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You can lose focus when faced with detail

Dan Pepper has a severe learning disability that he describes as "like the next stage up from dyslexia". This means that he has issues with reading, writing, spelling and maths, and gleaning information from, for example, written documents or long meetings is difficult.

I was very new to mortgages, and so it was a difficult situation that the banks didn't explain to me.

Ismail

It also means that he has a short attention span for issues that don't interest him, even though they require attention to detail. "I find I have zoned out and gone on the internet to buy something," says Dan.

Not being able to engage with details can be costly

When Dan was incentivised to switch bank accounts, he found that he'd missed direct debit payments because his new bank didn't move them over. Finding it difficult to stay across the detail, Dan hadn't checked. "I just forgot all that," he says, "and just trusted in the system that it was going to happen – and obviously it didn't."

Charity worker Ismail, who also has a learning disability, had a similar experience when he was applying for a mortgage. He ended up with a 10-year fixed rate mortgage, at 7%, and had to pay a fee to come out of the agreement. "I was very new to mortgages, and so it was a difficult situation that the banks didn't explain to me."

The next time Ismail applied for a mortgage, his bank was more accommodating. They made a phone appointment and asked "the same questions that would be on the online form" while also helping him to "look at different options".

You can end up a victim of mis-selling

Tony Lloyd from the ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity acknowledges the particular difficulty that those with dyslexia or with dyscalculia (a numeric version of dyslexia) will face when understanding financial facts and figures. He also observes that people with autism, conversely, can have "a very literal understanding of the spoken word and the written word which means that they can often be find themselves being sold things that they do not need because they are taking the seller's advice."

You can feel like a nuisance or a burden

Dan feels that he's not had many positive experiences when visiting banks. He feels self-conscious about asking too many questions when applying for a credit cards, for example, and he senses that some of the assistants are rolling their eyes and interpreting his need for extra help as someone trying to "play the system".

Hester, who has ADHD, relates to this experience. She often has difficulty remembering passwords and is easily distracted but when she explains to staff that she has ADHD, she also experiences "eyerolling".

Spontaneous spending is a problem

Impulse purchases are another pitfall that both Dan and Hester have experienced.

You sometimes need that dopamine hit, where you think, 'oh, if I buy this, it's going to be great.'

Hester

Dan speaks of having the urge to spend money coming in rather than "thinking of the future". Meanwhile, Hester says that she sometimes just needs "that dopamine hit - you think, 'oh, if I buy this, it's going to be great.'"

However, the pair have some useful ways around spontaneous spending. One of Dan's solutions is to use cash rather than cards. "Because, if it's in my wallet," he says, "I can kind of see how much I've got in there and kind of plan from there."

Meanwhile, other than trying to think herself out of excess purchases, Hester sets up direct debits for most payments and calendar reminders for them. Sometimes she leaves items in the online shopping baskets because "sometimes that's enough to get the dopamine hit", and she further suggests "maybe having an ‘accountability buddy' so you can run purchases past them."

Advocates can play a crucial role

Hester's accountability buddy idea is applicable to all sorts of situations, such as taking someone with you for support at a bank.

Phillippa Gould, a Financial Advocacy Manager at not-for-profit advisory organisation Dosh, says that while the Equality Act 2010 requires banks to make "reasonable adjustments for people of different abilities", it's very useful for them to have someone – for example a friend, family member, carer or advocate – who can represent them. Where there are no obvious candidates for an advocate within someone's circle, sometimes help can be sought from Citizens Advice, the Job Centre or via the local authority.

Absences of relevant documentation can be an issue

Sometimes even a family member will experience problems with being an advocate.

Twenty-three-year-old Josh suffered brain damage when he was a child but now, with the help of his mother, Sarah, lives as independent a life as possible, juggling a number of jobs with charities. When Sarah tried to file Josh's tax return, she wasn't able to access the Government Gateway security facility on the HMRC website because he didn’t have sufficient relevant documentation, ie. a driving licence, credit card statements, etc.

Sarah contacted HMRC so that she could act for Josh. HMRC processed the request but Sarah didn't get a confirmation so the tax return wasn't submitted in time and Josh received a fine (which was later revoked).

When Money Box contacted them, the HMRC apologised and confirmed that Josh's mum had been authorised to act for him.

To find out more about the financial issues faced by people who are neurodiverse or have a learning disability, listen to the episode in full here.