faster decisions on equipment or support in the workplace.
  • Job support — Connect to Work and Pathways to Work advisers can help you find roles that match your strengths.
  • Employer scheme — the Disability Confident Scheme is being reformed to encourage employers to do more.