Tips for reintegration with Autism
We now have a lot of experience coaching employees with ASD (autism) and we wanted to share some tips with you. But who better to do that than an expert by experience? Joost has ASD and is in a 2nd track reintegration process (from work to work) with consultant Katja Oostergetel. These are Joost's tips.
Tip #1: Give someone with autism time to process information, questions, assignments.
Don't expect the right answers right away in a conversation; someone with autism often comes back to answers. Let someone with autism think about issues and let them come back to them. Communicating in writing is something people with autism enjoy.
Tip 2: Be clear and provide structure
What helps a lot is clearly explaining the structure of the reintegration process and also briefly stating the structure of the conversation before each meeting. What are we going to talk about, etc.
Tip #3: Make sure all tracks in the reintegration process are very clear and what the purpose of those tracks are.
It is often difficult for someone with autism to focus on multiple things at once. Returning to your old job, applying for another position, keeping your social life going and what else may be going on (studies, hobbies), you name it, it's a lot. It's stuff we can't avoid so the only thing we can do is to discuss very well the different trajectories and pursuits; where to put the most focus on and on which things a little less.
Tip 4: Know what autism is and delve into the characteristics your client has.
Hollywood shows autism as in "Rainman" in which actor Dustin Hoffman plays an exceptional math prodigy who bangs his hands against his head and can barely talk. But autism comes in different degrees. Basically, autism is always about being able to process data more slowly and being less able to handle stimuli and incoming data because processing is slower and because there are a lot of stimuli coming in. Some people are more affected by this than others. Rainman beats his hands against his head because he can no longer handle the stimuli and data to be processed. Another only has lighter neurotic traits like shaking a leg or something else to quiet the mind.
Tip 5: Autism always accompanies a client's character.
One person deals with their autism differently than another. This is character-dependent.
Tip 6: Keep in mind that an autistic person has developed strategies to get along in everyday life
From an early age, an autistic person often develops strategies to mask their autism and appear as normal as possible. These kinds of strategies can cost the autistic person a lot of energy, which is also often the cause of burnout. They also call this autistic burnout. In order to prevent a recurrence of such burnout, it is therefore not only important that a client finds the job that suits him better but that he or she is also aware of the energy he or she puts into these strategies to mask autism and whether this is wise to do.
Tip 7: In a reintegration process, focus on the benefits of autism
Autism has many advantages that are of interest to many employers. Being able to have a strong focus, good at analysis and strong loyalty to an employer because people with autism have strong norms and values. However, the client's norms and values must match those of the employer. For example, companies specializing in working with people with autism report that they often have to tell someone to really go home now, because otherwise the employee with autism will keep going when he or she is working on something.
