6 Ways to Create Autistic Spaces at Work

Creating autistic spaces is critical to productivity and well-being in the workplace.

Source: Vlada Karpovich/Pexels

In our day to day lives, we exist in a number of different spaces: private spaces, public spaces, work spaces, social spaces. Each of these spaces exert different levels of pressure upon us and allow authenticity to differing degrees. Spaces can be physical or abstract in nature, or a combination of both. Given the majority of people are non-autistic, most spaces tend to be designed for non-autistic folk.

For autistic people, an autistic space often feels more comfortable and provides the latitude to be our unfettered (or less fettered) selves. But what does an autistic space look like? Autistic spaces are not clearly labeled like smoke-free areas or thirty-minute parking bays; autistic spaces are rarely constructed for us, but rather something we must curate or create ourselves, where possible. Below, we discuss some of the ways that we create autistic spaces in our professional lives, which we have found increase both productivity and well-being. While we understand that not everyone is able to substantially change their work environment to create an autistic space, we hope that this article provides some ideas about changes that could be within the realm of possibility.

If you are a first-time reader of this blog, welcome to this autistic space.

1. Give yourself space to self-regulate.

Autistic people often inhibit or suppress preferred ways of self-regulating while in work spaces, especially if such strategies might be viewed as unusual, such as “stimming.”¹ The ideal scenario is to have a work environment where autistic self-regulation is actively encouraged, and co-workers refrain from applying neuro-normative judgments. However, this is rare and, even where it does exist, years of inhibiting regulatory strategies when in company mean that autistic adults often find it hard to freely engage in self-regulation around others, even when there is genuine acceptance.

Creating an autistic space at work may require alone time to regulate in ways that feel natural. This often includes moving our bodies in certain ways and/or repeating pleasant words or sounds. Some people regulate by arranging or lining up objects, or enjoying tactile sensations like the feel of different textures or playing with modeling clay or a stress ball. This might require moments of unobserved solitude; locking the door, retreating to a quiet room, working from home, or working in a job that is a combination of working collaboratively and independently.

More subtle self-regulation strategies can be used when it does not feel safe to regulate more freely, such as tensing muscles, pacing in a pattern, repeating words or phrases silently, fiddling with clothing or jewelry, or tapping rhythms. While these may not be as effective as more overt methods of regulation, it can be a handy strategy.

2. Do a sensory stock-take of your work environment.

Sensory processing differences are common among autistic people; we not only have “higher perceptual capacity” meaning we take in more information from our environments,² but we also don’t habituate to sensory stimuli in the same ways as neurotypical folk, leaving us prone to overstimulation.³ For many of us, noise, light, and smell can impact our energy levels, activate our sympathetic nervous systems, and result in overwhelm. Accommodations to reduce sensory input, such as working in natural light rather than fluorescents, working remotely rather than in a shared office, or wearing noise-canceling headphones can make a world of difference.

It is useful to anticipate the parts of our working day with particularly high levels of sensory input so that we can schedule something less demanding, or a quiet break time, immediately afterward. Many of us also crave specific sensory inputs, so pairing a reduction of overstimulating sensory inputs with the addition of enjoyable or regulating sensory inputs is also key to creating a sensory-friendly autistic space.

3. Develop relationships with autistic colleagues for support.

Not everybody has autistic colleagues at work and sharing a neurotype with someone doesn’t necessarily mean that you will get along with them. However, it is useful to seek advice, support, and collaboration from others who share similar experiences.

In the work that we do together, we allow each other latitude when other demands are pressing and work to our strengths in the division of labor. We prefer an honest and frank communication style that is free from social niceties, and have a shared understanding that critique of each other’s contribution does not constitute criticism of the person. Our overlapping experiences of the world mean we not only work together in divergent yet compatible ways, but also offload and offer support to one another after a difficult day or a confusing altercation. Our experience of creating an autistic space together has helped us to know what we prefer, need, and thrive on, thus helping us develop similar working relationships elsewhere.

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4. Embrace autistic-friendly communication.

Autistic social media is brimming with memes about meetings that could have been an email and stress associated with phone calls. Fortunately, in these modern times, there are many other communication channels that are not only preferred by many autistic individuals but can also be more efficient. Using this post as an example, the ideas were formulated via a chat thread and the actual writing was facilitated using a shared cloud folder, where we take turns to sculpt, change, and add to the writing, without the need for other methods of communication.

While it can feel uncomfortable to go against established conventions, for many autistic people, emailing instead of making phone calls can free up cognitive resources for other tasks, leading to greater productivity and reducing burnout. We also find written communication is clearer, involves less social subtext to interpret, allows adequate processing time before responding, and can be written from existing templates to save time and cognitive resources. Finding ways to go with, rather than against, your preferred ways of communicating (whatever they may be) is critical to cultivating your autistic space.

5. Minimize executive functions.

As humans, we all have our strengths and limitations. In an ideal world, people would be able to work to their strengths and tasks would be delegated with this in mind. However, most work roles are embedded with higher-order cognitive processes called “executive functions” that are challenging for many autistic folk.⁴ While we cannot entirely remove executive functions from our working lives, we can find ways to scaffold executive functioning and reduce the cognitive load we carry.

Harnessing routines and familiar patterns of workflow can reduce the need for executive functions involved in decision-making and planning, as the framework of the routine can help guide us in what we need to do next. Reducing cognitive load by using reminders, alarms, and purpose-built apps can be of great help and free up cognitive resources to be allocated elsewhere. We can minimize task switching and transitioning by scheduling similar tasks in a block, or by giving ourselves time to focus intently on a task in one sitting, rather than multi-tasking or being interrupted by other tasks or demands. Turning off phones, muting notifications, and even locking the door can minimize interruptions and help us complete our work without the extra cognitive demand of sudden and unexpected task switching.

6. Develop an autistic professional identity.

“Autistic” and “professional” are not mutually exclusive; in fact, there are many professions where specific skill sets and strengths of autistic individuals can be extremely advantageous. In a previous post, we discussed authenticity in the context of well-being for autistic people; authenticity is also key to cultivating an autistic space at work. Unfortunately, there remains widespread stigma related to autism, fueled by misconceptions and outright fallacies, so it is not always safe for autistic people to be open about their neurodivergence in professional contexts. Whether you are fully, partially, or not “Aut” in the workplace,⁵ it is important to develop a way of working that both meets your core responsibilities and allows you to be authentic in carrying out those duties. Shedding some of the socio-culturally constructed ideas about professionalism, while still abiding by relevant rules and ethical guidelines, can be an important part of developing an autistic professional identity.

Given the vast diversity in the autistic population, autistic spaces mean different things for different people and depend on the needs of the individual. The ideas shared above barely scrape the surface when it comes to cultivating autistic spaces in the professional context, and each autistic space will differ from the next. Whether forging new autistic spaces from scratch or working with the flexible, changeable aspects of existing non-autistic spaces, it is crucial for our well-being that we spend time in spaces that allow us the latitude to be our authentic, autistic selves, in both our personal and professional lives.