From environmental niches to unique contributions: Reconsidering fit to foster inclusion across neurotypes

Much research has focused on the challenge of fit between people and organizations (Kristof, 1996). Given the prevalence of unemployment and underemployment, the challenge of both finding fit between oneself and one’s organization, and being seen as fitting in, is especially acute for neurodivergent job candidates and employees. Building on LeFevre-Levy and colleagues (2023), in the current commentary, we emphasize how despite the growing acceptance of the social model of disability and increasingly positive views of neurodivergent strengths (e.g., den Houting, 2019), research and practice need to move beyond finding niches within neurotypical systems where neurodivergent people can exist and thrive to systems that are collaboratively constructed across neurotypes. This means extending opportunities beyond well-publicized, specialized neurodiversity hiring initiatives that in total employ fewer than 1,500 globally (Bernick, 2021). Doing so requires better understanding the underpinnings of “misfit” for neurodivergent individuals and identifying what makes for the right workplace conditions to redress it. To advance this discussion, we articulate how the “double empathy problem” (Milton, 2012) and the heterogeneity of neurodivergent populations (Bury et al., 2019) requires rethinking traditional—and, most frequently, neurotypical—approaches to fit in research and practice.