In an attempt to create more opportunities for autistic people, the question is often asked; what is the best job for autistic people? And, the answer is, any job. Creating opportunities for autistic people isn’t about the specific job, it’s about creating a supportive workplace that is understanding of their differences and being able to have a flexible working environment that allows an autistic person to utilise their strengths.
Whether you’re aware of it or not, most people reading this blog would most likely know or know of a person who is autistic. What you may not know is that autistic people are one of the most underrepresented cohorts in the workplace with the unemployment rate for autistic people (31.6%). This is significantly higher than the unemployment rate for people who live with other disabilities (10.0%) and higher again for those who don’t have a disability (5.3%). atWork Australia are experts in supporting people living with disability, including autism, to secure meaningful employment, read here about just some of the strengths atWork Australia believes an autistic person can bring to the workplace.
What is autism?
To be able to effectively support an autistic person in the workplace, first we must understand, what is autism? Like all disabilities this can be tricky to define as a person’s condition is unique to them. Autism Spectrum Australia define autism as a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how a person’s brain develops and functions, and it is estimated that 1 in 40 people are on the autism spectrum.
Understanding the terminology
As we begin to learn more about autism, we might hear terminology such as neurodiverse, neurotypical or neurodivergent, and wonder, what does this all mean? atWork Australia released an informative podcast episode with Orion Kelly, who is the creator of the YouTube channel, That Autistic Guy, he provided a great explanation. Orion explains it as a person who lives with a neurological condition such as autism is neurodivergent. A person who does not have a neurological condition is neurotypical. When we bring these differences together in a workplace, its these differences that create a neurodiverse workplace. You can listen to the full conversation with Orion here.
Often when we refer to a person with disability, it needs to be person before disability. For example, we would say, a person living with a disability, not disabled person. A neurodiversity expert, Sharon from Team Cohesion: neurodiversity employment coaching said “results from a national survey indicated the preferred term for a person on the autism spectrum was, an autistic person or person on the autism spectrum. Respondents to the national survey felt as if the term person with autism implied that they are carrying their autism around with them.”
What does good support in the workplace look like
When it comes to supporting people in the workplace there is no one size fits all. The support must be tailored for the individual to accommodate their unique needs, this is no different for an autistic person. Sharon from Team Cohesion outlined that in her experience with supporting autistic people in the workplace there are four common differences that we need to be aware of: communication style, executive function, sensory systems and higher levels of mental health concerns.
Here is a great story of how atWork Australia supported their client to find meaningful employment. Reda Kiefer’s story here.
Communication
Sometimes autistic people can be misunderstood or misinterpreted because they communicate differently. Often an autistic person can be very direct, and this is because the social subtleties that are typically used when trying to communicate information can be confusing and seen as unnecessary to an autistic person. Additionally, an autistic person may not make eye contact when communicating and this can sometimes be interpreted as if they are not interested in what is being said. However, Sharon from Team Cohesion explained that for an autistic person, making eye contact can distract them from paying attention to the words. So, if an autistic person is not making eye contact in a conversation there is a high possibility they are highly focused on what is being communicated.
Executive Function
We all have different levels of executive function, and they are built into our brains. Our executive function typically helps people to be organised, to prioritise tasks, manage our time, planning our days, maintaining emotional control, manage stress or being flexible in our thinking. If you have challenges in any of these area’s it is known as executive disfunction and is caused by differences in brain neurology. It is important to have a good understanding of this concept, as an autistic person may find it more difficult to utilise their executive functions. As a result, they could miss an appointment, turn up late or feel higher levels of stress when receiving feedback. It is important to remember that this is a part of their condition. Sharon from Team Cohesion said, “We can utilise external tools to support our executive functions and we all use them everyday by way of setting reminders or writing to do lists for ourselves. However, a person’s executive function is not as effective when they are managing stress and when it comes to finding employment it can be a very stressful process.”
Sensory system
Autistic people have different sensory systems, such as being hypersensitive, sensitive seeking or sensory avoiding. For example, sensory avoiding could be a situation where a person cant work in an environment with a certain smell (café or restaurants with different smells). Sensory seeking could be someone who likes to dress really brightly, which can make them feel better.
Mental Health
It is very common for an autistic person to also experience higher levels of mental health concerns, such as anxiety or depression. While these conditions are high within the general public, 70 -80% of autistic children and adults will experience mental health concerns throughout their life. You can read more about autism and mental health at BeyondAutism. This is another factor that must be considered when supporting an autistic person in the workplace. atWork Australia have published an informative blog on how to be a mental health ally in the workplace
Workplace adjustments
When it comes to workplace adjustments for autistic people it’s the same as every other disability, there is no one size fits all. You need to have an open conversation with the individual and find out what supports and adjustments would allow them to be the most productive in the workplace. However, to give an autistic person the best opportunity to succeed in the workplace it is very important that their colleagues and managers have a clear understanding of their condition, while being supportive and understanding of their differences. It can be helpful for autistic people to have clearly defined job roles, with clear rules and processes that can be followed.
If an employee with a disability needs additional workplace adjustments, atWork Australia can coordinate the process to ensure the employee gets the support they need to be able to thrive in their workplace. Read more about workplace adjustments here.
Examples of autistic people thriving at work
We can’t emphasise this enough, there are no specific jobs suited for autistic people, any job can be suitable if there is a supportive work environment with clearly defined rules and expectations. See below just a few of atWork Australia success stories in supporting autistic people to find meaningful employment.
Nathan bakes his way to success
Zak has rebounded quickly and is back enjoying his work
You can’t wipe the smile off his face; Kane’s happy to land his first job.
Tyler wouldn’t trade his new position for the world.
