ITIC UK 2024 | Neurodiverse customers – declarations and proportional settlement
Loren Snow, Antony Martin, and Dr Simon Worrell discuss neurodiversity among travellers and key considerations for insurers
The ITIJ team are reporting live from ITIC UK in Bournemouth. Read all the reports here.
Loren Snow started the session. Snow leads autism training in the NHS, delivers neurodiversity training for The Diversity Trust, and runs his own independent company.
Snow started his presentation by discussing the concept of neurodiversity highlighting how it acknowledges brain differences as normal variations, reducing stigma and promoting acceptance. He outlined the following:
- Neurodevelopmental conditions are associated with neurodiversity
- Not everyone will have a formal diagnosis, or access to assessment
- There is a huge variation in neurodiversity: knowledge, experience, understanding and culture
- Everyone has different strengths and challenges – diversity within neurodiversity
- Neurodiversity encompasses attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and Tourette’s syndrome.
Snow expanded on the difficulties that neurodivergent individuals could face while travelling, highlighting the various challenges presented by airports, flights, and arriving in a new country with a different culture and language. He identified sensory overload, change, uncertainty, cultural shock, navigating new places and layouts, and language barriers as key issues. Snow said that airports and airlines can adopt several straightforward solutions to assist neurodiverse individuals in navigating such scenarios.
Snow also drew attention to the challenges of taking out travel insurance, explaining that a neurodivergent customer may find it difficult to fill out forms or speak to someone on the phone regarding their policy. He said they may struggle with the complexity of forms, understanding vague or unspecific language, and knowing which conditions they should declare.
Snow offered the following suggestions to facilitate and enhance communication with neurodivergent customers:
- Be clear and concise, avoid figurative language like metaphors, irony, or sarcasm
- Support verbal communication with written information and visual aids
- Establish a structured communication approach, such as taking turns during discussions
- Provide specific and precise timeframes, rather than vague ones
- Organise predetermined plans, share information beforehand, and set clear expectations
- Break down complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps
- Incorporate flexibility into plans to accommodate potential changes, including prearranged alternatives.
He finished by posing the question: why not ask everyone what would help them? Snow encouraged enhanced communication with customers to decipher specific needs and find solutions, highlighting that most adjustments are straightforward, affordable, and benefit both customers and insurers.
The second speaker, Anthony Martin, Chief Growth Officer at Staysure, began his presentation by highlighting the following facts:
- An estimated 15–20% of the global population is neurodivergent
- In the UK, this affects 1 in 5 travellers.
Martin emphasized the importance of comprehending the hurdles that neurodivergent customers encounter during their travels and the need for thorough industry research to discover solutions ensuring optimal customer experience and satisfaction.
He noted that addressing neurodiversity falls short due to the intricate and ongoing support required, yet insurers strive to provide inclusive and personalised treatment. From an insurer's point of view, Martin pointed out that:
- Trained staff follow Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) guidelines for diverse support
- Policies undergo regular reviews to align with standards
- Evaluations for travellers with mental health conditions are tailored to individual needs ensuring coverage meets their specific requirements.
He highlighted insurers and travel providers’ efforts to support neurodiverse customers, including strategies like WhatsApp and online resources for insurers; collaborative support programs; and specialised staff training for airlines such as Emirates, Dubai Airports, Virgin Atlantic, and British Airways.
However, Martin said that while the industry is making efforts, it needs to improve its focus on addressing neurodivergence as individual needs rather than a generalized preexisting condition, alongside mitigating issues associated with complex policy documentation.
He proposed additional measures that could elevate customer satisfaction, categorized into three areas:
- Offline customer journeys:
- Replace hold music with alternatives and use noise-cancelling technology
- Train agents for clear, concise customer support, and avoid complicated ‘insurance’ language
- Online customer journeys:
- Minimise sensory overload by simplifying online stimuli
- Enhance readability and navigation with customisable text and assistive tools
- Include pop-up dictionaries for clarity
- Policy documentation:
- Simplify policy wordings, providing them in ‘bite-sized’ chunks and enhance readability for dyslexia and dyscalculia
- Add checklists to guide neurodivergent customers during travel issues.
Martin suggested that, for optimal customer experience, attention should be given to the following elements: product customisation and user experience (ensure compliance with web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) accessibility standards); customer engagement, staffing and training; risk assessment and pricing; partnerships and compliance; and marketing and outreach.
He also highlighted the benefits of leveraging technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI; which can be used to give a personalised experience), voice-responsive assistants (like Alexa and Google Home, which facilitate voice-controlled insurance), and location-based applications (such as geolocation).
Martin finished by saying: “Ultimately, it’s all about putting the customer at the heart of everything and ensuring that our services accommodate everyone’s needs.”
During the session, the guest moderator, Greg Lawson, Head of Travel Insurance at Collinson inquired about AI’s ability to interpret and understand neurodiversity. Martin acknowledged that, with adequate resources, AI might be able to achieve this. However, Lawson raised concerns about potential issues arising from the fact that AI may be programmed by neurotypical individuals.
Last on stage was Dr Simon Worrell, Founder of Chiron International, whobegan by discussing how we think about neurodiversity. He said that neurodiversity concerns:
- Communication
- Concentration
- Thought pre-occupation
- Ways of thinking
- Behaviour.
He explained neurodiversity as a variation comparing it to eye colour or IQ, yet he acknowledged that there are difficulties that neurodiverse individuals may encounter, particularly in relation to mental health conditions like anxiety or depression. Worrell stated that depression and anxiety disorders increase between 10–50% among neurodivergent individuals and for those on the autism spectrum suicide attempts are 4% higher.
When discussing neurodiversity in medical assistance, Worrell highlighted key considerations, emphasising the importance of clear communication and skilled pre-flight assessment calls. He said cautious and sensitive clinical assessments should be carried out, avoiding attributing new behaviour solely to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other neurodivergence. Additionally, he stressed that maintaining privacy and a calm environment during repatriation is paramount.
Dr Worrell then presented two case studies.
The first case involved repatriating a patient with terminal cancer to New Zealand, accompanied by their son with Down syndrome, who was prone to anxiety when travelling. Successful repatriation was achieved by incorporating an additional nurse into the journey, who provided care, distraction, and engagement for the son throughout the process.
The second case involved a patient with Asperger’s syndrome who required medical attention while on holiday in Orlando for pneumonia. After being discharged, the patient showed symptoms of agitation and incoherence while in the airport and was admitted to hospital once again. An unbiased approach led to the discovery and correct diagnosis of a cardiac condition, highlighting the importance of impartial assessment in medical cases.
In closing the session, Worrell summarised that acknowledging individuality and diversity is crucial, emphasising the importance of asking rather than assuming, and highlighting that treating patients with respect and care is fundamental.