Employees and employers alike, should all be trained on the concept of Spiky Profiles to understand how ADHD can result in spiky skills.
The term ‘Spiky Profile’, coined by Grant (2009) and popularised by Professor Amanda Kirby, relates to all people and particularly all forms of neurodivergence. Being ADHD myself though, that’s going to be my point of reference here.
Whether you are ADHD yourself, or work with people who are, it’s good to understand Spikey Profiles so that you can embrace strengths and support weaknesses. If you work in HR, if you manage, or get managed by someone who is ADHD, knowing how Spiky Profiles work will help to improve mutual understanding and expectations.
A good introductory visualisation for Spiky Profiles appears in the paper “Neurodiversity at work: A biopsychosocial model and the impact on working adults” by Dr Nancy Doyle. While this example shows IQ on the Y-Axis, and has the four variables of verbal skills, working memory, visual skills, and processing speed, it should be noted that this is just one model for demonstrative purposes. Often the Y-axis will not be IQ, and the variables will differ greatly.
What is hopefully demonstrative about that visualisation, is that the range is smaller (less spiky) for neurotypical people. Which makes sense of course, because population majorities are neurotypical, and so averages will settle around their ranges. Neurodivergent people however, will have a greater range in both directions. It has been said that multiple instances of two standard deviations from the norm (the average line, in this case set at 100) is fairly representative of neurodivergence – though not all Spiky profiles will be based on deviations, or averages. The image above is a simplified version for demonstrative purposes, because there are many more data points that would typically be measured, and other methods or measurement.
The following visualisations (also demonstrative) should now be easier to digest, so that the problems people with ADHD experience via some others’ perceptions of them, can better understood.
Here is an example with lots of data points, which would have been averaged out through weightings to create a middle score of 5 across a population.
Here is the profile of a neurotypical person, relative to that average line.
It’s quite spiky, but it’s mostly within two standard deviations of the norm. Even if one or two of those data points popped out a little further, that would still describe a neurotypical spiky profile.
Here’s a very spiky profile, that of someone who is neurodivergent. Some of the data points are well within the two standard deviations, in fact some of them are even on the average line, but many are also much further out.
There’s a problem with having a spiky profile like this though, and it’s to do with how much of what makes you, you is ‘seen’ by others because of how neurotypical standards are normalised in the working world. Most of the systems and processes in working environments were designed by neurotypical people, for neurotypical people. That means you’ll be judged for what’s in the red just like everyone else, but your deficits (your lower spikes) will be seen also, because that’s where you won’t be able to meet those same standards.
What can happen as a result, is that your capabilities highlighted part in the image below becomes your ‘whole’. Regardless of whether you’ve had a screener / profiler done to visualise your profile, the profile still exists because your higher and lower capabilities still exist – and if some people are unaware of spiky profiles, there is a risk that they don’t see your higher capabilities, negatively skewing your profile.
Even worse, you will likely come across at least a few people in your working life who find what you cannot do so frustrating, that the lower capabilities is all they will see of you – to them, this highlighted section is your whole.
With learning about Spiky Profiles though, people are more likely to become consciously aware your true whole self, seeing the prominent high spikes as well as the low ones.
Noticing the differences between them and you, in both directions means they know where you’ll need support and some expectations managed, but also where you will thrive and they will be able to celebrate with you.
Line charts are not the only way to view your profile though. For example, the Do-IT Profiler shows your neurodiversity traits, and lists your strengths, potential strengths, challenges, and possible challenges – all with descriptions and guidance for each aspect.
So if you’re neurodivergent yourself and you understand Spiky Profiles, you’ll be able to learn your own areas of strengths and challenges, and start cutting yourself some slack/stop beating yourself up for areas you find more challenging than others, or for ‘not getting it’ when others do. But also you’ll be able to look for, and carve out, opportunities to let your advantages shine through.
And if you work with someone who is neurodivergent, understanding Spiky Profiles might mean you knowing that if you give your colleague room to do it their way, they’ll be able to get even better end results, than others that follow the status quo.
There are lots of places you can find out about your own Spiky Profiles, but two recommended screeners are:
Do-IT Profiler – Neurodiversity Workplace + and Genius Within – MyGeniusFinder
To find out more about spiky profiles, and more about the spiky skills of people with ADHD, check out ADHDworking’s online training with the ADHD course for businesses or the ADHD course for schools, where you can earn CPD points and a CPD certification.