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Ask HN: Is remote work beneficial for neurodiverse individuals?

by majamazz on 10/28/22, 4:51 PM with 12 comments

I've been reading plenty of articles around remote work being very beneficial for neurodiverse individuals and am wondering what do people who identify as neurodiverse think about it. Anyone on here who identifies as neurodiverse and wants to comment? Is it remote work or remote work with specific adjustments?

And what about being a digital nomad (where you change locations on average every 3 - 6 months)? Any particular conditions that would think this is a big no go?

Curious.

  • by azdle on 10/28/22, 5:34 PM

    I've got ADHD, working remotely from home is an infinity% improvement over the open office I was working in before.

    I'd say it's about equal to, or maybe a slight improvement over, the the "team room" I was in before the open office where it was me and ~10 other engineers all working on generally the same categorical area of a product (in my case the hardware team).

    The only thing that I could see possibly being an improvement would be an even smaller, very quiet room that is located within walking distance of my home where only my direct sub-team mates and I sit, they're all people I like, and we all have good "when it's okay to talk" etiquette.

    I feel like that would be an incredibly hard thing to arrange. So, fully remote, working from home, seems to me to be the next best option.

  • by codingdave on 10/28/22, 5:42 PM

    The key part of "neurodiverse" is "diverse". It helps some people, it doesn't help others. I don't even know if we can narrow it down to specific conditions because neurodiversity walks hand in hand with personal coping skills. Again, what works for you might not work for another.

    I'd say that it can be a wonderful experience, so it is worth trying.

  • by wojciii on 10/28/22, 7:27 PM

    I don't have a diagnosis.. but I have my suspicions.

    I work with software development.

    I can't concentrate very well around other people and specially open office environments with lots of noise. So I only go to the office for meetings and work from home most days.

    My efficiency a lot better when working from home. I call people when I want something or need information. I usually work on problems 3-4 hours at a time only taking short breaks for food or bio functions. If I need to think outside the box I can take a walk or so something unrelated to let my mind work on a solution - I often get good ideas while not concentrating on solving the problem but letting my brain do something in the background.

  • by downrightmike on 10/28/22, 5:03 PM

    Humans perform better when they are free from distractions and toil. If your only other choice is and open office, WFH is better for everyone. Humans work well when they can concentrate.

  • by jstx1 on 10/28/22, 5:07 PM

    Doesn't help my ADHD, I get more done when there are people around me.