Crystallized Intelligence

Cognitive ability is thought to comprise of both intelligence that is innate, and that which is learned . ‘Crystallised intelligence’ refers to ability that has been acquired through study and education, both formal and informal. For example: literacy, vocabulary or maths ability.

Visual-motor Integration

Our ability to see how things should move or fit and then move them accordingly is known as visual-motor integration. Visual motor integration is essential for the delivery of many roles and can cover tasks as basics as typing and handwriting, all the way to surgery and crane operation.

Emotional Intelligence

Salovey and Mayer introduced the theory of emotional intelligence (EI) in the late twentieth century, as a way of explaining how some people are able to display social skills in a way that translates into job performance. Emotional intelligence forms part of what we are measuring, but aims to divert away from the areas of EI that are related to socially and gender bound behaviour (e.g. all women are nurturers). Like crystallised intelligence, emotional intelligence can be learned and so neurological deficits in hot executive functions do not necessarily predict performance if someone has worked to improve their emotional intelligence.

Sensory Processing

Brown and Dunn defined the experience of heightened sensory processing within a scale, that allows us to categorise the full range of experience. It is important to note that sensory sensitivity can be both good and bad. If you are a chef or sommelier, enhanced taste is an advantage. If you are a regular employee who needs to eat at a cafeteria it can inhibit your inclusion.

Neurodiversity

In neurodiversity research, there are a number of different neurotypes identified as neurodivergent (for example ADHD, Autism, Dyscalculia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia) which vary in terms of their abilities in crystallised intelligence (e.g. literacy), visual motor integration, emotional regulation and sensory processing. Most neurodivergent people have a ‘spiky profile’, in which the difference between their strengths and challenges are significant. Identifying spiky profiles has proved a useful method for reminding clients of their strengths, identifying areas of focus and understanding how well their job matched their skills.[PND1]

More recently, researchers at Cambridge University [1] have identified that neurodivergent skills map onto three broader categories – language ability, management of ‘cold’ executive functions related to processing and organising and lastly ‘hot’ executive functions related to communication and emotions. Compared against this model, our thirteen categories incorporate the needs of neurodivergent people, but also a range of different disabilities.