Companies are being encouraged to re-think the way they approach hiring, in order to encourage greater neurodiversity in the workplace.
Neurodiversity refers to the different behavioural traits and brain functions that people may have, including the likes of ADHD, Asperger's syndrome, dyslexia and dyspraxia.
People with these disabilities or disorders can face additional challenges when in public, or when interacting with others, which in turn can make finding employment that bit harder.
However there are simple steps employers can take to smooth out the process, and recruitment site Indeed and DCU have now published a 'toolkit' detailing what's involved.
"We've included some really practical information around the 'do's' and 'don'ts' of the application and interview process to really make hiring managers understand the small steps they can take to get more neurodiverse people into the process," said Michele Carpenter, Diversity and Inclusion business partner at Indeed.
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"It is very small steps - for example we talk about providing an interview environment that minimises sensory stimuli, as well as simple things around what you should or shouldn't wear in an interview that may cause stress for candidate who is neurodiverse," Ms Capenter said.
Ms Carpenter said that changes are being advised - but very simple ones. To that end she does not see this being a cost to a business - but more a shift in the mindset that is applied.
"It's just rethinking how you approach a situation - I wouldn't say that there's big budgets involved in this at all," she said.
Making your hiring process as inclusive as possible is obviously the right thing for a company to do, however, Ms Carpenter also argued that doing so will ultimately benefit the bottom line.
"We all know the benefit of having a diverse and inclusive workforce," she said.
"At the end of the day it leads to better business results, more productivity and it affects the bottom line. So the more that businesses can do to make the workplace more inclusive to people of all backgrounds then the better it is for business performance," she added.
