• All breakout activities for today can be found on this page.
• Please keep the tab open for ease.
• Scroll to each new activity when the time comes.
• Please make sure that all voices are heard and select a speaker, when required, to share a summary of what has been discussed. 

Breakout Activity One:

Reflect and Discuss - Celebrating Good Practice

Neuro-Inclusion

Instructions

• Your leader for this activity will be the person who was born in the earliest month of the year

• Your leader will select a speaker for the team, who will share a brief summary of what was discussed. If you prefer not to speak, choose another colleague

• Your Leader will guide you through the questions below.

• Make sure that all voices are heard - consciously include all members of the team!

In relation to Neuro-Inclusion:

Team One (Room One)

1. What do you and your team already do well but could do more consistently?

2. Is there anything you'd like to do better? What could you do to be more inclusive?

Team Two (Room Two)

1. What do we mean by accessibility and removing barriers?

2. Are we getting it right with regards to accessibility?

A) For colleagues

B) Candidates

Breakout Activity Two:

Receptive/Expressive Communication Activity

Instructions

1. The person whose name is last alphabetically will be the leader of this activity.

2. Your leader will decide who will be Speaker A and who will be Speaker B.

3. Your leader will guide you through each part of the activity below:

PART ONE

In a moment, SPEAKER A is going to talk for one minute about their weekend and SPEAKER B is just going to listen.

OK – off you go [1 minute].

And stop!

How did that feel? Easy? Good!

PART TWO

Now, SPEAKER B is going to talk about their weekend for one minute. BUT they are not allowed to use any words containing the letter ‘e’.

Ready? Off you go! [1 minute].

And stop!

How did that feel? 

Were you able to speak as fluently as your partner? 

How did that make you feel? 

SPEAKER A - how did it feel listening as your partner was struggling to put their thoughts into words? Frustrating? Annoying?

Discuss:

What was the purpose of this exercise? 

How might it relate to your role? 

Breakout Activity Three: Staff Case Studies

Instructions

Case Study One (Room One)

Case Study Two (Room Two)

Case Study Three (Room Three)

Your Leader will be the person born latest in the year.

The Leader will guide you through the activity, ensuring all voices are heard.

1.Discuss assigned Case Study and

2.Consider the related Discussion Prompts

3.Suggest Practical Tips for the Manager

4.Select a speaker to share with wider group

Some helpful links to assist with this activity:

ACAS information on Reasonable Adjustments

GOV.UK information

Case Studies

Case Study 1 (Room One) — Autistic Colleague in Multi-Disciplinary Meetings

Scenario

Alex is a senior clinical lead known for exceptional analytical insight and attention to detail. In multi-disciplinary meetings, they rarely make eye contact, speak only when they have a fully formed point, and sometimes provide highly detailed responses when a broad summary would have sufficed.

Some colleagues have commented that Alex seems “aloof,” “too blunt,” or “overly technical,” and a few have suggested that they “could try to be more approachable in meetings.”

Discussion

1. What communication strengths and differences are evident in this scenario?
2. How might Alex’s behaviour be (mis)interpreted through a neurotypical lens?
3. What can leaders do to support Alex and ensure their contribution is valued across teams?

What’s really happening 

Autistic thinkers often prefer:

• Precision over brevity to ensure clarity
• Processing internally before speaking
• Fact-based communication
• A preference for minimal eye contact or non-linear communication does not indicate disengagement or lack of skill.

Key Insight

Strengths like detailed analytical thinking and pattern recognition are organisational assets when meetings are structured to allow them to contribute effectively.

Executive Actions

• Set clear meeting norms (e.g., pre-distributed agendas, time for reflection)
• Encourage varied participation formats (written input in advance, asynchronous discussion boards)
• Coach teams to see diverse communication styles as strengths

Case Study 2 (Room Two) — ADHD Team Lead Managing Dynamic Workloads

Scenario

Priya is a high-performing operations manager with ADHD.

They are:

· Exceptionally quick at generating ideas

· Great under pressure

· Excellent in crisis situations

However, Priya sometimes:

· Appears to shift focus before tasks are completed

· Jumps between priorities

· Leaves written updates that are functional but not polished

Some team members report frustration, asking Priya for “clarity and deadlines,” while Priya feels micromanaged when asked for frequent status updates.

Discussion

1. How can leaders balance Priya’s strengths with organisational needs?

2. What environmental or process adjustments could improve team alignment?

3. What might “clear expectations” look like in this context?

What’s really happening

ADHD can manifest as:

• High energy and rapid ideation
• Preference for interest-based tasks over routine ones
• Executive functioning differences (planning, organising, task completion)

This is not laziness or unreliability — it is a difference in how the brain regulates attention and transitions between tasks.

Key Insight

With clarity, structure, and boundaries, Priya’s creativity and adaptability can be huge assets, especially in environments requiring rapid response and innovation.

Executive Actions

• Use co-created task checklists and visible timelines
• Provide regular, brief check-ins that focus on outcomes, not process
• Pair Priya’s strengths with complementary operational support

Case Study 3 (Room Three) — Dyslexic Senior Professional and Report-Heavy Environment

Scenario

Jordan is a senior quality assurance lead whose work is consistently thorough and insightful, especially in live review and operational settings. However, written reports are often delayed because Jordan finds prolonged written drafting exhausting.

Peers misunderstand this as procrastination or lack of organisation, though Jordan’s verbal debriefs are clear and actionable.

Discussion

1. How might this situation inadvertently disadvantage talent?
2. What practical adaptations could support more equitable participation?
3. How can leaders signal that diverse processing styles are welcome?

What’s really happening

Dyslexia affects text-based processing, spelling, and writing fluency, not intelligence or insight.

Jordan’s strengths include:

• Big-picture conceptual thinking
• Oral communication clarity
• Pattern and risk recognition

Key Insight

Delays in report drafting are often due to processing exhaustion, not lack of capability.

Executive Actions

• Allow alternative deliverables (verbal reports, recorded summaries, bullet points)
• Provide access to assistive technology (speech-to-text tools)
• Reframe expectations around reports — focus on output quality, not format rigidity

Additional Case Studies for Extended Learning

1. Charli is incredibly effective in their role as an Executive Secretary, having built trust and rapport with colleagues across the organisation, and has never believed their dyslexia to be an obstacle. However, recent changes in recording and reporting procedures have caused some anxiety. This has been brought to your attention and you must decide on the advice, support you will offer:

• 1.Charli
• 2.Charli’s Manager

2. Jo is a newly recruited Finance Officer, with so much energy and enthusiasm for their role, and is already achieving great results. Jo has lots to say but often doesn’t seem to listen to others, loses focus, and gets side-tracked.

When it comes to organising paperwork, Jo seems more reluctant. At a recent Internal Review, some important data had gone missing, and this has caused some concern for their Line Manager.

1.What advice can you offer Jo’s Line Manager

2.What practical support can be offered to Jo?

3. Ademola, is a highly efficient and thorough IT Assistant, who has been with the organisation for many years.

He is autistic and thrives when there are clear rules and routines but finds the unstructured parts of the day difficult. New changes to working conditions, in particular open office and hot-desk requirements have caused him to become visibly upset.

How can we support Ademola? What can be put in place?

Please scroll below these Case Studies to find further guidance and examples of Adjustments.

Additional Breakout Activity:

The Employee Lifecycle from an HR perspective

• Recruiting & Interview (Room 1)

• Performance Management (Room 2)

• Career Development (Room 3)

With a neuro-inclusive approach:

Discuss ways to enhance the experience of underrepresented candidates/colleagues and give an examples of what good looks like.

What would an inclusive leader do to demonstrate fair and equitable treatment of neurodivergent staff?

This might be something that you’ve experienced or something that you yourself do.

• Recruiting & Interview (Room 1)

• Performance Management (Room 2)

• Career Development (Room 3)