Psychology/Neurodiversity/Communication and predictability
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Neurodiversity
Communication and predictability
Channel, processing time, transitions and visible end points. Four variables that are routinely mistaken for compliance, motivation or rigidity — and all four are yours to change.
Channel
Map what works, by channel, and record latency as well as response. A person who answers accurately after twelve seconds is not slow to understand; they need twelve seconds, and a room that allows twelve seconds gets a better answer.
| Channel | What to record |
|---|---|
| Spoken to the group | Did the person begin? After how long? Did they look towards the speaker? |
| Spoken directly, by name | Compare latency with the group condition. The difference is often large. |
| Written instruction | Latency and completion compared with spoken. Frequently the single most informative comparison available. |
| Visual sequence | Whether the person referred back to it unprompted. |
| Demonstration | Whether the demonstration replaced a question they would otherwise have had to ask. |
| One step at a time vs all steps at once | Completion rate and error rate under each condition. |
| With deliberate processing time | Ask, then wait ten seconds without repeating. Record what changes. |
Predictability audit
| Question | What to change if the answer is no |
|---|---|
| Does the person know today’s sequence in advance? | Provide the sequence in their preferred channel, at the start of the day. |
| Is the sequence displayed where they can check it themselves? | Display it at their eye level, in their format — so they do not have to ask a person. |
| Are changes announced before they happen? | Set a minimum warning, and record what length actually works for this person. |
| Is the end point of each task visible? | Show the number of items, a timer, or a physical stopping marker. |
| Is there a known, permitted way to leave and return? | Agree an exit signal in advance and tell everyone who supervises. |
| Does the person know who to ask, by name? | Name one person per setting — and confirm that person knows they were named. |
| Is there recovery time built into the day rather than earned? | Schedule it. Do not make it contingent on behaviour. |
Transitions
Record every transition across the day: from what to what, whether a warning was given and how long before, whether a visual support was present, what happened, and how long it took to settle. Then look at which transitions were consistently easier and ask what was different about them. The answer is almost always warning length, visibility of the next step, or who was present.
Processing time is a support, not a concession
Ten seconds of silence after a question costs nothing and changes the quality of the answer. Repeating the question within three seconds restarts the processing and guarantees the slower answer you were trying to avoid.
The full observation pack
Twelve forms including the communication preference map, the predictability audit, the two-setting comparison, the accommodation planner and the one-page support profile.
View the resource
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