Change limericks

It ought to be possible to build reasonable adjustments for autism into change management. But that probably sounds very difficult, doesn’t it? It does to me and I AM autistic. But it needn’t be, I hope. As an autistic staff member, the things I fear about change are loss of the scaffolding around me that I need to function, and humiliation that I may miss messages that everyone else picks up. It’s often the case that change management communications are couched in hints and nuances that “those in the know” will pick up. That might feel like a good way to do communication fitted to multiple levels of understanding, but it excludes autistic colleagues and leaves us feeling that we’re fools for not “reading between the lines”.

What I try to do when managing change myself, and love to receive when I get it, are the following.

• Be clear, honest and literal, including about timings. Don’t leave autistic colleagues to infer things.
• Don’t over-promise or provide blanket (non-literally true) reassurances in order to make yourself feel better.

• Be clear about what you’re trying to achieve; it will help autistics who need to know the end goal in order to see how to get there.
• Be open about your own uncertainty and keep communicating – given autistic anxiety we will come up with FAR worse ideas of what might happen than are even slightly possible.

The clue’s there for those in the know

The hints and the wording may show

What’s happening next,

It’s in the context,

But autistics are left feeling slow.

–

Please tell me and make it quite clear.

It’s not lack of facts that I fear –

It’s feeling left out –

Because of my doubt

That I understand what you mean here.

–

If you make me a promise please keep it

I’ll hear the phrase just as you speak it

And literally feel

That that was the deal

Not some subtle reword as you tweak it.

–

Say nothing and I will fear worse

Than you can imagine: a curse

Or horror, and so

Please be open – I know

It feels weird and you are averse.

–

It may seem quite a big incongruity

That I must know the worst exiguity.

My brain needs clear comms

Please drop your truth bombs!

It’s not that I fear ambiguity.

Apologies for the metre in that last one – “ambiguity” is a bit of a stinker of a rhyme…

[Updated to add: no, really, ambiguity is not the problem for me. What I struggle with is when I misunderstand a communication about ambiguity and interpret things as more certain than was intended. For example by taking something literally. I would take “I’m sure it’s going to be alright” not as “vague encouraging sentiment about uncertain times” but “everything is going to stay the same”. And when I was wrong I’d get wrong-footed and embarrassed.

As always, other autistics’ mileage may vary.]