Workplace Adjustments for Autistic Employees: What is ‘Reasonable’?

Petty, Stephanie; Tunstall, Lydia; Richardson, Hannah B.; Eccles, Niamh

doi:10.1007/s10803-021-05413-x

Cited by 22 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…For example, we found that the negative sensory impacts of the school environment could be significantly mitigated by Covid-related measures, even though this was not their primary aim. Indeed, sensory hypersensitivity in the workplace is "a largely invisible and unknown disability" (de Vries, 2021, p. 284) that can create a barrier to well-being and self-efficacy without reasonable adjustments (Petty et al, 2022). Some adaptations, such as remote-working, although not available to all, meant that participants were more able to manage their own sensory environment, showing an instructive intersection between sensory well-being and agency in our study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Learning from autistic teachers: lessons about change in an era of COVID-19

et al. 2022

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The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in major upheavals in the school education sector, particularly during periods of "lockdown" and remote working. While the impact of these changes on pupils, parents and school staff, both nationally and internationally, has been well-documented, there has been scant consideration of the effects on disabled educators. In addition, the mixed nature of the existing research findings in the special education contextrevealing positives, as well as negatives from Covid-related adjustmentssuggests the need to learn broader lessons from the impact of these measures. In this article, we report on findings from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 21 autistic school staff working in a range of roles in schools in the UK. Using thematic analysis, participants' experiences of lockdown were analysed. Importantly, these were also compared with participants' experiences outside of the pandemic. The resulting five themessensory issues and the working environment; communication and social barriers and freedoms; stresses and strengths associated with technology; navigating home/school boundaries; and modalities of changerevealed some of the significant difficulties autistic school staff typically experience in their work, as well as the factors that intersect with these. Although periods of Covid-related measures created additional stresses for participants, they also provided a respite from the usual pressures, and indeed enabled their strengthsincluding an ability to manage changeto be more manifest. Valuable insights, which could benefit autistic school staff, pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, and the whole school community in the UK and beyond, are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Learning from autistic teachers: lessons about change in an era of COVID-19

et al. 2022

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“…Providing people with ASD with social skills training delivered in a group format is associated with modest effects on social competence . Effective therapies are needed to help people with ASD succeed in postsecondary education and the work environment …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Hirota

King

2023

JAMA

265

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ImportanceAutism spectrum disorder (ASD), characterized by deficits in social communication and the presence of restricted, repetitive behaviors or interests, is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting approximately 2.3% children aged 8 years in the US and approximately 2.2% of adults. This review summarizes evidence on the diagnosis and treatment of ASD.ObservationsThe estimated prevalence of ASD has been increasing in the US, from 1.1% in 2008 to 2.3% in 2018, which is likely associated with changes in diagnostic criteria, improved performance of screening and diagnostic tools, and increased public awareness. No biomarkers specific to the diagnosis of ASD have been identified. Common early signs and symptoms of ASD in a child’s first 2 years of life include no response to name when called, no or limited use of gestures in communication, and lack of imaginative play. The criterion standard for the diagnosis of ASD is a comprehensive evaluation with a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and is based on semistructured direct observation of the child’s behavior and semistructured caregiver interview focused on the individual’s development and behaviors using standardized measures, such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Second Edition and the Autism Diagnostic Interview. These diagnostic measures have sensitivity of 91% and 80% and specificity of 76% and 72%, respectively. Compared with people without ASD, individuals with ASD have higher rates of depression (20% vs 7%), anxiety (11% vs 5%), sleep difficulties (13% vs 5%), and epilepsy (21% with co-occurring intellectual disability vs 0.8%). Intensive behavioral interventions, such as the Early Start Denver Model, are beneficial in children 5 years or younger for improvement in language, play, and social communication (small to medium effect size based on standardized mean difference). Pharmacotherapy is indicated for co-occurring psychiatric conditions, such as emotion dysregulation or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Risperidone and aripiprazole can improve irritability and aggression (standardized mean difference of 1.1, consistent with a large effect size) compared with placebo. Psychostimulants are effective for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (standardized mean difference of 0.6, consistent with a moderate effect size) compared with placebo. These medications are associated with adverse effects including, most commonly, changes in appetite, weight, and sleep.Conclusions and RelevanceASD affects approximately 2.3% of children aged 8 years and approximately 2.2% of adults in the US. First-line therapy consists of behavioral interventions, while co-occurring psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety or aggression, may be treated with specific behavioral therapy or medication.

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“…Research is made difficult by the low number of autistic colleagues being truly represented in industry. A second important contextual consideration is the legal obligation that employers are under in the UK to ensure that employees are not disadvantaged at work by their autism diagnosis (the Autism Act, 2009; the Equality Act, 2010) by making appropriate working adjustments (Petty et al, 2022). Despite this context, the understanding of support that can be provided in the workplace was shown to be lower than the understanding of the difficulties faced or the positive contributions of autistic employees.…”

Section: Conclusion and Areas For Further Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The study variables were identified from a literature review: understanding of autism in the workplace and confidence in providing appropriate workplace support have been identified by autistic adults (López and Keenan, 2014), by representation from some employment sectors in the UK (Buckley et al, 2020) and by some workplaces internationally (Lindsay et al, 2021) as barriers to the employment of autistic adults. These quantitative questionnaire data formed part of a larger qualitative dataset that explored definitions of reasonable adjustments (Petty et al, 2022).…”

Section: Workplace Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conclusion and Areas For Further Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Supporting autistic employees: Understanding and confidence in UK workplaces

Petty

Richardson

Eccles

et al. 2022

Industry and Higher Education

Self Cite

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Autistic adults are underemployed. This means that workplaces are not meeting expectations of support for autistic employees and are not benefitting from a diverse workforce. This brief study investigated the current understanding in UK workplaces of adjustments and confidence with regard to supporting autistic employees. An online questionnaire was completed by 98 employees, mostly within the education sector. 15% of the respondents had a diagnosis of autism themselves. Understanding and confidence across all employees were moderate. Attending autism training in the workplace was associated with a better understanding of adjustments that could be made, but having autistic family or friends and having autistic colleagues were both associated with higher confidence in supporting autistic employees and understanding of positive workplace contributions. The findings corroborate the benefits of autism training in increasing understanding of adjustments that can be made in the workplace; however, a minority of employees had completed such training. The research provides a positive focus on personal understandings of autism which aid understanding and confidence when supporting autistic colleagues. The recommendations are to update and increase the accessibility of autism training, and notably to include the perspective of autistic employees and acknowledge workplace strengths in order to improve employment prospects within the autistic community.

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Workplace Adjustments for Autistic Employees: What is ‘Reasonable’?

Cited by 22 publications

References 40 publications

Learning from autistic teachers: lessons about change in an era of COVID-19

Learning from autistic teachers: lessons about change in an era of COVID-19

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Supporting autistic employees: Understanding and confidence in UK workplaces

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