He's Not Hard to Work With. Nobody Told You How.
What autistic employees bring, three things that help, and a free one-page card to hand a boss or coworker.
I used to train autistic and special-needs adults on the job. The people I worked with showed up. They followed the process. They caught the mistakes everybody else walked past.
One man, Reginald: tell him the year you were born and he'd tell you your age. Instantly. We spent twenty minutes trying to stump him. Never did.
That's not a quirk. That's a skill nobody thought to use.
3 things that help at work
- Tell him the plan before the day starts. A change nobody warned him about can throw the whole shift. Two minutes at clock-in saves it.
- Say what you mean. No hints, no sarcasm, no "it'd be nice if." Say what you need and by when.
- No eye contact doesn't mean he's not listening. A lot of autistic people listen better when they're not forced to look at you. Judge the work, not the stare.
You're not doing him a favor by hiring him. He might be the best one you've got.
Parents: the boss probably hasn't been told any of this
You don't have to make a speech. Hand them one page.
The Coworker Card
One page your kid (or you) hands a boss or coworker: how he works best, what helps, and what looks odd but isn't. Fill in his name and a couple of lines. Enter your email and it's yours, plus The Quiet Fight, my free weekly letter.
After the first job
What changes at 18, SSI at 18, and the rest of the adult years are in the Advocate Membership.
I'm a dad and a former job trainer, not an employment lawyer. This is what I've seen work.