NEURODIVERGENCE, SCHOOL COMPETITIVENESS, AND PROFESSIONAL CREDIBILITY: DISPUTES OVER LEGITIMACY IN TRAINING AND ENTRY INTO THE WORKPLACE

Abstract

Neurodivergence represents one of the least visible dimensions of the inequalities that structure the Brazilian educational system and labor market. This study analyzes the relationships between neurodivergence, school competitiveness, and professional credibility, examining the mechanisms by which the educational system produces barriers to the legitimacy of neurodivergent workers. The research adopts a qualitative approach, of a bibliographic and documentary nature, with a systematic survey of literature published between 2020 and 2025 in the Scielo, Google Scholar, and CAPES Periodicals Portal databases. The results indicate that cognitive exclusion is a cumulative process that begins in basic education and extends into vocational training and the labor market, mediated by assessment criteria that confuse conformity with merit. The study concludes that the professional credibility of neurodivergent workers depends on systemic reforms that articulate special education, vocational education, and labor inclusion policies, without which formal certification does not guarantee recognition or professional legitimacy. The findings reinforce that the dispute for legitimacy faced by neurodivergent workers is not a personal challenge to be resolved through individual adaptation strategies; it is an institutional problem produced by deliberate choices about what counts as competence and who counts as a competent professional. Future research should prioritize empirical studies with neurodivergent workers across different economic sectors, generating evidence with greater generalizability to support public policies that recognize cognitive diversity as a value rather than a deviation to be corrected.