Meeting Needs, Not Labels
Our founder, Amanda Kirby, chaired the government-backed panel behind this report. Its message is a simple one: workplace support should respond to the person in front of you, not wait for a diagnosis.
Read the report on GOV.UKWatch the webinar
Join Amanda Kirby in conversation with Susie, Lexxic's Chief Psychologist, for a 20-minute briefing on the report's key findings — what it highlighted, what is still an issue, why needs-led support matters so much, and what actually works.
- 20 minutes with Amanda Kirby, interviewed by our Chief Psychologist
- Watch at a time that suits you
- Available on demand from 26 November 2026
What Susie and Amanda discuss
Susie, Lexxic's Chief Psychologist, talks to Amanda Kirby about the report behind it all: what it highlighted, what is still getting in the way, why needs-led support matters so much, and what actually works in practice.
What the report found
The Expert Academic Panel's central findings, and the specific issues and challenges it highlighted across work, health and education — including why the current diagnosis-led model leaves so many people unsupported.
What's still an issue
Where progress is lagging: waitlists and assessment bottlenecks, the gap between national policy and everyday practice, and the people who still fall through the cracks between services.
Why 'needs led' matters
Why support that starts with the person in front of you — their role, their environment, what would actually help — reaches more people, sooner, than waiting for a label. And what a diagnosis can, and can't, tell you about someone's experience of work.
What actually works
What the evidence says about the interventions that make a measurable difference — early identification, individualised support, coaching, and confident line managers — and where employers should start.
From report to practice
Three layers, one shift: away from labels, toward needs.
The Report
Amanda Kirby, Lexxic's founder, chaired the Expert Academic Panel on Neurodiversity. Published by the Department for Work and Pensions on 2 October 2026, it broadens the earlier Buckland Review from autism alone into a needs-led, person-centred approach across all neurodivergent conditions — recommending Universal Design over diagnosis-led support.
The Psychologist's View
There really is no standard neurodivergent experience. Two people can have the same diagnosis and experience work very differently — and sometimes there isn’t a diagnosis at all. A diagnosis doesn’t tell us what someone’s experience of work is like, what they’re good at, or what might actually help. That’s where good support starts — understanding the person, the role they’re doing, and the environment around them, before we even think about a label.
Susie, Chief Psychologist at Lexxic
How Lexxic Helps
This is where the report meets practice: early identification through Do-IT Profiler, individualised support through a Workplace Needs Assessment, ongoing 1:1 coaching, and training and consulting to embed the shift toward needs-led support across your organisation.
Want the full breakdown of the government's response?
We've written a detailed analysis of all 18 commitments in the government's response — what each one means for employers, and what to watch next.
Read the full articleHow do you know what your people need?
Five quick questions — no scoring, no saving, just a moment to reflect on how needs-led your current approach really is.
Do people need a formal diagnosis before you offer any support?
Can a line manager describe what "reasonable adjustments" means in their own words?
Is there a clear, known route for someone to ask for support without naming a condition?
Do you review adjustments after they are put in place, not just when they are requested?
Would most people in your organisation know where to find this kind of support?
This is a quick, informal reflection — not a diagnostic tool and nothing here is saved.
Now in its fifth year with City & Guilds
Lexxic is proud to be involved for a fifth consecutive year in the City & Guilds report, which reaches similar conclusions on the evidence for coaching and needs-led support at work. Its findings sit alongside Amanda Kirby's government-reviewed report and a related report from psychologist Peter Fonagy, published a week earlier on Friday 25 September 2026 — three independent pieces of work converging on the same direction of travel. [City & Guilds report link — TBC]
Put a needs-led approach into practice
Whatever stage you're at — identifying needs, assessing them, or supporting people day to day — Lexxic can help.
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