Review of A Pocket Guide to Neurodiversity by Daniel Aherne
Overview
This book is as described in the title – a pocket guide to Neurodiversity. It is a compact and readable book on the subject.
Authors
The author of this book, Daniel Aherne, runs a company that provides training and consultancy to global businesses to help them better understand neurodivergent employees. They cover things like the recruitment process to make it as inclusive as possible and management training so managers can better support and retain neurodivergent employees. Adjustservices.co.uk/about
Tim Stringer is the illustrator, who provides touches of humour and insight in his visually appealing illustrations.
Author background
As a teenager, the author Daniel Aherne started volunteering with an autistic boy, which led him to develop a passion for helping those with autism. He then worked at NAS (National Autistic Society), assisting autistic adults to access employment and volunteering opportunities.
Daniel Aherne was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.(He states in his introduction that the idea for the book came from a talk on neurodiversity that he gave to Jessica Kingsley Publishers.)
Audience
According to one review, this book is “addressed primarily to people in managerial positions. In a broader sense, it should appeal to all staff members who would like to understand their neurodivergent colleagues and support them by adapting the work environment to their needs.” – review on www.consilium.europa.eu/en/documents-publications/library/library-blog/posts/the-pocket-guide-to-neurodiversity-by-daniel-aherne-and-tim-stringer/
This book is for anyone wanting to understand neurodiversity and support neurodivergent people. It is aimed mainly at the workplace, and includes schools and communities. The author sets out to help us celebrate neurodivergence and foster more inclusive communities. Parents, teachers, school teaching assistants, neurotypical workplace colleagues, people running youth groups, social workers would gain a good grounding from reading this book.
Subject and Structure of the Book
This book gives an introduction to neurodiversity and the four most commonly diagnosed neurodivergent identities: autism, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia.
The book’s chapters cover Neurodiversity, Neurotypes, Processing, Working Memory, Communication, Unwritten rules, Emotions and Problem-solving.
There are summarized Key Takeaways and Reflection Points. Some chapters also have a Helpful Adaptations section. There are lots of tips and reflection points to get the reader engaging with the material.
What are my favourite parts of the book?
I liked the chapters on communication and unwritten rules. These are topics that often come up in the course of my coaching neurodiverse people with Autism, AuDHD, or ADHD.
There were some helpful pointers for people who aren’t at all familiar with what neurodivergence means. Giving examples of how it can show up in different individuals is useful, for instance. The book indicates how to expect/allow for differences. It mentions differences in eye contact, processing speed, small talk versus more meaningful topics of conversation, and unwritten social rules for example.
This book proposes that adjustments for neurodivergence can actually be helpful for everyone. This is not a new proposition, however in my opinion it bears being repeated as many times as necessary to bring about the change needed to bring this into reality. For example, being more direct to make your meaning more straightforward and less ambiguous is a minor adjustment that can make a big difference in many settings.
Sense of Humour
I’m always delighted when an author shows me they have a sense of humour. Laughing at something gives me various things: good feelings, the perception that I can relax, an insight gained into something, or a new perspective or way of looking at something.
I am also more likely to pay better attention to what comes afterwards as if my brain hopes there will be more moments of interesting stimulation/good feelings.
I found some of the illustrations amusing because they give well observed examples of true to life behaviour.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, I felt the approach taken in explaining neurodivergence was helpful, kind, and inclusive.