NeuroPrism

An online community for neurodiverse individuals to learn, share, thrive and inspire - make neurodiversity our superpower.

NeuroPrism is an online community and social media platform for diagnosed and undiagnosed neurodiverse individuals and their families and friends to learn, share, thrive and inspire. The current prototype is an iOS app, but it can be easily adapted to other operating systems as well as the web.

The platform consists of four main services and pillars:

• Learn - raise awareness and dispel misconceptions around neurodiversity through the latest scientific research and clinical guidance
• Share - offer practical tips and advice and recommend tested tools and techniques to effectively manage and take control of neurodiverse conditions
• Thrive - create a safe space and build an inclusive and welcoming community to ask questions, share experiences and support each other
• Inspire - meet neurodiverse role models across different fields, hear their stories and be inspired by their journeys

The mobile app enables users to access the platform anytime and anywhere and be instantly connected to the supportive and informative community. The platform incorporates accessible technology, behavioural technology, medical technology, audiovisual media, artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide an optimal user experience. It is seamlessly integrated with other applications and platforms and allows users to easily transition between interfaces.

According to a Forbes article by Nancy Doyle, there is an ADHD crisis in the UK where is it underdiagnosed, lacking support and stigmatised. With my personal experience, I can testify to the lack of clear diagnosis pathways and support for ADHD, particularly for women and girls. Dr Rob Baskind, a Consultant Psychiatrist, reports the extent of the crisis:

"The prevalence of ADHD in adults is widely reported as between 2.5%-4%, although this is felt to be a conservative figure. Only approximately 10-20% of individuals with ADHD will be treated."

Unsurprisingly, this issue is not unique to the UK or to ADHD. According to Forbes and Harvard Business Review respectively, autistic people struggle with employment in the US and systemic discrimination holds them back at work despite research and data showing that neurodiversity is a competitive advantage in the workforce that benefits everyone. According to the BBC, it is estimated that around one in seven people are neurodivergent yet only 16% of autistic adults are in full-time employment in the UK and in the US, the unemployment of the neurodiverse population runs as high as 80%.

Neurodiverse individuals are often economically and socially isolated, and the ongoing pandemic only exasperated the severity of the challenges and struggles, including increased rates of depression and anxiety. 20 to 30% of male adults on the spectrum have anxiety disorder, whereas the prevalence of anxiety is up to 40% in females on the spectrum.

The solution primarily serves the neurodiverse community but also their families and friends and those who work and/or are interested in neurodiversity. Neurodivergent conditions include but are not limited to:

Those with neurodivergent conditions are more at risk of suffering from mental illnesses or poor wellbeing. This is often due to a lack of support, and the strain of faking normality, or 'masking', can lead to depression, stress and burnout. ADHD and autism are also underdiagnosed in women and ethnic minorities, where the intersectionality creates layered inequality. Many services only work with children, so there is limited support for neurodivergent adults, both pre- and post-diagnosis.

In light of the pandemic, social isolation has caused worsening depressive and anxiety symptoms for many people in the neurodiverse community. However, social distancing should mean physical distancing, not social isolation, which is where NeuroPrism comes into play. It addresses the following needs of neurodiversity individuals:

• Learn - raise awareness and dispel misconceptions around neurodiversity through the latest scientific research and clinical guidance
• Share - offer practical tips and advice and recommend tested tools and techniques to effectively manage and take control of neurodiverse conditions
• Thrive - create a safe space and build an inclusive and welcoming community to ask questions, share experiences and support each other
• Inspire - meet neurodiverse role models across different fields, hear their stories and be inspired by their journeys

I have taken 4 steps to understand the needs of the neurodiverse community:

1. Academic background - I have a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology, which has given me a solid academic understanding of neurodiverse conditions.
2. Personal experience - I have ADHD, and it took me a long time to realise and seek a clinical diagnosis as an adult because I grew up in a culture where neurodiversity is not recognised and supported. ADHD has impacted my life in many ways and I had struggled to get help and guidance which a community like NeuroPrism would be able to offer.
3. Online research - I have read articles and literature on the topic of neurodiversity, the adversity individuals face and the support that they need to make sure I have a good understanding of the latest studies and clinical guidance as well as the up-to-date languages and terminologies. I have also researched the frontier technologies that are being developed for and used by the neurodiverse community to be incorporated into the design of the app.
4. User research - I have connected with the neurodiversity community via multiple channels, including my personal contacts from British Mensa and MY-SIG (Mensa Youth-Special Interest Group) through which I found out about this opportunity as well as from the Disability ERG at Microsoft, and online platforms such as Facebook groups and Discord servers. I have sought feedback from these sources throughout the design and development process to verify and continuously improve NeuroPrism for its target audience.

I have selected the concept stage because I am still exploring the idea. I have designed the wireframe of the app with multiple iterations through ongoing user research, but I have yet to produce an MVP. However, I have a coding background in Python, and I am teaching myself to code in Swift so that I will hopefully soon be able to build a usable app to be tested and deployed.

The project is a mobile app to be extended to a web solution that incorporates the following technologies:

• Accessible technology - I want to make sure every user can navigate through the app without difficulties and have a smooth and enjoyable user experience, which is why the app is designed with accessibility every step of the way.
  • Customisable interface - there are pre-made themes designed in particular with dyslexia in mind, but users are also able to change the individual formatting metrics of the app interface, including background colour, font size and colour, text density, etc.
  • Speech recognition - an AI voice assistant is fully integrated into the app. This not only catered to users with visual impairments but also those with severe dyslexia who can struggle with writing down, but not verbally expressing, multiple ideas.
  • Other accessible features include immersive reader, screen reader, text translation, text suggestion, etc.

• Behavioural technology - in the Thrive section of the app, we have curated a list of third-party apps and tools utilising behavioural change technology that are fully integrated into the platform.
• Medical technology
  • Verified medical professionals are able to offer pro bono advice.
  • Users can access assessment tools such as the QbTest for ADHD.
• Audiovisual media - all video and audio contents are transcribed to be accessible by users with hearing impairments.
• Machine learning - the app uses a recommender system based on machine learning that can curate and recommend personalised content most relevant for users to consume.

I have yet to launch my solution, so it is not currently serving anyone, but I plan to serve 10k users around the world in the next year.

• Launch the product in app stores and as a web solution on the internet
• Amass 10k users on the platform and build an inclusive and welcoming community
• Accelerate the diagnosis of neurodiverse conditions, especially in women and people of colour
• Improve the management of neurodiverse conditions and have a positive impact on the lives of those 
• Develop relationships with governments, healthcare services and healthcare professionals and supplement treatments where appropriate
• Secure sponsorships from companies and advocate for workplace inclusion and accommodation of neurodiversity
• Identify public figures as ambassadors and 
• Be featured in the media

I plan to use the following UN Sustainable Development Goals as indicators to measure my progress towards my impact goals:

• 3 Good Health and Wellbeing - to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the neurodiverse community.
• 4 Quality Education - to raise awareness around neurodiversity and educate neurodiverse individuals to manage and their family and friends to support their conditions.
• 5 Gender Equality - to advocate for the robust diagnosis and treatment of neurodiverse conditions in women and girls who are currently being underserved.
• 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth - to ensure neurodiverse individuals are welcomed and integrated into the workplace and valued and supported as an integral part of the global workforce.
• 10 Reduced Inequalities - to fight against discrimination towards neurodiverse individuals in the society and ensure their human rights.

• Financial - we might not have enough funding to build and deploy as well as market the solution. We need to either hire full-time or part-time team members and/or outsource some work to third parties which can be costly.
• Technical - we might not be able to meet the technical requirements envisioned for the app. Some functionalities can be advanced and still in the experimental stage, so may not work as well as we hope.
• Cultural - there is still a lot of stigma and misunderstanding around neurodiversity, and people might not be open with their identity and be comfortable sharing their experience.
• Market barriers - there are social media platforms that host neurodiverse communities, so we need to make sure we stand out from the crowd by offering tailored and specialised services that are unique to our platform.

I am a Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft focusing on data science and machine learning. Prior to this, I worked in the Technology, Data & Analytics practice at PwC and specialised in project management and data analytics. I have a BSc in Psychology from the University of Birmingham.

I am passionate about neurodiversity, EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion), social mobility, mental health and wellbeing, education and youth services. I am currently going through the ADHD diagnostic process in the UK via the NHS. I have experienced a lot of barriers and resistance as an adult, as a woman and as a person of colour. It was an incredibly lengthy process that was extremely difficult to navigate through. I wish I had a community like NeuroPrism where I can find resources and meet fellow neurodiverse individuals which would have saved me a lot of time and effort to figure out what was 'wrong' with me, and more importantly, to know that I wasn't alone in my struggles and that I certainly wasn't 'broken'.

I am a Young Trustee at Power2, Leap Confronting Conflicts and Career Connect, and a Young Trustee Movement Champion. I am is the Head of Grants of GirlDreamer, an NGO that supports the personal and professional development of millennial and Gen Z women of colour. I am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA).

I was a winner of WeAreTheCity’s TechWomen100 2019 and Computing’s Digital Technology Leaders Awards Digital Hero of the Year 2020. I was featured on Yahoo Finance’s HERoes 100 Women Future Leaders List 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, I was a finalist at the Midlands Women in Tech Awards in the Apprentice category in 2019 and the Rising Star category in 2021.

I don't currently partner with any organisations, but I hope to pitch this to Microsoft, my employer, in the internal Hackathon this year under the theme of neurodiversity. I am already demonstrating the prototype to colleagues to seek feedback and gain support.

According to research, both autism and ADHD are underdiagnosed in girls and women:

• According to the Guardian, until recently, autism without intellectual impairments, sometimes called Asperger syndrome, was thought to predominantly affect boys and men, at a ratio of 10 to every one woman. However, there is growing evidence that the number of girls and women with the condition may have been vastly underestimated. Recent research, based on active screening rather than clinical or school records, found a ratio of 3:1.
• According to Attitude, women are as likely as men to have ADHD, and the latest research suggests that ADHD in women causes even greater emotional turmoil. Despite widespread improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, some professionals still may harbour the belief that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is something that primarily affects boys and men — not girls and women. Consequently, women with ADHD are more likely than men to go undiagnosed (or misdiagnosed), and less likely to receive appropriate treatment.

If we were to receive the Pozen Social Innovation Prize, we can use the funding to further our support towards neurodiverse women and girls by creating tailored content for the demographics. We aim to dispel the misunderstanding and stigma around neurodiverse conditions in females and create a supportive environment for our female users. The grant will allow us to carry out more user research specifically targeted at women and girls, and we will also be able to outsource some development and afford wider marketing of the app to achieve our goals quicker.