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GBT Global Voices: Returning to Office Considerations
Stephanie Scheer, MA, BCBA; ACES
Impacts to Employees with Autism
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a continuum of a core set of symptoms that affect everyone differently and to varying degrees. A person with ASD has difficulties with social interactions, communication, empathy, and flexible behavior. A person with ASD also has strengths that any neurotypical individual would be envious of. ASD often provides increased concentration abilities, fine detail processing, and strong memories. When paired with the right type of work, this allows for an autistic individual to not only function but thrive.
Discovering an autism diagnosis as an adult can often answer questions regarding the differences in how one thinks or feels, or how one processes the world around them. Autism in adults is most visible in the following areas:
- Problems with Communication: difficulty reading social cues such as facial expressions, tone of voice, difficulty detecting sarcasm, difficulty with literal versus connotative meanings
- Narrow Interests: focus of interest is with one or two subjects, makes it difficult to engage In conversations that do not involve the narrow interest
- Repetitive Behaviors: feeling uncomfortable when daily routines are disrupted, routine disruptions can lead to strong emotions like anger
- Sensory Issues: difficulty with different sounds, sights, textures, smells (e.g., high-pitch or loud sounds, florescent lighting, strong cologne/perfume smells) that can lead to pain or the inability to regulate emotions
Tips for Overcoming Autism-Related Relationship Difficulties In the Workplace
Tip 1: Build a mutual understanding with you manager and coworkers
- Help your manager/coworkers understand how you view the world:
- Alone time to process feelings
- Changes rolled out in smaller steps with or without visual map
- Non-autistic team member can verbally vent/discuss their emotions to serve as a model of how to navigate challenges
- How the autistic team member might feel:
- Frustrated: They may feel as if society doesn’t accommodate their needs or that others don’t take the time to understand them. They might long to be accepted not just by their close friends and partners but by a wider social group.
- Puzzled: They might be confused by passive aggression or disorderly habits. “Why can’t other people be more straightforward?” may be a common question.
- Anxious: They might want reassurance that they aren’t missing social cues. They may fear that they’ve said something inappropriate or insensitive.
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- Overwhelmed: Depending on their sensory issues, an autistic person might feel stressed or anxious by environmental factors, such as lighting. Social situations can also be demanding and leave them feeling stressed out.
- Tired: If the autistic person feels the need to mask their behavior to fit into social situations, they might frequently feel exhausted. They may also have an introverted disposition, meaning socializing is just a draining activity in general.
- How the non-autistic team member might feel
- Stressed: They might feel as if they have to be overly attentive as they help their partner or friend navigate social situations. They might feel responsible for all of their loved one’s actions.
- Annoyed: They might feel irritated if certain issues seem to be reoccurring. For example, their autistic partner might be overly blunt, even after multiple attempts to change their communication style.
- Ignored: When an autistic partner has special interests, the neurotypical partner might feel like they come second to those hobbies or passions.
- Emotionally Restrained: A neurotypical partner might feel as if they have to always keep their cool to avoid escalating conflicts. Emotional suppression can eventually lead to high stress, resentment, and outbursts.
Why ACES?
Join the best! ACES is the only autism provider who is nationally recognized for quality care as part of Aetna/CVS’s Institute of Quality. Join us and see why Forbes named us one of America’s Best Midsize Employers for four consecutive years!
Why ACES?
Join the best! ACES is the only autism provider who is nationally recognized for quality care as part of Aetna/CVS’s Institute of Quality. We are also an award-winning workplace where you can grow your career, collaborate with a supportive team, and make a lasting impact on the lives of people in your community. Join us and see why Forbes named us one of America’s Best Midsize Employers for four consecutive years!.
Tip 2: Take Responsibility for your Actions
- Recognize what you can and cannot control - showing a little patience goes along way
- Question your own motives - be aware if you push others away because you feel ignored, self-awareness can help you identify your part in the difficulty
- Incorporate positivity - having quality rapport with others can build trust and acceptanc
Tip 3: Build Effective Communication Skills
- Tips for the neurotypical team member
- Be aware when using figurative language - it is common for autistic individuals to take language literally, pick and choose when to be sarcastic
- Be aware of body language differences - try not to be offended if you do get the eye contact you’re expecting, listen to what is being said when communicating with an autistic team member
- Be patient - give your autistic team member time and space to process information
- Tips for the autistic team member
- Ask for clarification - ask for a rephrase of what was said if needed
- Take your time - pause to process before responding
- Request for a conversation break - if sensory issues are distracting, ask to resume the conversation later or in a different setting
Tip 4: Capitalize on each other’s strengths
- All team members should know what their strengths are and what their fellow team member’s strengths are
- Who on the team is more analytic?
- Who on the team is detail-oriented?
- Who on the team is more organized?
- Who on the team is solutions-oriented?
- When everyone is working towards their strengths, the whole team wins
The Effects of the Work Environment: Setting Up Your Space to Achieve Success
Human interactions are complex and nuanced. Miscommunications are a part of life that are sometimes the result of missed non-verbal cues or mis-interpreted non-verbal cues. The hidden factor that affects human interactions is sensory difficulties. As described above, sensory difficulties impact everyone, autistic and non-autistic alike. When someone is experiencing sensory overload, their bodies are using all resources to prevent a potential outburst. This means that other internal resources are being diverted and there are less resources to process all the information coming in at any given point in the day. Sensory difficulties can be better managed by how the environment is set up.
Common Sensory Difficulties in the Workplace Can Include:
- Lighting: fluorescent lights (the wavelength can be very distracting), brightness of overhead lights or sunlight
- Sounds in the Environment: speaking volume of those around us, volume of the heating/cooling system, clicking of keyboards
- Temperature of Environment: too hot or too cold can cause distractions
- Smells: strong smells such as strong colognes or perfumes can distract
Strategies to Limit Sensory Impact:
- Lighting:
- install/use LED lighting
- window shades for windows with exposure to bright sunlight
- Sounds:
- use noise-cancelling or noise-dampening headsets/earplugs
- Have a quiet room available for staff to use to reset
- Temperature: regularly poll the team at different temperature settings to see what is convenient for the group
- Smells: consider a team policy for mindfulness with colognes/perfumes if there are sensitivities in the group
Autism Resources:
- Autism Services | Medicaid
- State of the States Report - ASD.pdf (medicaid.gov)
- Autism Society
- Autism Society by State
- Autism at Work: Overcoming Challenges - HelpGuide.org
- Autism in Adults: Recognizing the Signs, Living with a Diagnosis - HelpGuide.org
- Adult Autism and Relationships - HelpGuide.org
- ACES - Enhancing Life For Those Impacted By Autism (acesaba.com)
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