Practical Strategies from Stephanie Kennedy’s Approach

For Neurodivergent Adults

1. Use External Supports

• Bullet-point reminders: Write tasks on your hand, phone, or a visual checklist. Kennedy’s tattooed boxes are a personal system for keeping track.
• Timers and alarms: Treat time as something to “externalize” instead of relying on internal perception.
• Visual aids: Use calendars, sticky notes, or apps that show progress.

2. Reframe Self-Perception

• Understand that struggles with time, organization, or communication are neurological differences, not character flaws.
• Replace self-blame with strategies: “I’m not lazy—my brain needs scaffolding.”

3. Manage Trauma and Burnout

• Recognize that years of being misunderstood can lead to complex trauma.
• Seek therapeutic support to address burnout, masking, or shame tied to being “different.”

4. Build Flexible Routines

• Create structures that work for you—for example, working in bursts of energy rather than rigid 9–5 schedules.
• Be compassionate with yourself when consistency is difficult.

5. Redefine Your Story

• Use narrative therapy techniques: identify negative stories (“lazy, disorganized”) and rewrite them with truth (“creative, resilient, adaptive”).
• Celebrate strengths like fairness, justice, and creativity as part of your identity.

For Managers & Organizations

1. See Traits as Differences, Not Deficits

• Time management challenges, communication differences, or organization struggles are cognitive issues, not moral failings.
• Avoid framing these traits as laziness, inconsideration, or unprofessionalism.

2. Adjust Workplace Policies

• Performance appraisals: Recognize different working rhythms; focus on outcomes instead of conformity.
• Attendance & punctuality: Allow for flexibility or offer accommodations such as staggered schedules.

3. Create Safe, Flexible Support

• Provide psychological safety so employees feel comfortable disclosing needs without penalty.
• Offer flexible meeting styles (sitting on the floor, using fidgets, or shorter meetings).
• Consider removing punitive policies (like strict cancellation rules) that penalize people for their neurotype.

4. Support with Coaching & Resources

• Offer access to neurodiversity coaches or counsellors.
• Provide practical workplace accommodations like visual timers, noise-reducing tools, or task-management apps.

5. Change the Narrative in the Workplace

• Encourage the view that neurodivergent employees don’t need to be “fixed.”
• Highlight their strengths—innovation, resilience, fairness, and creative problem-solving.