A spiky profile is the term for something a lot of the people we work with recognise the moment they hear it. It describes someone who is genuinely excellent in certain areas and genuinely struggles with things that, from the outside, look much easier. Someone neurodivergent might be brilliantly creative and perform at a high level in one domain, while finding something that seems basic to everyone else a real effort.
That unevenness is often mistaken for inconsistency, or even laziness. It isn’t. It’s the profile.
Why everyone seems to be seeking a diagnosis now
Alison worked on exactly this question in the NHS, where demand for assessment and support outstripped what services could actually provide. Part of the reason so many people are asking about diagnosis is that these conditions sit on a spectrum, which means neurotypical people will recognise some of these experiences too. That overlap is exactly why the question of diagnosis can feel confusing from both sides.
The point worth holding onto is a different one. As Alison put it, what matters is the level of impairment, and to what extent something is affecting your daily life and daily functioning. That’s the practical question, whatever label does or doesn’t get attached to it.
What matters is the level of impairment. To what extent is this affecting your daily life, your daily functioning?
From there, the work is understanding yourself well enough to make changes that improve things. That’s available to you whether you have a diagnosis or not, and it’s the same territory we cover when we write about breaking free from the “not good enough” trap, because a spiky profile can easily get mistaken for not measuring up, when really it’s just an honest map of where your strengths and your struggles actually sit.
If you want help making sense of your own profile, that’s something we’re glad to work through with you.
If this sounds familiar at work, our ADHD leadership coaching helps leaders and managers build support around what gets in the way.
