Engineering depends on people who think differently.

Research and lived experience show that neurodivergent people are represented in engineering at higher rates than in many other professions. But the systems surrounding engineers don’t always make it easy for neurodivergent minds to thrive.

In an interview for ADHD Awareness Month, Beverley Gibbs PhD CEng FIET reflects on discovering her ADHD midway through her engineering career.

Drawing on her career as an engineer, educator and senior leader, alongside her own experience of neurodivergence, Beverley explores an important question for the sector: how do we create environments where people can thrive?

You can watch the full interview with Beverley Gibbs to hear more about her insights and how ADHD has shaped her engineering career.

 

Why engineering appeals to many neurodivergent people

When discussing why neurodivergent people are often drawn to engineering, Beverley points to three characteristics.

• Pattern recognition: Engineering tends to depend on identifying relationships and understanding how complex systems fit together.
• Problem solving: Engineers are often faced with problems that require curiosity and creative thinking.
• Clarity: Many aspects of engineering have explicit rules and measurable outcomes.

As Beverley puts it, engineering offers the satisfaction of working on problems that have a solution. Something works or it doesn’t, and the task is to keep improving it until it does.

These qualities help explain why engineering attracts diverse minds. But enjoying the work and thriving in the environment are not always the same thing.

Designing better systems

Neurodivergent people can spend a lot of energy adapting to systems that weren’t designed with them in mind.

In education, this can mean repeatedly explaining support needs to different people or navigating lengthy diagnostic processes.

In the workplace, it can mean dealing with unclear communication, inconsistent processes or expectations that are never explicitly stated.

Beverley argues that this places too much responsibility on the individual.

When a product or system isn’t working, the solution can be found by evaluating the way it’s designed, not by expecting users to just try harder. The same principle can be applied to education and workplaces.

Instead of asking neurodivergent people to work harder to fit existing systems, organisations must consider whether their systems are working for the full range of people who use them.

This is what moves organisations beyond awareness and towards inclusivity.

What makes a neuroinclusive environment?

In Beverley’s experience, neuroinclusion too often depends on a few passionate champions. Instead, it should be built into the way organisations operate.

These aren’t specialist interventions, but simply examples of good communication and system design that benefit everyone.

1. Make communication clear and consistent

Problems arise when important information is shared inconsistently or left open to interpretation.

Clear instructions, clear expectations and consistent communication help everyone.

2. Keep important information in one place

People shouldn’t have to rely on remembering a verbal comment from a meeting or searching through multiple systems to find key information.

Recording instructions, deadlines and expectations in a central location makes life easier for all.

3. Make support easier to access

Neurodivergent people are often expected to explain their needs repeatedly to different people.

Support and adjustments should be straightforward to access, without having to justify why it’s needed.

4. Don’t wait for a diagnosis to adopt good practice

Long waiting lists and high costs prevent many people from getting assessed.

If common-sense adjustments would help someone do their best work, they shouldn’t need an official diagnosis to put these in place.

That doesn’t mean that diagnosis doesn’t matter.

Why diagnosis still matters

Like many people diagnosed as adults, Beverley spent years knowing she experienced the world differently without knowing why.

Only after moving into academia and finding herself in a less structured environment did she begin to explore whether ADHD might be the missing piece of the puzzle.

Getting a diagnosis helped her make sense of strengths that had shaped her career: her willingness to take risks and embrace challenges, and her ability to see the bigger picture.

Her experience is familiar. Many engineers spend years developing successful careers before recognising how ADHD, autism, dyslexia or other forms of neurodivergence may have shaped the way they think and work.

Beverley’s experience highlights why diagnosis can be so worthwhile. It can help people understand the barriers they face and access support where appropriate.

The earlier people gain this understanding and support, the better. It helps engineers in training succeed and develop strategies that support them throughout their careers.

Recognising this need, Beverley worked with Foothold to help develop our Engineering Neurodiverse Futures programme, which gives eligible students and apprentices access to diagnostic assessments and tailored support.

Building a neuroinclusive engineering profession

For people to work and live at their best, inclusion must be built into the design of workplaces and learning environments. As Beverley says, this doesn’t start with asking neurodivergent people to adapt. It starts with designing environments that recognise and respect diverse ways of thinking.

Get support

The Differently Wired Hub has free information, guidance and resources for neurodivergent members of the engineering community and those around them.

For eligible students and apprentices, the Engineering Neurodiverse Futures programme offers tailored neurodiversity support, including diagnostic assessments, coaching, mentoring and wellbeing services.