Five Tips for Accommodating Individuals with Autism in the Workplace
Posted on January 28, 2023 by Jennifer Rickmers, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.
How to accommodate individuals with autism in the workplace. Five tips based on requests from people with autism on how to engage with them.
According to the CDC, 1 in 27 boys will be diagnosed with autism, and 1 in 116 girls will be diagnosed with autism. However, only 31% will be diagnosed with an intellectual disability. For employers like myself, that means that the majority of autistic adults will most likely seek placement in the traditional workforce. The question of whether or not you will find yourself working with an autistic individual is a matter of when, not if. So what can we do to make the workplace equal opportunity for all? Below are 5 requests from the autistic community:
1. Be patient. Obviously, it would be a lot to become an expert on autism overnight. Even after an lifetime of study, autistic individuals don’t quite grasp your social cues either. So practice patience. Remember you have a language barrier, but just as with language study, time, practice, and good will help bridge that gap if you are willing to put in the effort.
2. Be direct. People with autism frequently do not pick up on indirect language. Implication, innuendo, metaphors, cliches, and idiomatic expressions can become lost in translation. While it isn’t necessary to purge these expressions from your vocabulary, be mindful to watch for understanding. It may help to explain what that expression means. Instead of being angry an employee “let the cat out of the bag” regarding a surprise party, try saying, “that means keep this secret by not telling anyone.”
3. Be accommodating. Remember that if a person with autism is on your team or otherwise affiliated with the company, they’ve already shown through the recruitment process that they have the skills and abilities to perform the basic tasks of the job. They don’t need to further accommodate the organization (though they probably have a range of skills they use throughout their day). It’s your job actually, to provide a conducive environment. As a coworker, team leader, or higher, it’s up to you to make them comfortable and not just tolerated. If someone is required to reach items on a high shelf but they can’t reach, we supply a step stool. If someone has autism, something as simple as providing noise cancelling headphones can help them “reach.”
4. Be helpful. Ask what support they might need. Luckily, you have an expert: that person! No one knows what they need more than themselves. For example, some are fine with light, but not sounds. Some will benefit from a private office, and some will benefit from a consistent routine. Some individuals will have noticeable quirks that may raise of few eyebrows, and some you may never have guessed have a diagnosis of autism at all. The point is, people with autism are unique as the rest of humanity, so there’s no need to guess what they need. Just ask.
5. Don’t be patronizing. As I mentioned before, most autistic individuals do not have intellectual disabilities. Likewise, autism itself is not a disability, so in many cases, normal interaction is completely appropriate. Think about this question: “Why don’t you just borrow this noise-cancelling headset?” At face value, this question is harmless, but we can easily see that with tone it can change dramatically. People with autism are sensitive to tone, (and in some cases may even confuse tone with meaning). Being a good citizen will go a long way for people with autism, and in fact the rest of your employees too.
