Guide

Reasonable adjustments for ADHD and autism at work

Q: Do I need a diagnosis to ask for adjustments?

No. You do not need a formal diagnosis to be covered by the Equality Act or to start the conversation. ACAS says clearly that an employer should consider support, including reasonable adjustments, whether or not you have a diagnosis. A diagnosis or an occupational health assessment can help explain what would work. But you do not need one.

A guide for employees and employers. What the law says, what adjustments look like and how to pay for them.

Eight short chapters. Go to the one you need. Each one stands alone and shows how long it takes to read.

Chapter 01~1 min read

Start here

What this guide covers, and how it is organised.

This guide explains reasonable adjustments at work for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. It is for employees who are deciding whether to ask, and how. It is also for employers who want to get it right. It is based on official guidance. We link to it as we go and list it all at the end.

This page is only about adjustments. For more on the employee or employer side, see our guides for employees and for managers.

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Chapter 02~3 min read

What reasonable adjustments are

The legal duty, in plain terms.

The Equality Act 2010 says your employer must make reasonable adjustments. These are changes so that workers with a disability or health condition are not put at a substantial disadvantage in their job. It is a positive duty. This means your employer must act. Once your employer knows, they should take steps to remove or reduce the disadvantage. It works best when they agree the changes with you. You can read the main duty on GOV.UK (opens in a new tab) and in the ACAS guidance (opens in a new tab).

The duty covers you if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. In plain words, this is a condition that makes normal daily tasks harder. Substantial means more than minor or trivial. Long-term means 12 months or more. Many people with ADHD, autism and other kinds of neurodivergence are covered. Being neurodivergent will often count as a disability under the Act if the effect is substantial and long-term. This is true even if you do not think of yourself as disabled.

What counts as reasonable is not fixed. It depends on things like the cost of the change and how practical it is. It depends on how well it would work. It also depends on the size and resources of your employer. So what is reasonable for a large organisation may be different for a very small one. Often the adjustments are simple and cost little.

You do not need a formal diagnosis to start the conversation. Your employer should consider support whether or not you have one. So you can describe the problem and the change that would help. You can deal with any paperwork later.

Do you manage people, instead of being the one who asks? Our guide for managers covers the same topics from your side. It explains what to do when someone discloses, which parts are your job and which are for HR, and how to make adjustments that do not make one person stand out.

Chapter 03~3 min read

What adjustments look like

Five areas, with real examples you can change to fit.

Think about adjustments by the problem they remove, not by anyone's diagnosis. Two people with the same label often need different things. Here are five common areas, with real examples you can change to fit.

Remembering and organising

One trusted place for tasks and notes, so nothing is only in your head
Written notes after spoken instructions or decisions
Tools that organise information for you, so you do not do it by hand
Checklists for regular work or work with many steps

Time and planning

Big deadlines split into clear stages, each with its own date
Seeing now, next and later, not everything at once
Set focus time with fewer interruptions
Extra notice before priorities change

Meetings and communication

Agendas shared before the meeting so you can prepare
Notes or actions written down afterwards
Written updates you can send later, instead of answering out loud on the spot
Clear, direct instructions, not hints

Status updates and reporting

Less status reporting by hand where you can
Progress you can see from the work already done, so nobody has to ask in meetings
One regular written update instead of repeated check-ins
Templates so updates take less effort each time

Environment and sensory

A quiet space, a fixed desk or permission to wear headphones
Camera-optional video meetings
Written instructions instead of spoken ones where possible
Some control over lighting, noise or seating

Chapter 04~2 min read

Access to Work

What it pays for, who can apply and how it works with your job.

Access to Work is a government scheme. It can pay for practical support to help you start work or stay in work. This is on top of the adjustments your employer makes. It does not replace the Equality Act duty. It adds to it. It will not pay for the reasonable adjustments your employer must make by law. But it can pay for support beyond those. You can apply on GOV.UK (opens in a new tab).

Who can apply

You apply yourself. It is your application, not your employer's. You can apply if you are employed or self-employed, or if you have a firm job offer. If you are employed, there is no limit on what you earn or save. If you are self-employed, your business must take in at least £6,708 a year (your annual turnover). This is the minimum for 2026/27, and it rises each year.

What it can fund

It depends on your needs. A grant can help pay for special equipment and software that helps you work. It can pay for support workers, such as a job coach. It can pay for support with your mental health at work. And it can pay the costs of getting to work if you cannot use public transport.

How it works with your job

Access to Work checks what you need and agrees a grant to help pay for it. Your employer is still responsible for making reasonable adjustments. The grant pays for extra support on top of that.

Good to know

A grant will not affect any other benefits you get. You do not have to pay it back. There is no set amount. How much you get depends on your situation.

Chapter 05~2 min read

Adjustments that don't single people out

Why the best adjustments help everyone, not only the person who asked.

For many people, the hardest part is not the adjustment. It is the fear of being seen as different for needing one. That fear stops many good requests before anyone makes them.

The best adjustments avoid this, because they help the whole team. Agendas shared before meetings, written notes afterwards, set focus time and clear written updates make work easier for almost everyone. Not only for the person who asked. Nobody has to explain why they need them.

When a whole team uses an adjustment, it is no longer a special case. It is just a better way of working. That is the goal. Change how the team normally works, so fewer people ever have to ask. And the people who do ask are asking for something normal.

Chapter 06~2 min read

Where Humble fits

One option, not the point of this guide.

Humble is designed to include everyone. It is built with people who have ADHD, autism and other kinds of neurodivergence. So the adjustments above are not added later to a general tool. It is one option, not the point of this guide. But you can use it for several of the adjustments above:

One trusted place for tasks and notes, so nothing is only in your head
Now, next and later, not everything at once
Progress you can see from the work you have already done, so nobody has to ask in meetings

Work plans also include reasonable adjustment records for People teams. So support can be agreed and written down in one place. Do you write the policy, not just agree one adjustment? Our guide for HR and People teams explains this for the whole organisation, in depth.

See Humble for teams Book a call

Chapter 07~3 min read

Common questions

Clear answers to the questions people ask most.

Is ADHD a disability under the Equality Act?

ADHD is a kind of neurodivergence. It will often meet the Equality Act 2010 definition of disability. That is a mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Whether it applies depends on how it affects you, not just the label. The same is true for autism. See the ACAS definition of disability (opens in a new tab).

Do I need a diagnosis to ask for adjustments?

No. You do not need a formal diagnosis to be covered or to start the conversation. ACAS (opens in a new tab) says clearly that an employer should consider support, including reasonable adjustments, whether or not you have a diagnosis. A diagnosis or an occupational health assessment can help explain what would work. But you do not need one.

Can software count as a reasonable adjustment?

Yes. Reasonable adjustments can include doing things in a different way. They can include changing or providing equipment. This covers giving someone different tools or software to remove a disadvantage. Whether a tool is reasonable depends on its cost and how practical it is. It also depends on the size and resources of your employer. Access to Work (opens in a new tab) can also help pay for special equipment and software that helps you work.

Who pays — the employer or Access to Work?

Your employer pays for reasonable adjustments. That is their legal duty. The cost of a change is one of the things that decides if it is reasonable. Access to Work (opens in a new tab) is separate. It can pay for support beyond what is reasonable for your employer to provide. It will not pay for the adjustments your employer must make by law.

What if my employer says no?

An employer does not have to make changes that are truly unreasonable. But they should still look for other reasonable ways to help. If you cannot agree, you can raise it informally first. Then you can use your employer's formal process. ACAS (opens in a new tab) gives free advice and does not take sides. A failure to make reasonable adjustments can be a form of disability discrimination.

How do I ask without making it awkward?

Keep it simple and practical. Describe the problem and the change that would help. You do not have to start with your diagnosis. Scope (opens in a new tab) suggests you put the request in writing, so there is a record. You can ask to talk about it, or bring someone with you. Many adjustments cost little or nothing. So it is often a short conversation, not a big request.

Chapter 08~1 min read

Sources

Every source we used, listed in full.

The guidance on this page comes from the current official sources below.

Last reviewed: 10 July 2026. We review this guide again every six months.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Guidance and the law can change. So check the sources above to see what is true now. For advice on your own situation, contact ACAS or a qualified adviser.

Is something wrong or missing? Email us. We read every email.

Use cases