Unlcoking Potential: Neurodivergence, Regulation, and the Workplace Performance
Presention by Dr. Sean M. Hirt, Psy.D.
of Hirt Psychology
What if many workplace challenges associated with neurodivergent employees – including rigidity, anxiety, shutdown, or disengagement - are not motivation problems, but signs of a stressed nervous system?
Neurodivergent adults can be described through behavioral criteria including differences in social communication, sensory processing, and flexibility. But beneath those observable traits lies something more foundational. Research shows that many neurodivergent individuals experience differences in autonomic nervous system regulation—the system that governs stress, energy, and recovery.
This means everyday workplace conditions—noise, lighting, rapid task-switching, unclear expectations, constant social interaction—can be physiologically taxing. When stress rises, executive functioning narrows. Verbal expression may drop. Flexibility decreases. Social engagement becomes harder. What may appear as resistance or lack of initiative is often a nervous system working to cope with overload.
Here’s the opportunity: performance improves when regulation improves.
Regulation is not simply relaxation. It is achieving the right level of arousal for the task. For some employees, this may mean predictable structure, written instructions, or advance notice of changes. For others, it may mean quiet workspace options, movement breaks, or reduced sensory input. These supports are typically low-cost and high-impact.
When employers shift from asking, “How do we support our neurodivergent employees?” to “How do we design environments that allow nervous systems to perform at their best?” productivity, retention, and engagement often increase.
Understanding neurodivergence as a nervous system difference reframes stress responses as adaptive—not oppositional. Many neurodivergent employees are not underperforming; they are over-adapting to environments that were never designed with them in mind.
Supporting nervous system health is not only compassionate—it is strategic.
Location: Mansell Ct, Rosswell, GA
DayL Thursday, March 26, 2026
Time: 8:45am - 10:45am
