Redesign the Future of Work with Neurodiversity in Mind
Brainstorm: A Guide to Neurodivergent Talent and the Future of Work is a bold, practical guide to rebuilding work from the ground up. It shows that inclusion is more than the right thing to do, it is essential to business success. With raw honesty, sharp storytelling, and real-world tools, Brainstorm challenges tired corporate narratives and equips leaders, managers, and teams to unlock overlooked talent. Drawing on the voices of people across industries and ways of thinking, including trailblazers, business leaders, and academics, it highlights how work must be built for every kind of mind.
Written by Dave Thompson, a pioneering self-advocate, educator, and innovator in the field of neurodiversity employment for over a decade, this book shows readers how to:
- Build environments that empower people across every cognitive profile
- Rethink “accommodations” as Success Enablers that fuel performance and growth
- Foster psychological safety, allyship, and trust in teams of every size
- Rethink hiring, management, and retention practices to expand your talent pipeline
- Tackle real workplace obstacles like communication breakdowns, burnout, and bias
For employers of all sizes and industries, Brainstorm delivers an urgent call to action: stop forcing people to fit a system that was not designed for them. Instead, rewire the system itself and watch innovation, productivity, and engagement surge, and see everyone win.
Table of Contents:
Introduction xi
Chapter 1 We’re Not What's Broken: Understanding Neurodivergence 1
Chapter 2 Enter the Next Normal: Exploring Neurodiversity in an Evolving Workplace 13
Chapter 3 Make the Case: Understanding Why Neuroinclusion Matters 27
Chapter 4 Tackle the Truth: Challenging Bias and Stereotypes 41
Chapter 5 Let People Show Up: Building Safety and Shifting Culture 55
Chapter 6 Save the Environment: Designing Workspaces 67
Chapter 7 Sync or Swim: Rethinking Communication 83
Chapter 8 Let People Deliver: Empowering Individual Success 99
Chapter 9 Manage What Matters: Leading with Clarity and Trust 115
Chapter 10 Humanize Hiring: Moving from Outreach to Onboarding 135
Chapter 11 Break Through Barriers: Removing Systemic Roadblocks 155
Chapter 12 Put It into Practice: Making Change Sustainable 171
Conclusion 183
Doodle Descriptions 191
Notes 199
Acknowledgment 217
About the Author 221
Index 223
About the Author :
DAVE THOMPSON is an educator, strategist, and TEDx speaker who helps organizations better understand, hire, support, and leverage the strengths of neurodivergent professionals. An early-identified ADHDer and dyslexic thinker, he grew up navigating systems not built for brains like his and now works to redesign them. Dave, a Visiting Scholar at Vanderbilt University’s Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, speaks to audiences from Fortune 500 leaders to professionals and advocates, bringing lived experience, systems expertise, and big-picture thinking to complex change. Outside of work, he’s a dad, a husband, and a former New Yorker living near Nashville.
This is just the beginning. Join us at www.BrainstormNeurodiversity.com
