Autistic Civil Servant

Blogs about my experience of being an autistic civil servant written so that hopefully other autistic civil servants will see this and realise they’re not the only one. Also non-autistic (neurotypical) colleagues, friends and family may come to understand us better. All my own personal opinions or ideas – not endorsed by the civil service or anyone else, but discussed with a range of autistic colleagues. Latest posts here, chronological list of blogs here – and search box and index of subjects below. You may also be interested in the UK Cross Government Autism Network.

Feedback or subject suggestions extremely welcome via the Contact page.

Vision: Autism needs to be normalised

How I would like to change the world:

Objective: Some people are autistic – get over it

Step 1: Get everyone to realise how common autism is

Step 2: Get the management basics right

Step 3: Increase the visibility of autistic role models in professional jobs

Reasonable adjustments suggestions are at the foot of this page.

Blogs and articles

Autism myths blogs: Everyone’s on the spectrum; Autism is a superpower; Autism is much commoner in males; Autism can be cured; Autism is a mental illness; You don’t look autistic; Autism doesn’t matter; No empathy; Everyone’s autistic nowadays; Why didn’t I realise?!; Autistic Special Interests; The professionals always know best; “But lots of them are autistic!”; I can’t be autistic!; Who am I?; Losing it all; Unlucky for some; 3am worries; Promotion would be too stressful;

Unhelpful “helpfulness” blogs: Too Simple; But Why?; Imposed Order; Not Listening; Kindly hedging; Spit it out!; No harm meant; Why did you get upset?; It’s really simple; I didn’t mean that!; Just a chat; No I would not like a chat!; Little Poppers; You made me jump out of my skin!; You don’t look like you’re listening!; Look me in the eye!; Back from the brink; Let it go!; ;Oversimplifying and imposing order; Euphemisms and universal rules; Popping round and putting away your notebook; Stimming; Smarten up!; Closure; Over-conscientious; Over-interpreting; Drop the mask!

Change Management: Change is terrifying; Silly little things; Autistic-friendly Change; Change Clarity; Literal Change; Change limericks;

Reasonable adjustments blogs: Workplace reasonable adjustments; Applying for jobs; Job interview reasonable adjustments; My dream autistic job interview; Language about autism; Shall I tell my manager?; My staff member is autistic; Masking at work; What’s an autistic meltdown; Sifting out the autistics; Spiky profiles; Communication is a struggle; What do I do if I think someone’s autistic; De-stressing awaydays; “I just want to understand your thought process“; Autism and pressure; Facts can be rude;

Autistic leadership blogs: Ambiguity; Too many options!; I’m autistic: can I be leader? part 1; part 2; Getting an autism diagnosis; Autism and the civil service; A letter from the autistic colleague you didn’t know you had; change and loss; Delta works!; Detail; Civil Service Values: Integrity; Honesty; Objectivity; Impartiality Learning to be a leader; Re-Learning to be a leader; But it’s true so why are you arguing?; Empowering people, autistically; It’s not all about me; Autistic-led; Kindness in leadership; Autistic voices

Autism and society: Neurodiversity; What is autism like?; Asperger’s or autism?; Helping an autistic child; Change and loss; When someone comes out as autistic; Do I walk funny?; Do I talk funny?; Is it fair?; Knowing when to stop – pain; Autistic Special Interests; Five years on from diagnosis; One year on from diagnosis; Synaesthesia; Autistic Memory; Autism and Religion; I’m not eating that!; Nature and autism; “Online isn’t real!“; The Online Wilderness: Rabbit holes, Using the absolutist brain; Autism and rejection; Getting a diagnosis; Victimising Autistics

Articles first published on other websites: A letter from the autistic colleague you didn’t know you had; “I want to communicate and be understood, but it’s a struggle”; ‘Sifting out’ the autistics; How to work with colleagues with novelty and spiky profiles; Hidden Depths: Autistic Inclusion and Exclusion in the Civil Service; Delta Works!

Bad Poetry: But I can’t be autistic!; But WHY?; Not listening!; Spit it out!; Why did you get so upset?; “Silly” little things matter; I didn’t mean that!; No, I would not like “a chat”; “You made me jump out of my skin!”; Change Limericks; “Look me in the eye!“; “Why can you not let it go?!”; If your autistic staff are unhappy; A passion for justice; What, not how; I didn’t know you wanted me to stop; Ode to a Fidget Popper; Why is it my fault?; I’m not the problem, but I could make myself the problem…; Pulling the rug from under me; Adjusting to each other

Advent: Christmas Impending; Advent 1 (Patriarchs); St Nicholas; Advent 2 (Prophets); St Lucy; Advent 3 (John the Baptist); O Sapientia; Advent 4 (Virgin Mary); O Radix Jesse; O Clavis David; O Oriens; O Rex Gentium; O Emmanuel; Christmas Eve;

Christmas: Christmas Day; Boxing Day (St Stephen); St John the Evangelist; The Holy Innocents; Thomas Becket; New Year Impending; John Wycliffe; The Naming of Christ; St Basil; Twelfth Night;

Epiphany: Epiphany; Baptism of Christ; Epiphany 2; Epiphany 3; Holocaust Memorial Day; Candlemas; Septuagesima; Sexagesima; St Valentine’s; Quinquagesima; Shrove Tuesday;

Lent: Ash Wednesday; Lent 1; St David; Lent 2; Lent 3; St Patrick; Mothering Sunday; Passion Sunday; Palm Sunday (Joy’s baptism); Maundy Thursday; Good Friday; Holy Saturday;

Easter: Easter Day; Sunday after Easter; Easter 3; Easter 4; Easter 5 (Coronation weekend); Easter 6; Ascension Day; Easter 7; Pentecost; Trinity

Q&A (because… civil service… right?)

Blogs about London in lockdown 2020 for FFON

Blogs about reading for Dear Reader

Some people are very different to you so:

Listen more
Judge slower
Don’t assume
If in doubt, ask

Every autistic person is different but the following things may help them function in the workplace:

Allow Rest breaks (people are tiring)
Give clear (=blunt) feedback
Offer reassurance to combat self-doubt
Provide a quiet office
Minimise electronic beeping in the work area
Offer noise cancelling headphones
Provide natural light
Provide a designated desk (probably in a corner)
Allow comfortable clothes
Discourage smelly food in the work area
Provide visual cues
Limit phone use – provide video conferencing instead so the autistic colleague has visual communication cues from who they’re talking to
Expect unexpected patterns of ability (=”spiky profile”)
As far as possible, minimise form filling
Make performance-management as un-stressful as you can
Don’t make team bonding entirely dependent on unstructured socialising (=there are other ways to bond as a group than going down the pub)
Offer help writing clear objectives
As far as possible, limit the number of meetings and allow autistic colleagues to have their cameras off in video calls
Awareness and acceptance from colleagues that bluntness is not intended to be rudeness
As much structure and routine in changing and uncertain times as is possible
Confirmation of actions arising from meetings/calls if these were not made clear
Summarise key points of 1:1s in an email after the meeting
Allow autistic colleagues not to do “icebreakers” AND ensure they don’t have to make a social “scene” in asserting that right
Allow autistic colleagues to wear sunglasses in the office to cut down glare – white walls may not be helpful

New suggestions in italics. See also autism and job applications and autism and interviews.