Ireland’s workforce includes a significant proportion of neurodivergent employees, whether or not they have a formal diagnosis. At the Irish Resilience Clinic, Caroline Goldsmith works with both individuals and organisations across Dublin, Waterford and nationwide to ensure that neurodivergent talent is supported, retained and able to contribute at its full potential.
What Neurodiversity Means in an Irish Workplace Context
Neurodiversity is an umbrella term covering autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and Tourette syndrome, among others. It is estimated that one in seven adults in Ireland is neurodivergent in some way, meaning that in any team of meaningful size, neurodivergent employees are almost certainly present. Many have developed sophisticated coping strategies over decades and may not have disclosed their profile to their employer. Caroline Goldsmith at the Irish Resilience Clinic sees both the toll this masking takes on individuals, and the cost to organisations of losing capable employees to burnout.
Practical Accommodations That Actually Work
The most effective accommodations identified by the Irish Resilience Clinic for ADHD employees include written task lists and meeting summaries, flexible start and finish times where the role permits, noise-reducing headphones in open-plan offices, permission to take short breaks, and task-batching that allows deep focus periods. For autistic employees, reducing sensory overload, providing clear and explicit communication, offering advance notice of change, and allowing processing time before decisions are made consistently make the greatest difference.
Psychological Assessment for Workplace Accommodations
A formal psychological assessment by Caroline Goldsmith Psychologist at the Irish Resilience Clinic documents the employee’s neurodivergent profile and specifies the accommodations most relevant to their role. This provides employers with a clear, evidence-based plan and protects both parties under the Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2015, which require employers to provide reasonable accommodation for employees whose condition amounts to a disability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Irish employers have a legal obligation to accommodate ADHD?
Yes, where the condition meets the threshold of disability under the Employment Equality Acts.
Does an employee have to disclose their diagnosis to get accommodations?
No, but disclosure is necessary to activate formal accommodation processes.
Can Caroline Goldsmith assess employees referred by their employer?
Yes. The Irish Resilience Clinic works with both employer-referred and self-referred adults.
Talk to the Irish Resilience Clinic About Neurodiversity Support
Contact Caroline Goldsmith on +353 87 406 2203 or email [email protected].