Autistic Spectrum Disorder

An employee with Autistic Spectrum Disorder will likely experience difficulties in communication, social understanding, interests and information processing as well as sensory processing. This will be on a spectrum, so each area will be affected for individuals in different ways.

Many people will have strategies in place to support themselves or be experienced in masking the challenges they face whilst at work and only reveal these at home, or when it is unavoidable. All areas of difficulty will likely be exacerbated when an employee is feeling anxious, stressed or in unfamiliar environments.

The signs and symptoms

Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder; it is a lifelong developmental condition that affects:

• Communication: Differences in understanding and expressing communication and language. A person with Autism may be non-verbal or highly articulate, their use of language may mask their level of understanding.
• Social understanding: Differences in understanding social behaviour and the feelings of others and self-management of emotions.
• Interests and information processing: Differences in understanding concepts, generalising and managing transitions and passions for specific areas of interest, and the ability to absorb auditory information.
• Sensory processing: Differences in how they experience sensory information may be heightened and lowered, including: touch, sight, hearing, smell, taste, vestibular (balance) and proprioceptive (body awareness).

Asperger’s Syndrome is a form of autism and is characterised by difficulties in all the areas above.

Ideas to support inclusion

Talking to an employee with Autistic Spectrum Disorder to find out how they are affected by their condition is a really important step. Identifying what they find challenging and understanding their strengths enables employers to adjust their approach accordingly. General strategies to support Autistic Spectrum Disorder include:

• Work with the employee to find the most effective way to communicate with them. Some may prefer a written dialogue that gives them time for processing information and less social elements to navigate.
• Give clear and precise information in manageable chunks.
• Some people may have difficulty in initiating conversations, asking for help or problem solving so keep an eye out and check understanding.
• If an employee has challenges with frustrations or anxieties, agree a time out process, this could help diffuse tension and support the employee to improve self-management.
• Allow time to adjust to transitions (e.g. team to team, task to task).
• Give clear guidance on appropriate times to discuss ‘special interests’ if these are dominating or distracting from work. Or use it as a tool to engage employees and encourage them to engage with peers.
• Make allowances, where possible, for routines and rituals that work to ease the person’s anxieties (e.g. lining up pens on a desk).
• Be understanding that socially ‘inappropriate’ actions are unlikely to be deliberate. Eye contact, body language, proximity, voice volume and intonation can be difficult to use and understand.
• Try and avoid figures of speech or sarcasm that might be confusing.
• Allow additional time for the employee to process verbal instructions and questions.