Working with Autistic Employees

I’ve had the opportunity to work with many autistic adults in the work place and this is what I learned.  Don’t keep secrets.  Allow people to know that you have special needs.

There are no blanket rules that cover people with autism in the work place than to teach the employees,

• To be kind
• To be understanding
•   To be respectful
• To be forgiving
• To be accepting
• To have compassion
• To treat your fellow worker the way you would like to be treated.

I believe we need to educate the people that are working with our autistic sons and daughters, and explain why our children do things differently.   My son worked for a major corporation, and their policy was to hire a percentage of people with disabilities.  They included me when they held special classes to teach and educate all their employees on how to be more sensitive and understanding when working with people who have special needs.  This education helped immensely.  However, there are people who can’t resist picking on others.  This occurred when Brandon was employed and the management did not stand for it.  The young man was put on probation and was told that if another incident were to occur, he would be fired.  He knew they meant business and he straightened right up.

It just takes a little bit of information, and when the management and employees work together our children who have disabilities have a much greater chance to make in the work force. Without this knowledge and information, most of our adult kids will not succeed.

I teach classes to people in management positions on how to educate and train their employees to find harmony with all types of workers.  It has made a huge difference with the companies I have worked with.  A little information goes a long way.  There is hope.

Amalia Starr

Mother to an independent autistic adult son, Motivational Speaker, Author, and Founder of the Autism Independence Foundation. Book Amalia to speak, call 800-939-1046 or attend one of her conferences or training.