Strengths, Challenges, and Experiences of Neurodivergent Faculty in Academia

Recently, there has been increasing attention to neurodiversity in academia, with focus on supporting neurodivergent (ND) students. The experiences of ND faculty, however, are often overlooked in neurodiversity research, leading to a lack of support. In this study, we quantitatively and qualitatively surveyed self-identified ND faculty (n = 66) about their experiences in academia to learn more about their perceived strengths and weaknesses, coping strategies, and advice for other ND academics and neurotypical (NT) peers. Overall, 93.3%, 73.3%, 27.1% of our participants met or exceeded clinical thresholds for high-level burnout regarding cynicism, exhaustion, and accomplishment dimensions, respectively. Participants indicated feeling high levels of psychological distress and emotional labor demands at work in comparison to their NT peers. Furthermore, participants that needed to hide their ND identity due to limited support or acceptance reported poorer well-being and higher rates of burnout. Conversely, participants that reported higher levels of collegiate and institutional support were found to have improved well-being and lower rates of burnout, stressing the importance of a supportive academic environment. Whereas most ND faculty felt their conditions confer both strengths (78.5%) and weaknesses (92.2%) compared to NT peers, they felt that the strengths generally outweighed the weaknesses. Commonly reported strengths included creativity, empathy, hyperfocus, pattern recognition, and attention to detail. Common weaknesses included poor time management, communication difficulties, emotional dysregulation, executive dysfunction, and social issues. While many participants indicated that they had not found successful coping strategies or support, their advice to others included practicing self-care, building support networks, finding ND peers and mentors, leaning into ND strengths, finding ways to reduce workload, setting strict schedules, and establishing ideal sensory environments. altogether. Neurodivergent faculty also wanted to emphasize to NT peers that they mask a lot, do more work than their peers may realize, and that academia, as it stands, rewards conformity while stifling creativity. To better support ND faculty, participants stressed the need for open-mindedness, patience, and specificity and directness regarding critiques, expectations, and communication by NT peers. While ND faculty experience unique challenges, they also have unique strengths that complement those of NT faculty, emphasizing the importance of ND retention in academia.