Neurodiversity at work, seen from both sides of the desk
The interview, the offer, the disclosure, the hard feedback, the reason good people stay. One journey, walked one stage at a time, from both chairs.
- Six real stages of working life, employee view and manager view side by side
- Two keep-forever cheat sheets, one for each chair
- Written from thirty years of watching what actually happens in the room
The same moment, seen twice
You already know your own side of the desk. What you have almost never seen is the other side of those exact same moments. So this guide is laid out as a journey, and at every stage you get both chairs at once.
You weigh whether to disclose
The quiet math before a one-on-one: what to say, what it costs, whether this manager is safe to tell.
moment
You hear “I have something to tell you”
The flash of not knowing what to say, and the small moves that turn it into a hire who stays.
Read your side at each stage. Then read across the desk. That second column is the part that changes how you see your own.
Six stages of a working life
From before the job exists to staying and growing in it. Each stage stands on its own, so you can start anywhere.
Before the Hire
The prep, the posting, the sourcing. Where talent is quietly lost first, reading a job post like a detective and writing the real job, not “rockstar.”
The Interview
The room that tests the wrong things. Preparing real stories and questions ahead, a real task, no eye-contact penalty.
The Offer & First Days
Saying yes, starting well. Asking for what helps, early and onboarding that actually decides retention.
Settling In
The daily work and the unwritten rules. Guarding your peak hours and co-designing accommodations and saying the unwritten rules out loud.
Feedback & Friction
The hard moments, both ends. Surviving the first ninety seconds and giving a note that lands instead of wounds.
Growing & Staying
Being seen, being kept. Making your work visible and acting on the quiet signs before the resignation letter.
Whichever chair yo’e in
Neurodivergent professionals
Practical, plain-spoken guidance for the interview, the disclosure decision, the feedback that lands too hard, and being seen for what you actually do. Written for you, not about you.
Managers & HR leaders
What to do in the moments that decide whether a great hire stays: the interview, onboarding, accommodations, feedback, and catching the energy change before it becomes a resignation.
Hi, ’ Debra Solomon
Thirty years, both desks
I came to this work first as the parent of a neurodivergent son, learning everything in real time because nobody handed me a manual. Then as an NYU-certified career coach, I spent thirty years coaching the nervous candidate the night before the interview and training the manager who did’ know what to say when that same candidate disclosed. More than 500 managers, and countless employees. This guide is the manual nobody gave us, written for both of us.
Get the field guide
Twenty pages, both chairs, two cheat sheets. Yours free, no strings.
Download the guide (PDF) ↓Opens in a new tab · 20 pages · free to keep and share
A book can walk the journey. People answer the “but in my case…”
The guide covers the whole arc. It ca’ answer the question that starts with “okay, but in my specific situation.” That part is personal, and i’ where the Community helps more than any guide can. A private group working through the same things, plus live calls with me twice a month.
Join the Community · from $95/mo →Cancel anytime. Responsible for a team instead? See training for managers.
Neurodiversity in the Workplace: A Field Guide · by Debra Solomon · Spectrum Roadmap · Updated