How do we write a neuroinclusive job advert?

Write it around outcomes, not buzzwords: split criteria into clear 'essential' and 'desirable', use plain English, and state applicants can request reasonable adjustments without needing a diagnosis (Acas, 2024). Most of these are wording changes you can apply to your next advert today, and Acas notes they cost little or nothing while helping every applicant, not only neurodivergent ones.

The advert checklist

Work through these five moves in order before you post the vacancy.

1. Cut the criteria back to what is genuinely essential. List the skills and experience the job actually needs as 'essential', and put everything else under 'desirable'. A long, padded list of must-haves screens out capable candidates who would do the job well, so be honest about what is truly required on day one.
2. Describe the role in plain English. Replace recruitment jargon and vague phrases like "dynamic self-starter" or "excellent communicator" with concrete wording about what the person will actually do. Spell out the tasks, the hours and the working pattern so an applicant can picture the day.
3. Add the adjustments line, with no diagnosis gate. Say plainly that applicants can ask for reasonable adjustments at any stage of recruitment and do not need a diagnosis or to disclose a condition to do so. Give examples, such as questions in advance, a quiet room, or extra time, so the offer feels real rather than a box-ticking phrase.
4. Make the application route accessible. Give a named contact and more than one way to apply or ask a question, and mention neurodivergence where you refer to disability or to Disability Confident. A "we welcome applications from disabled people" line on its own does not tell a neurodivergent applicant what they can ask for.
5. Review any AI or automated shortlisting. The Buckland Review of Autism Employment (2024) warns that software which scores eye contact, video mannerisms or "culture fit" can indirectly discriminate against autistic applicants. If a tool sits behind your advert, check what it measures.

Why the wording is a legal matter, not just good practice

The duty not to discriminate, and the duty to make reasonable adjustments, both apply at the advert and recruitment stage under the Equality Act 2010, not only after someone is hired. The Act covers the arrangements an employer makes for deciding who to offer a job to (section 39), so a poorly designed advert or shortlisting process is a legal exposure, not just missed talent. Many neurodivergent conditions can meet the Act's definition of disability, and the applicant cannot be charged for any adjustment (section 20). The Buckland Review found only around 3 in 10 autistic people are in work, and that many candidates fear discrimination at the recruitment stage and so do not disclose, which is exactly why the no-diagnosis-needed line matters.

This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.