ME/CFS classed as 'Acquired Neurodivergence' by some DWP Access To Work Training Guides

[Lou B Lou]

ME/CFS as 'Acquired Neurodivergence', according to coaching companies. ME/CFS appears to be food for coaching companies, who find even more ways to include ME/CFS in whatever the coaching specialty is that they are selling.


'the Canary has discovered a number of AtW [DWP Access to Work] coaching providers specialising in support for neurodivergent employees are promoting their services for people living with ME.

The Canary has identified at least three peddling this:

• Creased Puddle
• Genius Within
• No Drama Llamas

' a webpage Genius Within created in September 2020 features a page on ‘Chronic neurological conditions’ where it classifies multiple sclerosis, “chronic fatigue syndrome”, and long Covid as a ‘neurotype’ called ‘acquired neurodivergence’.'



'A 2017 report that the British Psychological Society (BPS) launched at the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Psychology categorised ME amid a group of neurological conditions it described as “acquired neurodiversity”*.

The report’s core thrust was largely about adaptations and interventions employers could put into place to support neurodivergent employees.


But the interventions involved some problematic suggestions for employees with ME, including:

• Formal coaching for “executive functions, communication skills, stress management and understanding own abilities.”
• Vocational rehabilitation and Individual Placement and Support (IPS).'

Genius Within’s founder and CEO Dr Nancy Doyle co-authored the [British Psychological Society] report. And now, her organisation is among the handful pushing this ‘acquired neurodivergence’ paradigm. The support it offers to employees with ME is coaching for:

• Stress
• Time management
• Organisation
• Memory
• Listening and taking notes
• Verbal communication

So it’s evident Doyle’s approach has little changed since the 2017 BPS report. Because clearly employers simply need to coach the chronic multi-systems dysfunctions out of their employees with ME.'


'The consequences of this are obvious. Because in turn, it means the government’s attack on neurodivergent people not in work will target people with ME too.'


'If the foremost scheme improving workplace accessibility for disabled employees is directing people with ME to organisations that treat their condition in neurodivergent terms, it also doesn’t have to provide the more expensive support workers, job aides, and workplace accommodations that people with ME actually need to re-enter and/or stay in employment.'




'.... Medical adviser to the ME Association Dr Charles Shepherd told the Canary:

The ME Association is aware of a number of people who have some form of neurodivergence as well as having ME/CFS. However, neurodivergent conditions are increasingly being diagnosed – so there are bound to be some people who have both conditions, and there is no research evidence to indicate that the two conditions are linked.

It is not therefore correct to classify ME/CFS as an acquired neurodivergent condition. Incorrect classification of ME/CFS as a neurodivergent disorder could also lead to inappropriate forms of symptom or support management being advised.

'Overall, ‘acquired neurodivergence’ seems to be the new ‘psychosomatic’ for ME patients.

Where previously, the DWP benefitted from the trivialisation of ME as a mental health condition, now it can weaponise this idea that its neurological symptoms constitute neurodivergence developed from chronic illness.

The consequences of this are obvious. Because in turn, it means the government’s attack on neurodivergent people not in work will target people with ME too.'

https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/04/16/dwp-me/

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[JellyBabyKid]

It's amazing what they will do, and waste money on, to avoid funding biomedical research that might potentially lead to a treatment at some future point beyond the current parliament.

Short-termism meets willful ignorance.

 

[Lou B Lou]

The coaching companies telling the DWP that ME/CFS is 'Acquired Neurodiversity' and providing 'back to work' coaching courses. It's Very Obvious that their coaching criteria Do Not encompass the disabling illness limitations of ME/CFS. PEM is not even anywhere on their radar. These companies, and by extension the DWP which employs these companies, have reclassified ME/CFS as 'difference', Not physical illness which disables and can be fatal.



Genius Within

'Lifelong medical conditions such as multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, long term COVID-19, can result in a spiky profile and impact our ability to work at our best. Executive functions are often affected, impacting processing speed, concentration and attention.'

' Even when our health is not at its best we can maximise and develop skills'

Chronic neurological conditions

Genius Within offer services, including coaching, to support those struggling with Chronic neurological conditions, such as fatigue and long term COVID-19.

geniuswithin.org

No Drama Llamas

Live Your Dreams​

'Life is full of opportunities, and it is our job to help you figure out which opportunities to take advantage of in order to live the life you want. When you choose to live a dream, you need a plan to make it come true. Once you have a plan, a coach will help you stick to it and get around any obstacles.'

No Drama Llamas

at work or home

nodramallamas.org

The Canary article states:

In a 2021 Returning to Work briefing, Creased Puddle’s CEO Caroline Turner said:

Our expertise lies in developing and supporting neurominorities, yet with COVID-19 we are seeing our services extending to other conditions such as Chronic Fatigue, Fybromyalgia and Depression.

If this coaching company includes ME/CFS as an 'Acquired Neurodiversity' condition then it has been misinforming Police authorities, Councils, and Housing Associations.


Creased Puddle - Understanding Minds of All Kinds
Provides Workplace Support, Access to Work, and Police, Prisons, Courts

'By understanding Neurodiversity within the Criminal Justice System, we can change lives. Our specialist CJS [Criminal Justice System] team, made up of former CJS professionals, provide support across the sector.'

Neurodiversity Webinars​

'Our fully qualified and experienced training team have delivered 1000’s of hours of Police training across the world ...'

Police Neurodiversity Training - Creased Puddle

Creased Puddle are recognised by CJS leaders as experts in Police Neurodiversity training and how this translates into everyday operational practices.

www.creasedpuddle.co.uk

Understanding Minds of All Kinds - Creased Puddle

We provide practical solutions to organisations and individuals who want to increase their knowledge and understanding of Neurodiversity.

www.creasedpuddle.co.uk

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[InitialConditions]

Thanks for highlighting this. A bit concerning. But perhaps worth changing the title of the thread to

'ME/CFS classed as 'Acquired Neurodivergence' in some DWP Access to Work materials'​

or something similar, before anyone is confused by this. As far as I know, the main DWP classification for 'CFS' remains under the banner 'Other disorders of the brain'.

 

[Lou B Lou]

Thanks @InitialConditions. Done. The concern is that ME/CFS defined as 'Acquired Neurodivergence' will catch on and spread, to the absolute detriment of pwME.

 

[InitialConditions]

Thanks @InitialConditions. Done. The concern is that ME/CFS defined as 'Acquired Neurodivergence' will catch on and spread, to the absolute detriment of pwME.

Yes, worth keeping an eye on.

 

[JellyBabyKid]

• Creased Puddle
• Genius Within
• No Drama Llamas

What is with these names?
I don't know if they are aiming for cutesy or some sort of weird code

As a neurodivergent person No. Stop.it.

 

[Turtle]

Me being ADHD? Must have been blocked out by fatigue. Even before ME/CFS I could knit with 2-3 mm needles, whole sweaters. For those not familiar with the hobby, that's a whole lot of stitches. not well suited for ADHD.
I was intelligent before ME/CFS, I've dumbed down an awful lot because of brainfog. As a second chance student, I started studying at uni at 26 and in my final year ME/CFS stopped me from going to the finish. Not superintelligent, just doing the best I could.
No autism, no dyslexia or discalculia.
Find the neurodivergence. It should be somewhere?
Yuk, moneygrabbers and employers willing to pay to get their employees out off sickleave.

 

[MrMagoo]

Controversial take - towards the end of my time working I was following ADHD coaching advice, because my executive functioning, verbal/listening/organisational skills were trash.

I also might have ADHD and was just unable to mask due to being exhausted. Who knows? I would have benefitted from this if I’d been able to access it.

I also would have benefitted from not working, working less, having a supportive employer and colleagues…

It would have only helped to the point where I became too unwell to work.

What occurs to me is the question “can they also coach workers with dementia?” Because I keep (rightly or wrongly) comparing my cognitive issues with dementia. In that I can tell you what something is one minute, then have no memory of it the next. I can have a “good phase” where I function well but many bad times I can’t.

No coaching in the world can train me to function well when I am ill, just as we can’t train regular people to do data input accurately in their sleep nor can we coach dementia patients to remember their own children when they see them.

I understand the concern about this becoming the new type of psychologisation of ME although I think the Canary has been a bit hyperbolic here.

 

[wabi-sabi]

What occurs to me is the question “can they also coach workers with dementia?”

There is a thing called cognitive rehabilitation therapy for dementia. I sure wouldn't call it coaching, in the way I wouldn't call stroke rehabilitation coaching. Of course, it only works in mild cases and there comes a point in disease progression where it no longer works.

I have had memory and attention problems too- like setting an alarm on my phone to take medication and between turning off the alarm and putting the phone down forgetting to take the medication and even forgetting that the alarm rang. At that point, strategies fail, but this is when very exhausted. I've been reading a book lately called Reader, Come Home, written by Maryanne Wolf, a neuroscientist who studies reading. She mentions that short term memory is really very short (I forget how many seconds, of course), and turning off your phone alarm and forgetting that it rang by the time you set it down is in line with the length of short term memory. The book is about the cognitive problems and deficits that happen when we stop reading and become habitues of social media instead, and it feels so much like the deficits in my ME. The neuro people who study reading are the only people I've come across that seem to be describing my problem, and they don't even mean to talk about ME an have probably never heard of it...

I am certainly curious about the neuroscience of ADD and how it compares to our problems, but I'm also certain that I did not have ADD or similar before getting sick. ADD and similar are developmental disorders, so I've got to think there is something different going on in terms of how the brain originally forms and functions that is different from out situation. I've heard neuroscience people describe MECFS as more similar to a TBI and that's how it feels to me- like I've been kicked in the head over and over until I can't think.

I haven't read the paper of course, since I don't have the energy and attention, but it strikes me that any cognitive therapy, like any physical therapy, will only work when applied within the confines of the illness.

I also object to being called neurodivergent. I am straight up brain damaged and I would like that reality acknowleged and for someone to fix it and give me my brain back.