You Have Autistic Students and Workers

Charlie was a happy, go lucky, kid through most of his school day and he was smart. If the teacher had a question, he had an answer, and he wasn’t afraid to share it. But once in a while Charlie had trouble on the playground or had an issue with what someone said, even if it wasn’t directed at him personally or was something most of the rest of us would just brush off, like legitimately accidentally bumping into him. He operated in a world of absolutes and had a high sense of justice, so when the teacher said people had to raise their hands and get called on before they gave an answer, that’s what he did. When another kid blurted out the answer and the teacher accepted it, he shut down and disengaged with class because, “They were supposed to raise their hand!” When he was approached to find out what his issue was and why he wouldn’t participate in other class activities, instead choosing to doodle, read, fidget, or stare intently with a piercing gaze, he tried to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out. He was caught replaying the situation over and over in his head like an endless earworm he couldn’t get out. He felt confronted or beaten down, even though, to the outside world, he should just move on. No harm, no foul. He would often become agitated and do things to gain attention that were not constructive or curl up in the fetal position in the corner of a classroom and become unresponsive. When he was confronted in either situation, teachers and administrators didn’t know how to react and without parental knowledge, he was restrained causing deep emotional scars that would affect the rest of his life, forming a negative view about education and school being a safe place.

This story is not about me, but rather a child I work with, who is on the autism spectrum. This story is also about you, no matter your position in an organization, because there’s likely someone like them, who is on the autism spectrum in at least one of your classes or that you interact with daily, you just might not know it. They’ve developed coping mechanisms to get them through, but life may still be a struggle.

Forrest Gump, Rain Man, Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory), and Shaun Murphy (The Good Doctor) are some of the more well-known examples of TV and movie characters of people on the autism spectrum. It’s great to see so many representations of neurodiversity, their successes, and their struggles. Unfortunately, they provide us with a false view of a large majority of people on the spectrum, which varies widely in physical and cognitive abilities.

On standardized tests this student scores 95% or higher in nearly every category of learning, but when it comes to certain things they struggle. When asked about absolutes, like “What’s your favorite…”, they freeze. There are too many possibilities for them to comprehend and what if they like several of something but doesn’t like any of them enough to be a favorite? When it comes to social situations and writing, they also really struggle. If they don’t have exact, step-by-step directions about exactly what they need to do in the assignment and have a great, well thought out example of the work they need to accomplish, they freeze and get overwhelmed. This doesn’t mean that they will copy the work of the example, it just gives them an example to follow so they can collect their own thoughts and write them out in a similar way. Most likely, you have students or workers in your organization that have the same issues, even those not on the spectrum.

Studies vary, but on average about 75% of people on the spectrum are unemployed and only about 45% go to college (making up 1-2% of the average college population). And of those that go to college, only about 40% will graduate. The reasons cited for this typically are a lack of support and a lack of self-advocacy. I have personally experienced both in the education of this student, which is why I am one of their advocates. I’ve witnessed a group of 14 young people go off to college this past year, many of which have diagnosed conditions. In talking with them, I came to realize that most of them have not and will not inform their college of their diagnosis because they “are adults now,” “they don’t need the help,” or they’ll be “seen differently” than their classmates. As instructors, support staff, employees and managers, that means we may have to give extra credence to identifying students or workers that may need help and developing an environment that is inclusive to a neurodiverse population.

Since COVID, the student I mentioned excelled in a hybrid style environment because it right sized the social interaction for them and focused them on what they need to learn in a well-organized schedule. This has caused them to excel even further in their studies. Their teachers have recognized their needs and provide extra support or alternate assignments that accomplish the same goals. Now they even enjoy going to school on some days. School may never be a “safe place” for them, but with recognition of their needs and the right support, we continue to hope they will excel with other instructors that recognize their needs and provide them the right kind of support.

Harvard Business Education recently published an article on 5 Ways to Create a More Inclusive and Accessible Learning Environment, which I encourage you to read, but these techniques can benefit all students and workers, not just those on the spectrum.

• Consider sensory sensitivity, watch for and recognize it, and reach out to those that may seem to be bothered by even the smallest of things in the classroom setting.
• Create structure and an order of assignments, making them predicable, well thought out, as clear as possible, and provide an example of the final product.
• Make it visual by adding charts, graphs, or pictures to explain concepts.
• Be clear and direct in your communication allowing people to understand exactly what you’re asking or looking for from them.

As we celebrate autism awareness month, it's up to all of us to recognize people’s difficulties, no matter what their neurodiversity, by initiating methods that help identify their needs and help them excel. There are many out there that know way more about autism than I do, I just have a front row seat to one area of neurodiversity.?