For Employers

People on the autism spectrum are often very intelligent, creative and highly skilled.  However, because people on the spectrum have social deficits, are often uncomfortable in certain clothing, and often have poor eye contact, they often do not perform well in typical interviews. For these reasons and others, interviews can be particularly difficult for people on the autism spectrum.  Instead of a typical interview, consider making the process more comfortable for the person being interviewed.  Allow the person to spend time at your company, share his ideas, skills and brainstorm with a group. 

Understand that if a person on the spectrum does not have good eye contact with you it does not mean they are not paying attention.  Many people on the spectrum can focus and retain information better if they are not forced to have good eye contact. When someone forces a person on the spectrum to have good eye contact, it generally causes them more anxiety.

Please be mindful that many people on the autism spectrum have sensory issues and many types of clothing can be painful for them.  People on the spectrum have described wearing some uniforms or other clothing feel like pins and needles, sandpaper, uncomfortable sensations, or constricting.  If we want to help an employee on the spectrum to be more productive, creative and have less melt downs then please consider allowing them to wear clothing that is clean, neat, comfortable and NOT painful to them. 

People on the autism spectrum generally like and follow rules.  Rules help to give people on the spectrum predictability.  However, it is very important that the employee on the spectrum understands exactly what the rules mean.  If the rules are vague, they may be easily misunderstood.  It might help to ask the employee to explain the rule to you, what it means, why it is a rule, and the consequences for not following the rule. 

Most people on the spectrum do best when things are predictable.  If you must change the time of a meeting, please try to give a person on the spectrum as much notice of the change as possible.  If there are changes in how things are done, scheduling, furniture being moved, offices being moved, etc. please try to give employee as much notice of the changes as possible.

Please allow the employee a little extra time to adjust and learn new things. If the supervisor is frustrated or impatient with an employee on the spectrum, then it will make it much harder for the employee to adjust and learn new tasks. Once the employee adjusts to the new environment, their performance will greatly improve and he/she will consistently preform the tasks correctly.

Employees on the spectrum often do better if they are allowed to be in a quiet office without bright lights and strong odors.  If the employee’s office is next to the lunch room and another employee accidentally burns popcorn in the microwave the smell may be unbearable for the employee on the spectrum.  Noises, odors and visual stimuli that neuro-typical people might not notice may be highly magnified for people on the spectrum. 

People on the spectrum may need to take more breaks.  They should also be able to take a break to calm down if they are feeling overwhelmed or experiencing high anxiety.  It might be helpful to have a safe and quiet room the employee can use if he/she is on the verge of having a panic attack.

Some employees on the spectrum might struggle with time management.  To help the employee on the spectrum, a supervisor might want to help the employee to keep an hourly log that shows what tasks he should be working on and for how long.  It might also help if the supervisor makes a priority chart that the employee can follow.  Ex. 9am to 10am return phone calls, 10am to 11am make cold calls, 11am to 12pm meeting with client, etc.  Also, a priority list could look something like: 1. Return Supervisor’s Calls. 2. Return Client Calls. 3. Complete daily must-do tasks. 4. Work on ways to make office more efficient…

People on the spectrum can be extremely literal which could lead to them misunderstanding instructions or rules.  It will help if you avoid sarcasm, idioms, metaphors, and words with multiple meanings (unless you explain the meaning of these).  Only say “always” or “never” if you literally mean this. 

Employees on the spectrum often have struggle with understanding nonverbal language. They may not understand when someone is joking or exaggerating.  People on the spectrum might also be unaware that their body language sends messages that the person on the spectrum did not intend to send.

Some people on the spectrum will do better if a job coach assists the employee for a brief time.  Once the employee is comfortable and understands the tasks and expectations of him, the job coach might be faded out and natural supports provide any guidance needed. Keep phone number of job coach nearby and call for guidance if problems arise.