Simple ways to make meetings work better for employees on the autism spectrum

NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Before Megan Pilatzke was , she wondered why she always felt drained when she got home from work.

All day long, she’d labored to understand when to speak up or stay silent in meetings. She replayed conversations in her head, worrying she’d misunderstood or said the wrong thing. Noisy environments distressed her. She watched her peers receive promotions when she didn’t.

鈥淚 would come home burnt-out, anxious,” Pilatzke said of her days working as an insurance claim specialist. “That just kept going, week after week, day after day.鈥�

Her communication difficulties, sensitivity to noise and other problems at work began to make sense following her diagnosis, she said.

Pilatzke, 36, now spends her days teaching employers how to make workplaces more accommodating for people on the autism spectrum. She works as an inclusion specialist at Specialisterne Canada, a nonprofit that helps organizations to better support employee .

She also reframed the way she thinks about traits often associated with autism, viewing her ability to focus intensely and provide honest, direct feedback as strengths.

Below are some ways to make meetings and other work rituals more accessible for autistic people, according to several adults with autism and neurodiversity experts.

It begins with understanding

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disorder that affects about 1 in 45 adults in the U.S., according to Autism Speaks, a nonprofit organization that supports autistic people and their families by funding , providing resources and doing advocacy work.

It presents in but can create challenges with social skills, speech and nonverbal communication. Some common characteristics include repetitive behaviors and sensitivity to noise.

鈥淪tart by learning about different communication styles and being open-minded,鈥� Subodh Garg, who appeared in the first season of the show 鈥淟ove on the Spectrum,鈥� said. 鈥淚nclusion begins with giving people a chance and making space for diverse ways of thinking and working. Employers can start with small intentional steps.鈥�

Garg works part-time at a Southern California deli, where he handles invoices and restocks pastries. He also is studying to earn a bachelors degree and is a 鈥渃hampion of change鈥� advocate at Autism Speaks.

Employers may have preconceived ideas about what autism means, when 鈥渢he reality is, it is a massive spectrum,鈥� said Rita Ramakrishnan, who is autistic and founded a consulting company that provides leadership coaching for neurodivergent executives. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a community of people with much higher support needs, and then there are folks who are twice exceptional or otherwise extraordinarily high functioning. Their support needs are not as high, and their production capabilities are different. But they鈥檙e all valid autistic experiences.鈥�

Organizations should consult autistic employees when crafting policies that are designed to make workplaces , Ramakrishnan said.

鈥淣o one鈥檚 expecting you to be an expert in this, but we are expecting a level of curiosity, not judgment, and we would love the ability to have a conversation around our needs,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 mean you have to accommodate all of them or redesign for all of them, but at least listening is the first step.鈥�

Making meetings more accessible

Face-to-face can be difficult for some people with autism, so having the ability to participate in meetings online or through writing can be helpful, experts said.

鈥淐hanging the expectations for social engagement during a meeting is really important,鈥� Ramakrishnan said. 鈥淚n a neurotypical normative situation, things like eye contact are highly prized. I trust someone who makes eye contact with me. But for an autistic person, that is a scary thing.鈥�

Making camera use optional during virtual meetings is a useful accommodation since said people with autism often feel pressure to 鈥渕ask鈥� their natural behaviors by mimicking the facial expressions of neurotypical colleagues, Pilatzke said.

鈥淭hings like that can actually cause a lot of anxiety for individuals that are neurodivergent,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o having that pressure removed can be helpful.鈥�

Some people with autism find it鈥檚 easier to focus during virtual or in-person meetings when they鈥檙e doodling or walking around, said Natalie Longmire, a professor of organizational behavior at Tulane University鈥檚 Freeman School of Business. Managers can make it explicit that those behaviors are accepted, she said.

Employees also can seek and normalize these types of accommodations by saying something like, 鈥淗ey if I get up and walk around, I鈥檓 doing that so I can be more engaged in what you鈥檙e saying,鈥� Longmire suggested.

Share agendas in advance

Keith Wargo, president & CEO of Autism Speaks, said that before holding meetings, his organization sends out agendas broken into five-minute chunks. 鈥淗aving that kind of structure, it鈥檚 good practice for everyone,鈥� he said.

Allowing written input before and after meetings 鈥� and not prioritizing only what is spoken out loud during the allotted time 鈥� enables organizations to honor and take advantage of autistic individuals鈥� contributions, Ramakrishnan said.

鈥淏e explicit about, for each agenda item, is this a discussion? Is this a brainstorm? Are we making a decision here?鈥� Ramakrishnan added. 鈥淭hat gives an autistic person the chance to prepare what they need to.”

鈥淭hese are the folks that are going to come up with the ideas that nobody else thinks about,鈥� she added.

Enable various modes of communication

Have multiple lanes available to participate in meetings, such as chat windows for attendees to type their contributions, said Abigayle Jayroe, senior vice president for strategic operations at NEXT for Autism. 鈥淭here may be people who just don鈥檛 feel comfortable speaking,鈥� Jayroe said. Turning on captions can help people who prefer to process information by reading, she added.

Normalizing the use of noise-canceling headphones and written communication can help, experts say. To reduce feelings of sensory overwhelm, an autistic participant could try saying, 鈥淚 might ask a question over chat instead of raising my hand because it鈥檚 easier for me,鈥� Longmire said.

Garg, who was diagnosed with autism when he was 3 years old, said he was non-verbal early on but learned over time how to communicate and connect with other people.

鈥淥ne of the biggest challenges has been interviews because they focus a lot on social skills instead of the actual work,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ometimes people misunderstand my communication style or underestimate what I can do. Even small things like clear instructions or written feedback really help me do my best.鈥�

Encouraging naysayers

An issue some autistic people encounter at work or in social situations is having their tendency to speak in a forthright way misinterpreted as callousness, Ramakrishnan said. Colleagues can be explicit about whether it鈥檚 OK to be direct or whether they need to soften the language, she said.

In Pilatzke’s view, many autistic people possess a strong sense of right and wrong, and feel a need to speak up when they perceive injustices. 鈥淚 describe myself as a blunt person. I鈥檓 very honest. I鈥檓 going to say what I think,鈥� she added.

Organizations can benefit from staffers’ frankness by building a culture where everyone isn’t expected to agree. Have a designated naysayer or devil鈥檚 advocate in brainstorming meetings, Jayroe suggested.

鈥淭he best ideas are built off of poking holes in what everyone agrees on. So it lays the groundwork longer term for a company to have their employees feel comfortable raising red flags or building on ideas,” she said.

___

Share your stories and questions about workplace wellness at cbussewitz@ap.org. Follow AP鈥檚 Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at

太子探花