Why Autistic Employees Keep Falling Through the Cracks

A new report just dropped, and the headline is striking — but not surprising to anyone who works closely with autistic adults.

The 2026 City & Guilds Neurodiversity Index, an annual survey of employers and neurodivergent employees across the UK, found that while employers are feeling more confident than ever about their ability to support neurodivergent staff, their employees' actual lived experience is moving in the opposite direction. 

Employers report confidence levels of 70-80 percent that they're doing well on neuroinclusion. Only 32-38 precent of neurodivergent employees agree. That's a gap of 30 to 35 percentage points — and it's getting wider.

I can confirm from my own coaching work that this gap is real. But here's what I want to add to the conversation: I think I know exactly why it exists, and I think this gap is actually a sign of progress.

Quick Summary

• A new 2026 City & Guilds report found a widening gap between how confident employers feel about neuroinclusion and how supported neurodivergent employees actually feel.

• This gap may reflect progress, because more neurodivergent employees are getting diagnosed, disclosing, and recognizing when workplace support is inadequate.

• Formal neurodiversity initiatives do not guarantee meaningful support if individual managers do not understand autism in practical, day-to-day terms.

• Workplace inclusion often breaks down at the manager level, where accommodation requests are either supported or dismissed.

• Autistic employees are not failing because they lack ability. Many are being failed by systems that still prioritize awareness over real understanding.

First, Why the Widening Gap Is Actually Good News

More neurodivergent people are being diagnosed. More are disclosing at work. And more are developing the language and self-awareness to recognize when support is inadequate rather than simply assuming they're the problem.

When people feel safer naming what's missing, the gap becomes visible. That's painful, but it's far better than the alternative, which is a workforce full of autistic employees masking, burning out quietly, and leaving jobs without anyone understanding why.

The gap isn't widening because companies are getting worse. It's widening because neurodivergent employees are getting better at seeing, and saying, what was always true.

A Story That Illustrates the Problem

I want to tell you about a client of mine, because her story captures everything the City & Guilds report is pointing to.

She is an attorney who was about to start a position in the compliance department of a large well-known corporation in the United States, one that, notably, has an active neurodiversity hiring initiative. 

You would think she'd be walking into a supportive environment. She thought so too. She was profoundly qualified for the role, deeply enthusiastic, and determined to set herself up for success. So before her first day, she hired me as her job coach.

Right after she started her job, we quickly identified what she would need to thrive in her specific role, with her specific supervisor, in her specific department. She self-advocated clearly and professionally, presenting her requested accommodations to her boss.

Her boss said no.

The reasoning? "That autistic person down the hall doesn't need what you’re asking for, so I'm not going to give it to you."

That one sentence tells you everything. Her supervisor had met one autistic employee and assumed that experience applied to all autistic employees. It doesn't. As Dr. Stephen Shore famously said, “If you've met one autistic person, you've met one autistic person.”

Autism is extraordinarily variable, and what one person needs in one environment has almost no bearing on what another person needs even in the same environment.

My client then went to human resources. HR not only supported her accommodation requests, they recommended that her supervisor meet with me monthly (at my client's own expense) to better understand how to support her.

Her supervisor said no to that too!

My client went on medical leave not long after this and ultimately left the company. A highly qualified professional in her dream job, gone — not because of any lack of skill or commitment, but because one manager's ignorance went unchecked in a large corporation with a neurodiversity hiring initative. 

The accommodations she needed were simple. The cost of losing her was enormous.

The Missing Step: Understanding

Here is what I believe is at the root of all of this.

For decades, we have had autism awareness campaigns. Those campaigns did their job. Most people now know that autism is "a thing." Then the language shifted from awareness to acceptance, which is a meaningful and important evolution. But somewhere between awareness and acceptance, we skipped a critical step.

Understanding.

You cannot genuinely accept what you don't understand. And right now, most employers, including many with formal neurodiversity policies and hiring initiatives, have leaders and managers who are aware that neurodiversity exists and feel they are supposed to accommodate and accept it, but who have no real working knowledge of what it means or what it asks of them in practical terms.

It’s not that they have ill intentions. There is a gap in their education.

And here's where the rubber meets the road: Policies are written by organizations, but inclusion happens one manager at a time. No corporate policy can override what a single supervisor decides to do — or not do — on a Tuesday afternoon when an employee asks for something they need. 

My client's company had a neurodiversity hiring initiative. HR had her back. None of it mattered, because the individual manager is where implementation either happens or breaks down.

Until we invest in educating individual managers rather than just issuing statements from the top, we will keep watching the gap widen.

What This Means If You're a Neurodivergent Adult — or the Parent of One

If you're autistic and navigating the workplace, this report may be discouraging to read. I want you to know that your experience is real, it is documented, and it is not your fault. The systems around you are lagging behind. That is not a reflection of your capability or your worth.

If you're a parent watching your emerging adult navigate these challenges, you're not imagining it. The workplace is genuinely hard for neurodivergent individuals, and the mismatch between employer confidence and employee experience is one of the most important dynamics to understand because it shapes what kind of support and preparation your adult child actually needs.

In both cases, having the right coaching and support can make an enormous difference, not because it changes a broken system, but because it helps neurodivergent individuals navigate that system with greater clarity, confidence, and resilience.

If you're wondering whether coaching might be the right support for you or your adult child, you can schedule a complimentary consultation to explore whether someone on our team of coaches might be part of your success story.

Key Takeaways

• The gap between employer confidence and employee experience is real, and current workplace research is documenting it.

• Awareness and acceptance are not enough on their own. Employers need practical understanding of autism and neurodivergence in the workplace.

• Accommodations must be individualized. What works for one autistic employee may not work for another.

• A supportive HR department or company policy cannot fully protect an employee if their direct supervisor lacks knowledge or flexibility.

• If you are an autistic adult or the parent of one, workplace struggles are not proof of a lack of motivation, professionalism, or capability.

• Better outcomes often depend on the right mix of self-advocacy, informed support, and workplaces that train managers to respond well.

Resources

• City & Guilds Foundation Neurodiversity Index Report 2026. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2026, from https://77f20764.flowpaper.com/CityandGuildsFoundationNeurodiversityIndexReport2026/

About the Author

Patty Laushman is the founder and head coach of Thrive Autism Coaching. An expert in the transition to adulthood for autistic emerging adults, she coaches parents in applying her SBN™ parenting framework to strengthen relationships and foster self-sufficiency through her Parenting for Independence program. Patty’s work is rooted in a neurodiversity-affirming, strengths-based approach that empowers both parents and autistic adults to thrive. She is also the author of the groundbreaking book, Parenting for Independence: Overcoming Failure to Launch in Autistic Emerging Adults.