Updated February 2025
Read our advice on removing any unintended barriers during recruitment and supporting young people with autism.
What is autism?
Autism is considered a spectrum condition that affects the way some people experience the world and communicate with it. There is no one way people experience autism – different people will have different strengths and support needs. For example, this could look like needing little to no support or needing 24-hour care.
It’s important to educate yourself on the lives, strengths and difficulties of autistic people. This booklet is a collection of a diverse group of people throughout the UK, each from a different walk of life. All have autism, but no two could be called identical and all have worked in different industries to each other. They discuss how they feel about being open in the workplace, the kind of adjustments they feel they need, whether they can access these, and their hopes for the future.
What terms should you use when talking about autism?
There’s a lot of different information out there about autism, and we all have differing knowledge and experiences of it. It’s key to ensure you are accessing accurate information and using the right terms when speaking about/to people with autism, just like you would for anything else, to be supportive and inclusive.
A common phrase you might have heard is ‘high functioning autism’. While not an actual diagnostic term, it’s used to refer to people with autism who have low support needs. However, many feel that it isn’t an accurate reflection, and that defining someone as low or high functioning disregards the difficulties they face, however they personally experience autism.
The NHS website has this helpful guide to terms you should avoid to remove negative connotations and what to replace them with, including explanations as to why this is preferred.
How can employers support people with autism in the workplace?
Here are our top tips on removing any unintended barriers in your recruitment process and workplace, ensuring your working environment supports employees with autism.
1. Only Include Essential Skills in Job Descriptions
When writing job descriptions during recruitment, review which skills are absolutely essential to the specific role and which are not. Many people with autism can struggle with communication and social settings, seeing a standard listed skill like ‘excellent communication’ can cause them to immediately remove themselves as a candidate.
Prioritise the essentials and leave out the ones that are desirable or can be nurtured over time with support. It doesn’t mean you’ll employ somebody without any of these skills; it gives people a chance to put themselves forward to show their true potential.
This can also benefit potential employees with anxiety – small changes can make a difference to those with autism and other needs.
2. Keep Communication Clear and Concise
Some people with autism may struggle with communication more than others, e.g. whether it’s their reading skills or being able to identify if something is literal or not. To reduce any confusion as much as possible, use clear, concise and simple language in any communications, such as emails, job descriptions, and application forms.
The same goes for the layout of these communications; it should be very clear where someone should apply, where they can find certain information, and where they should write their information on a webpage.
3. Provide a Chance for Reasonable Adjustment Requests
Reasonable adjustments are here to reduce/remove any disadvantages someone might face and it’s your legal obligation as an employer.
For example, this could look like:
- Including a question about the support someone would require in their application.
- Allowing candidates to review the questions you’ll ask in advance so they can come prepared or even bring notes into the interview.
- Allowing a candidate to bring someone to support them, including letting this supporter clarify any questions you ask.
- Providing clear instructions which could include directions or an agenda. Ask the candidate what would like before the interview.
- Allowing sensory distractions for example a fidget toy or noise-reducing headphones.
You don’t have to try to assume what someone with autism needs, and you certainly won’t be able to pinpoint the one best thing to do because it’s not the same for everyone. Approaching candidates and employees about any reasonable adjustments they might need is your way to ask about individual support.
4. Increase Awareness in the Workplace
Firstly, by ‘increasing awareness’, we are referring to sharing accurate and useful information about autism. Being informed about autism can help everyone in the organisation to approach the subject more inclusively and to make your workplace more accessible.
It’s important to remember that having autism is something personal to your candidate/employee, and you should only make other staff aware if they have consented to it being disclosed to others.
If they would like to make others aware, you could let all staff know how they can best help. The person with autism can tell you the specifics, but examples could include keeping a certain place in the office as a ‘quiet space’ or communicating in their preferred way, i.e. would they rather be sent an email or be talked to directly?
The Equality Act and Autism in the Workplace
People are protected under the 2010 Equality Act if they have a physical or mental impairment and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their day-to-day activities.
The act also protects those who are wrongly perceived to have a disability or are discriminated against because they are associated with someone who is protected under this act.
You can find additional guidance on the definition of ‘disability’ and further information on the .gov website.
What about autistic young people with no experience?
With young people who have no previous work experience, it can be harder to gauge how they would perform in the role because they cannot draw on previous examples of being at work. If you’re unsure how someone with autism and no previous employment experience will get on in your organisation, consider providing work experience first.
You could also provide training schemes like supported internships or inclusive apprenticeships which are designed to support those with additional needs. There are organisations and training providers who can support you with this.
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