Blogs & Insights
Avoid “Typecasting” Autistic People Into Tech-Only Jobs
Being inclusive doesn’t mean just allowing autistic people to work for you, it means making policy changes, educating yourself and your staff, and providing support that comes from a place of true understanding–not only of the autistic person but the unique benefits and perspectives our minds can bring to the conference table.
Focus On and Believe Your Autistic Employee’s Words, Not Non-Verbal Communication
Focus On and Believe Your Autistic Employee's Words, Not Non-Verbal Communication A common misunderstanding between autistic and non-autistic people revolves around the true and literal meaning of words. For instance, non-autistic people tend to convey information...
Taming the Tightrope Bias
The “tightrope” metaphor refers to the narrow range of behavior seen as acceptable for people from non-dominant and stigmatized groups compared to the leeway afforded to those from dominant groups. The tightrope bias is typically discussed in application to the...
Avoid Interrupting Your Autistic Employees Unless It’s Important
Small talk is practically synonymous with working in an office setting, and many neurotypical people enjoy it. It helps them to relieve stress and break up the day by venting frustrations, talking about current events, and catching up on favorite popular TV shows....
Doubling Back on Remote Work Options Causes Distress in Autistic Employees
Since the beginning of 2020, we’ve been living in a world altered by a pandemic, and, to navigate that world successfully, we’ve had to get creative. One of the most creative and innovative ways we’ve kept ourselves afloat is by offering remote work options. Touch and...
Why Offering a Flexible Work Schedule May Benefit Your Autistic and ADHD Employees
Since we were children, attendance and punctuality have been equated with good ethics and moral character. Getting a ‘perfect attendance’ or a ‘most punctual’ award at the end of a school year was something to strive for! In fact, I’ll bet if you were one of those...
Be Clear and Direct When Giving Performance Feedback to Autistic Employees
In a neurotypical work setting, it’s considered polite and professional to ‘soften the blow’ when giving negative performance feedback to employees. There’s a certain way neurotypical people communicate with one another that conveys strong feelings (such as...
Neurodiversity and Creativity: What we do Well, and what Organizations can do Better.
You plug your computer into an outlet and do some work. Then you remember to pick up a present for a family friend who loves all things Little Mermaid. Knowing that makes gifting easy. And you just benefitted from neurodivergent creativity three times in a row. The...
How to Explain and Process Change With Your Autistic Employees
Autistic people often find change to be emotionally distressing and confusing due to the way our brains are wired. While neurotypical people can more easily accept and process changes in command, procedures, and policies, your autistic employees may need additional...
Why Your Autistic Coworkers Don’t Bend Rules the Way You Do
For neurotypical people, bending (and even breaking) workplace rules is not only commonplace–but expected. By and large, neurotypical people are aware of rules they are expected to follow and ones they can get away with breaking (depending on the situation and who...