Across this research, one finding stood out clearly: depth of understanding matters. Where practitioners had received meaningful training on neurodiversity, or drew on lived experience, their practice looked markedly different. Where they had not, uncertainty, inconsistency, and risk filled the gap.
Awareness is not the same as competence
Out of ten participants working across Counter Terrorism policing, half reported receiving no formal training on neurodiversity. This was despite neurodivergence being a recurring and significant feature of their caseloads.
Some participants described a single one‑hour online input. Others referred to brief awareness sessions that, while helpful, were widely viewed as insufficient. Only three participants had completed more comprehensive training, and notably, two of those spoke in detail about how it had fundamentally changed their practice.
This training was not mandatory. Places were limited. Once missed, there were no clear alternative pathways.
The result was predictable: knowledge depended on chance, not structure.
When understanding comes from elsewhere
Several participants explained that their understanding of neurodiversity came not from professional training, but from personal experience; having neurodivergent family members or being neurodivergent themselves.
These individuals consistently demonstrated more adaptive, reflective practice. They were also the practitioners most likely to describe concrete, thoughtful adjustments when working with neurodivergent suspects or offenders.
This raises an uncomfortable but important question: Should quality of practice rely on personal circumstance, or professional preparation?
What “good” training changes in practice
Participants with deeper training did not simply describe more knowledge. They actually described different ways of working.
Adjustments included:
- shifting away from standard interview tactics towards needs‑led engagement,
- adapting environments (lighting, temperature, clothing, time limits),
- avoiding forced eye contact and confrontational positioning,
- using clear, direct questions rather than abstract or open framing,
- checking understanding explicitly, including written versions of key information,
- incorporating sensory tools or movement where helpful,
- and making adjustments throughout court proceedings.
These were not specialist interventions. They were practical, proportionate changes grounded in understanding, and they were only explicitly mentioned in half of the interviews.
The risk of inconsistent training
When training is optional, uneven, or superficial, practice becomes inconsistent. That inconsistency feeds directly into several issues identified earlier in this series:
- variable recognition of vulnerability,
- uncertainty around intent and capacity,
- reliance on surface‑level assumptions,
- and increased likelihood of criminalisation where support might otherwise suffice.
In high‑stakes contexts such as extremism and terrorism, inconsistency itself becomes a risk factor.
Reflections for practice
This finding invites organisations and practitioners to reflect on:
- Is neurodiversity training positioned as essential, or supplementary?
- Do staff understand how neurodivergence intersects with online behaviour, risk, and communication?
- Are reasonable adjustments dependent on individual discretion, or embedded in systems?
- And who is currently bearing the cost of gaps in understanding?
Training does not remove risk. But it changes how risk is recognised, interpreted, and managed.
Closing the series
This blog closes a five‑part series exploring how online algorithms, neurodivergence, and systems of response intersect. Taken together, the findings point to a clear conclusion: Neurodivergence is not a single explanatory factor, but without informed practice, it too easily becomes one.
If prevention and safeguarding are the goal, then depth of understanding is not optional.
If you work in criminal justice, safeguarding, or prevention and want to build deeper, practice‑relevant understanding of neurodiversity in high‑risk contexts, we offer specialist training and advisory support. To discuss your needs or find out more about our services, please get in touch.