This week’s a big one!
It’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) Week. OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) Awareness Week. And this Friday is DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) Awareness Day.
On their own, each one spotlights a different kind of difference. But together?
They enable us to focus on something bigger: who gets heard, who gets misunderstood, and how we design inclusion from the ground up.
Whether it’s a child struggling to find words, a colleague living with intrusive thoughts, or a chatbot trained without diverse input - the risks are the same. Misunderstanding. Mistrust. Missed potential.
Today I’m talking about:
Info: How AI, OCD and DLD all link back to inclusion through communication
Tips: How to spot hidden barriers in the ways we interact and respond
Recommendations: Events and tools to help you go deeper this October
AI, OCD, and DLD
That’s a lot of acronyms! All explained above if needed. And more detail about each below.
AI is reshaping our lives fast. But most of it is built using limited data, meaning the experience of minority and marginalised groups such as neurodivergent people often gets left out. From facial recognition to automated recruitment, tech that “learns” from biased data ends up reinforcing exclusion.
👉 I’m doing a talk for AI Week on exactly this:
How do we build ‘inclusion intelligence’ into our use of AI?
Fri 24th October 2025
2.30-3.00 PM BST
Click here to register for your free place
Image description: Invitation to my AI week talk. Details include AI week 13-24 October 2025, talk title: Inclusion Intelligence: The missing skill in AI you can’t afford to ignore, 24 October 2025 2:30 PM.
OCD, despite being widely referenced, is still wildly misunderstood. It’s not about neatness or handwashing. It’s a condition rooted in unwanted, intrusive thoughts and compulsions, and for many, it’s exhausting, isolating, and invisible.
DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) affects how people understand and use language. It’s estimated to impact 1 in 14 people, yet it’s one of the least known, neurodevelopmental differences. And without the right support, it can affect confidence, learning, and connection.
Do you hear much about these topics and differences in neurodiversity conversations?
I don’t, and would really love to get people thinking more about these lesser discussed experiences and topics.
Tips: Building inclusive spaces
Here are five ways to make interactions safer and more inclusive for everyone, particularly considering our focus on AI, DLD and OCD this week:
Don’t assume understanding = agreement. People might nod along to mask confusion or anxiety. Make space for clarification.
Offer multiple formats. Written, spoken, visual, gesture-based - different brains need different ways to take in and share.
Pause before reacting. Repetition or unexpected behaviours may be self-soothing or processing - not rudeness.
Watch your language. Avoid idioms, sarcasm, or euphemisms that might confuse or alienate.
Lead with curiosity. If something doesn’t make sense, ask yourself: What might they be experiencing right now?
Recommendations
Here’s what to read, watch, or join this week:
My AI Week talk: Inclusion Intelligence
How do we make sure tomorrow’s tech doesn’t leave neurodivergent people behind?
Register for your free place
RADLD for DLD Awareness Day
Brilliant tools to understand and support people with language differences.
Visit RADLD.org
Our October Awareness Toolkit
Myth-busting, inclusive advice, and support strategies - perfect for work or school. Includes fact sheets about DLD and OCD, and tips to support people.
Download the toolkit
💭 Final thought
Inclusion isn’t just about policies.
It’s in the everyday moments: the pause before we speak, the clarity in our words, the patience in how we respond.
So this week, listen a little closer.
And raise awareness of some of the lesser talked about experiences and differences.
Speak soon,
Jess
PS Whenever you’re ready, here are some ways I can help:
Join the waitlist for our NeuroNavigator® programme and become a certified Neurodiversity Champion or Ally. Doors open in November for our next cohort (January 2026), waitlist access available a week early.
Want me to speak or run a workshop in your organisation? Head here to book a chat and make a plan.
Book a FREE Discovery call to chat through how I can support your workplace, your school or your family.
PPS Here's what someone said in a recent self-advocacy workshop I ran where we discussed everyone’s favourite debate around virtual meetings and cameras on or off! "New way of looking at camera on/off which I hadn’t really considered before - definite one to action.” |