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Creased Puddle

Name: Creased Puddle
Address: 14 Middlethorpe Business Park, Sim Balk Lane, York, YO232BD, GB
Telephone: +448006696035

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Helping organisations and individuals increase their understanding of neurodiversity through practical, proven solutions. 🧠

30/10/2026

Content note: this post mentions death, including su***de and intentional injury.

We need to talk about ADHD and health.

New research covering almost 16 million people shows why.

Picture someone in their thirties.
Creative. Quick-thinking. Full of ideas.

For years, the forgetfulness, restlessness and exhaustion get put down to personality.

Then anxiety arrives.
Then low mood.

The link goes unnoticed.

Until an assessment and a diagnosis finally make sense of it all, and the right support follows.

And things start to change.

That moment matters more than many of us realised.

A team led by University College London reviewed 19 studies from seven countries. The findings were published in JAMA Network Open on 19th October.

Compared with people without ADHD, people with ADHD had a 71% higher rate of death from any cause.

Looking at specific causes, the rates included:

→ 89% higher for su***de
→ 55% higher for intentional or unintentional injury
→ 27% higher for natural causes

These findings describe associations. They don't suggest that ADHD itself causes these deaths.

The research also found reason for hope.

ADHD medication was linked to a 25% lower rate of death from any cause.

The researchers think mental health conditions that often sit alongside ADHD, like depression and anxiety, may be part of the explanation. Their conclusion: timely diagnosis and treatment matter.

At Creased Puddle, we see ADHD as a difference, not a deficit. Reading this, we keep coming back to one thing. Understanding ADHD at work is about people's health and wellbeing, as well as how they perform.

In practice, that starts with:

→ Recognising how ADHD may affect people at work
→ Putting reasonable adjustments in place
→ Creating a culture where people feel safe to talk

This ADHD Awareness Month, we'd like to see awareness turn into action.

If you're thinking about what that could look like for your team, we'd be glad to talk.

If any of this affects you personally, Samaritans are available any time on 116 123.

Read the full study: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2855472

28/10/2026

Why waiting for a diagnosis can be costly for employers

A few years ago, an HR manager told us she was waiting for a formal diagnosis before making any changes for a member of her team. Her reasoning was that it kept the process consistent for everyone.

The wait for an assessment ran to around a year. During that time, the employee’s performance slipped. Deadlines were missed, Monday meetings became harder, and she began to doubt her own ability.

When the diagnosis came through, the adjustments took about ten minutes to put in place: a written agenda before meetings, instructions in one place rather than three, and a quiet space for focused work.

In this case, the adjustments were quick and low cost. The delay was where most of the impact came from.

Most HR teams we work with are not ignoring neurodivergent staff. They are following process and trying to apply policy consistently and protect the business. Applying the same approach to everyone is a reasonable aim, though it doesn’t always lead to the same outcome for each person.

The same applies beyond ADHD and autism. It could be dyslexia, dyspraxia, or something that hasn’t been identified yet. Where someone is struggling and support depends on a diagnosis, support can be delayed by a long time.

At Creased Puddle, we train HR teams to:

1. Recognise the signs without needing a label
2. Hold a first conversation with confidence
3. Put simple adjustments in place early
4. Understand what the Equality Act does and doesn’t require
5. You don’t need to be an expert to start. Support can begin before a diagnosis.

If there is someone in your team you have been meaning to speak to, this week is a good time.

We're hosting a 3 hour HR awareness programme for just £50 on 5th November.

It's a simple step that your HR team can take to improve their understanding of neurodiversity and improve the conversations that are taking place in your workplace.

This will be the last date we deliver this before Christmas.

Grab a spot here 👇

https://www.creasedpuddle.co.uk/neurodiversity-training-for-hr/

26/10/2026

Our Level 4 Neurodiversity Workplace Needs Assessor course has sold out for January. Thank you to everyone who booked a place.

The recent independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism calls for a "needs-led plus diagnosis" system, and says support should not be delayed until a diagnosis has been secured. Our Level 4 course supports that approach: looking at the task, the environment and the person, so organisations can put the right adjustments in place.

New dates will be announced soon. To be the first to know, join our mailing list here: https://creasedpuddle.co.uk/newsletter/

23/10/2026

There's a setting on your work laptop that tints the whole screen to a colour that suits your eyes.

It's switched off by default.

It's called colour filters, and it's my favourite Microsoft accessibility feature.

I'm Miriam, a second year Psychology student at the University of Stirling.

I've been working with Creased Puddle on an accessibility guide for Microsoft Teams, so learners can get the most out of their virtual training sessions.

I was lucky to shadow Caroline delivering training in the past.

That really helped shape my project this time round.

I'm enjoying working closely with the team, building my own skills while helping others.

Along the way, I shared my five favourite Microsoft features for the Creased Puddle blog:

1. Colour filters
2. Live captions in Teams
3. Raise your hand
4. Speech to text
5. Accessibility Checker

Some of them might already be on your laptop, just switched off.

Pick one and try it this week.

Read the full blog: https://www.creasedpuddle.co.uk/microsoft-accessibility-features-neuro-inclusion/

21/10/2026

The coaching sessions were going well.

Strategies that worked. Confidence coming back. A plan that finally made sense.

Then they went back to their desk.

And the plan stayed in one person's head.

Their manager cared. They wanted to help.
They just hadn't been in the room.

So they did their best with what they knew.

Some days, support arrived that wasn't needed.
Other days, the support that was needed didn't come.

Two people, both trying. Working from different pages.

We see this a lot. It's why we offer co-coaching.

Once trust is built and goals are agreed, the manager joins a session. Coach, coachee and manager, in one conversation.

Together, they agree:
The strategies that work.
What support looks like day to day.
When to step in, and when to step back.

Nobody left working it out alone.

Coaching builds the skills.
Shared understanding makes them last.

Managers: have you ever been invited into a colleague's coaching?

Yes, no, or "I didn't know that was an option"?

Find out more about co-coaching: https://www.creasedpuddle.co.uk/service/neurodiversity-coaching/

19/10/2026

Dyslexia can be a problem-solving advantage.

James Dyson is often named among famous dyslexic people. He failed 5,126 times before he solved suction.

In the late 1970s, his vacuum cleaner annoyed him. The bag clogged. The suction dropped. Everyone accepted it. He didn't.

So he built a prototype. It failed. He built another. That failed too. Prototype 5,127 was the one that worked: a vacuum that didn't lose suction. The way his story is usually told, it wasn't more effort that got him there. It was a different way of seeing the problem.

Dr Alice Siberry uses this story in our Neurodiversity for Line Managers and Supervisors training, because problem solving and tenacity like this are strengths many dyslexic and neurodivergent people bring to work.

How does your workplace judge failure?

Our 3-hour live courses:
Line managers and supervisors: https://creasedpuddle.co.uk/courses/neurodiversity-for-line-managers-and-supervisors/
HR professionals: https://creasedpuddle.co.uk/neurodiversity-training-for-hr/

16/10/2026

Not replying straight away doesn't mean not caring.

For many neurodivergent people, WhatsApp can be hard to keep up with. Notifications stack up, group chats move quickly, and a message that needs some thought can take a day or two to answer. None of that says anything about how much someone values the person who sent it.

A few shared agreements can take the pressure off for everyone, at work and at home. Here are 8 to try, and why each one helps.

1. Say how you like to be messaged
People work best in different ways. Some prefer text to calls, some like a heads up before a call, and some need a message first so they can get ready to talk. Saying it once saves everyone the guessing. Try: "Text works best for me. If you'd like to call, a quick message first helps."

2. Add a line of text to voice notes
A voice note is hard to skim. It can't be read in a quiet room or a meeting, and it's difficult to tell how long it will take. One line of text on top lets people choose when to listen. Try: "Voice note coming. In short: can we move Thursday to Friday?"

3. Keep voice notes short
A minute or less, with one point per note, is much easier to take in and to reply to. A long note with several points can leave someone unsure which part to answer first. Try: "Quick one, under a minute: are you free on Friday at 2?"

4. Let replies take the time they need
Many people need time to read, think and reply properly. A quick answer isn't always a better one. Making it clear that nothing needs an instant response lowers the pressure on both sides. Try: "Got this. I'll reply properly this afternoon."

5. Let people know it's landed
Silence can be hard to read. A thumbs up or a quick "seen" tells the sender the message arrived, without needing a full answer yet. Try: "Seen this, thank you. I'll come back to you on Friday."

6. One message, one clear ask
When several questions sit in one message, parts of it are easy to miss. Saying what you need and by when makes it simpler to act on. Try: "Could you send the rota by Thursday? Thank you."

7. Make your tone easy to read
Text has no face or voice, so short messages can come across differently from how they were meant. A friendly word at the start sets the tone and saves people from reading between the lines. Try: "Friendly nudge, no rush on this."

8. Agree quiet hours
Constant alerts make it hard to focus and hard to switch off. Agreeing when messages can wait, and pinning the ones that matter, helps people stay on top of the important things. Try: "I've pinned the key dates. No need to reply to the rest."

Every one of these is a line you can borrow word for word.

Please share this post with the group chat, team or family where it would help, and save it for the next time a chat gets hard to keep up with. One shared message can make the whole conversation easier.

These are practical ideas to try alongside individual support, not instead of it.

14/10/2026

"Everyone's ADHD these days." A line many people hear in training sessions. Caroline from Creased Puddle shares what she hears behind it, and what helps: information shared with kindness and a safe space to ask questions.

12/10/2026

Congratulations to Gloucestershire Constabulary, shortlisted for the Occupational Health Award at the Oscar Kilo UK Awards 2026. The winners are announced tomorrow.

What happens when a police force builds neurodiversity support skills in-house? A clearer, quicker route to the right adjustments for colleagues and managers.

Colleagues from HR, learning and development, and occupational health trained with us as Level 4 Neurodiversity Workplace Needs Assessors. The force also introduced a Workplace Reasonable Adjustment Plan, a short, high-level record that travels with the individual, so a new manager can pick up support from day one.

Congratulations also to Warwickshire Police, shortlisted at the Oscar Kilo Awards 2026. More on their story soon.

We are so proud of them both. Good luck!

We’ve written about Gloucestershire on our blog: https://www.creasedpuddle.co.uk/level-4-neurodiversity-workplace-needs-assessor-policing-gloucestershire/

10/10/2026

Today is World Mental Health Day, and this year's theme is Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change.

Neurodiversity and mental health conditions often sit side by side. A 2019 meta-analysis of 35 studies (Hollocks et al., Psychological Medicine) found that 42% of autistic adults had experienced an anxiety disorder, and 37% a depressive disorder, at some point in their lives. A 2025 review (Fu et al., Frontiers in Psychiatry) puts anxiety disorders at between 25% and 50% of people with ADHD.

These figures show how often these experiences occur together, not why. What they point to is how much being understood matters. A good place to begin is a simple question: "What would help this week go well for you?"

If you or someone you know needs urgent support, Samaritans are free to call on 116 123, any time.

Sources: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291718002283 and https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1597559

Address

14 Middlethorpe Business Park, Sim Balk Lane
York
YO232BD

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Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
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Telephone

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Website

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