Recently, I was on a panel that included employers, autistic care professionals, and a psychologist discussing neurodiversity in the workplace. One of the questions I addressed concerned the measures employers can put into place to help autistic employees. Here are some of the measures my fellow panelists and I identified.
- Clear communication.
Regardless of how intelligent or proficient at their job an autistic person is, or whether they work in retail or project management, they need clear communication. If you employ an autistic person, you need to find ways to directly communicate what is required of them—not just assume that they know what to do.
This might involve presenting information in small chunks so that they avoid feeling overwhelmed. It might involve providing clear written and visual instructions as to how a project should proceed, rather than assuming your employee has understood your verbal instructions.
