Neurodiversity in Mediation – Why Inclusive Practice Matters

By Shane Dempsey, ARC Partner

I was reading an article on Mediate.com which highlighted something we’ve noted for several years. Neurodiversity isn’t an exception in mediation; it’s part of the normal variation of human experience. With an estimated one in seven people being neurodivergent, mediators are called to understand how differences in communication, sensory processing, emotional regulation, and information processing can shape the mediation room.

The article emphasises that neurodivergent clients may communicate differently, process information at a different pace, experience sensory environments more intensely, or respond to stress in ways that don’t align with neurotypical expectations. It also stresses the value that neurodivergent perspectives bring, from pattern recognition to creative problem?solving, and encourages mediators to adopt flexible, respectful, and inclusive approaches.

At ARC, this has been central to our work for 15 years. Across hundreds of family, workplace, and commercial mediations, we have supported clients from diverse professional, cultural, and neurological backgrounds;  including clients who are self?diagnosed or formally assessed as autistic, dyslexic, or ADHD.

Our approach is shaped by both professional experience and our own lived understanding of neurodiversity. To create a genuinely neuro?inclusive mediation process, we:

• Use clear, structured communication, written and verbal, and signpost legal or financial issues so clients can seek and understand independent advice.
  Provide regular summaries and clear agendas, helping clients track progress and stay oriented throughout the process.
• Maintain a calm, low?sensory mediation environment, with quiet space, soft lighting, filtered air, and sound?proofing to reduce overwhelm.
• Acknowledge different emotional processing styles in a kind, non?pathologising way, encouraging breaks when discussions become emotionally saturated.
• Adapt communication formats , face?to?face, phone, or text?based, based on each client’s preference and processing strengths.
• Check in frequently to ensure clients remain engaged, informed, and supported by their advisors, fostering a collaborative and learning?focused atmosphere.
• Plan the mediation process around each party’s capacity, pacing meetings and background work to avoid overload, and encouraging therapeutic support where helpful. We aim for an atmosphere that is relaxed, respectful, and free from unnecessary formality so clients, neurodivergent or neurotypical,  feel at ease.

As the article suggests, embracing neurodiversity enriches the mediation process. It leads to clearer communication, more thoughtful pacing, and ultimately better outcomes for everyone involved.