An Employer's Guide to Managing Professionals on the Autism Spectrum

by Integrate, Marcia Scheiner, Joan Bogden

Employees with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may be hugely beneficial to a workforce, but it can be difficult for individuals with no formal training to manage these employees successfully. This definitive guide will help managers and colleagues successfully interact with and support these professionals on the autism spectrum so as to ensure mutual success.


Integrate Autism Employment Advisors use their experience advising employers on how to successfully employ professionals on the autism spectrum to identify the everyday challenges faced by employees with ASD in the workplace and sets out reasonable, practical solutions for their managers and colleagues. Barriers to productivity are highlighted, such as the sensory environment, miscommunication, and inadequate training of colleagues. Easy-to-implement strategies to adapt the working environment are provided, such as agreeing on non-verbal cues to signal ending a conversation or establishing parameters for appropriate email length. This book is an essential resource for anyone who works with professionals on the autism spectrum. It will allow them to engage with and support their colleagues on the autism spectrum in a respectful way and help them achieve a greater level of working success.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

Published August 21, 2017

Reviews

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently found myself in a professional position to oversee an individual in my department who had openly disclosed that they were on the spectrum. As a neuro-typical (a great new identification term that I learned from the book), I wanted to ensure that I not only coached and managed this individual from a professional perspective but also understood the way in which his information processing skills were different than mine. I believe that with any individual that you oversee or manage the best way to help them is to take the time to understand them as an individual and this book was a fantastic tool to help me focus my efforts in that direction. I have incorporated so much of what I learned in this book into my day to day engagement with the individual and truly feel the impact is significant. I have dogeared pages to keep as reference should certain events and circumstances arise down the road. Highly recommend this book for anyone who finds themselves in a managerial or oversight position of someone on the spectrum.