Physical Workplace Adjustments to Support Neurodivergent Workers: A Systematic Review

Physical Workplace Adjustments to Support Neurodivergent Workers: A Systematic Review

This review examined the extent, nature and quality of the current empirical evidence for physical workplace adjustment to support occupational longevity, performance and health/well-being in ND workers because of their specific sensory needs. Our results indicate that the research is generally not well-developed, is methodologically weak and therefore confined to offering indicative effects. The majority of studies addressed a mixture of work settings, a mixture of adjustments/barriers and facilitators, and focused predominantly on workers with ASD. This means that the effects of required sensory adjustments have been researched without due consideration of specific environments and inclusive sampling. Given the necessity of physical workplace adjustments to support inclusion and occupational outcomes for ND individuals, this review highlights the need for more methodologically sound research to inform evidence-based (design) guidelines for ND office environments.

Physical Workplace Adjustments to Support Neurodivergent Workers: A Systematic Review

Date Published
Tue, 6th Sep 2022
Publisher
IAAP - International Association of Applied Psychology
Author
Weber, Clara; Häne, Eunji; Yarker, Joanna; Krieger, Beate; McDowall, Almuth
Website
https://iaap-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apps.12431
Categories
Keywords
Barriers, Adjustments, Facilitators

This review examined the extent, nature and quality of the current empirical evidence for physical workplace adjustment to support occupational longevity, performance and health/well-being in ND workers because of their specific sensory needs. Our results indicate that the research is generally not well-developed, is methodologically weak and therefore confined to offering indicative effects. The majority of studies addressed a mixture of work settings, a mixture of adjustments/barriers and facilitators, and focused predominantly on workers with ASD. This means that the effects of required sensory adjustments have been researched without due consideration of specific environments and inclusive sampling. Given the necessity of physical workplace adjustments to support inclusion and occupational outcomes for ND individuals, this review highlights the need for more methodologically sound research to inform evidence-based (design) guidelines for ND office environments.