What do accommodations for autism look like? Many HR professionals are asking this question as employees with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or seek support in the workplace. HR teams may also be looking for ways to support employees with AuDHD, or those with both autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The answer to this question is complicated. An accommodation for autism can take many forms, depending on an employee’s specific limitations and goals. Because more than 5.4 million adults in the U.S. have autism, many employers find themselves providing diverse and varied support for individuals on the spectrum.
In this blog, we discuss what employers need to know about autism, the kinds of support autistic employees may need, and strategies for providing that support effectively and efficiently.
Understanding Autism in the Context of the ADA
When we talk about workplace accommodations for folks with autism, it’s important to understand a little legal context. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law that requires most employers to provide accommodations to people with disabilities.
The ADA defines a disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.” Autism frequently falls under this definition. In fact, regulations from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provide that there are some conditions that will “virtually always” be a disability, especially conditions like autism and ADHD that impact day-to-day functioning.
Officially called autism spectrum disorder, autism is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in sensory perception, social understanding, and communication. A person with autism may struggle with any number of the ADA’s major life activities. They may find it challenging, for example, to work if an office is noisy due to sensory issues or if they’re dealing with poor executive functioning. Or they may struggle to communicate with coworkers because of the differences in their social understanding.
Some people with autism also experience attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The combination of these two disorders is known as AuDHD, meaning that someone’s autistic traits may impact or mask their ADHD traits, or vice versa.
Employers’ responsibilities under the ADA
When an employee has one or both of these disabilities, employers are required by the ADA to do two things:
- Provide the employee reasonable accommodations as needed.
- Not discriminate against the employee in any aspect of employment.
It’s worth noting that, in addition to the ADA, there is now another accommodation-providing law on the books. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) is a federal law that requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant and postpartum workers. Employees with ASD or AuDHD may be eligible for an accommodation under the PWFA if pregnancy exacerbates their disability.
When an employee needs an accommodation, it’s important HR follow the interactive process: an ongoing conversation that explores a worker’s needs and pinpoints a suitable accommodation. You can read more about the interactive process in this article or in this webinar.
Common Workplace Accommodations for Autism
Some employers struggle to provide accommodations due to the breadth of possibilities. Many things — from parking spaces to job coaches — can qualify as an accommodation if it allows someone with a disability to complete the essential functions of their job.
In the sections below, we offer several examples of the accommodations autistic people may benefit from. We outline accommodations that can benefit people with ADHD in our article, Key Strategies for Providing ADHD Accommodations at Work. The supports listed there may work for people who experience both autism and AuDHD.
Recruitment and onboarding accommodations
Here are a few accommodations employers can consider offering during the recruitment and onboarding phases:
- Offer detailed, accurate job descriptions
- Provide written questions shared ahead of interview
- Allow candidates to use notes during interview
- Offer assignments instead of interview
- Provide trial runs in the workspace before starting
Job role and management accommodations
These are examples of day-to-day workstyle changes that help people do their job better, often at no cost to the employer.
- Provide advanced notice of changes, allowing time to process
- Use explicit communication, written where possible
- Allot extra time for the employee to spend with their manager
- Allow for flexible deadlines and/or extra time to complete tasks
- Provide a mentor or internal advocate for the employee
Cultural accommodations
Below, we list a few accommodations that adjust workplace norms.
- Allow for flexible start and finish times
- Provide feedback in a neuro-inclusive manner
- Minimize unnecessary meetings and face-to-face interactions
- Provide clear processes for reporting concerns
- Allow for dress-code flexibility
Sensory accommodations
People with autism often experience sensory processing differences compared to neurotypical employees. Here are a few accommodations that can help:
- Offer employees an allocated desk, as opposed to hot desking
- Provide a desk in a quiet space or private office
- Allow employees to use desk lamps to avoid fluorescent lighting
- Post clear signage and directions throughout the building
- Allow the use of ear defenders, ear plugs, and headphones
If you’d like more accommodation ideas, join The LeaveLab to download our full-length accommodations menus.
Why These Requests Can Be Hard to Navigate
It can be challenging to navigate autism-related accommodation requests for a number of reasons. First, autism is often invisible. When a person’s limitation is obvious, it’s sometimes easier to determine the accommodation that will be most helpful. But a hidden disability can be tricky to provide support for.
Making matters more complicated, an employee with autism (or any other kind of disability) may not frame their request in the language of the ADA. This is especially possible if an employee struggles with social interactions. This doesn’t free employers from their responsibility to provide an accommodation, however. An employee may simply say they need some help or admit they’re struggling with their work. However an employee phrases their request, these kinds of comments should kick off the interactive process.
It’s also possible that a manager will confuse an employee’s need for support with performance problems. Sometimes, an employee’s performance will suffer due to their disability. This scenario should cause managers to work with employees to pinpoint an accommodation that will help them perform better, rather than penalizing the employee for performance issues.
Consider this example from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN):
- A professor on the autism spectrum encounters difficulties in keeping daily office hours and experiences anxiety due to unpredictable student visits.
- JAN suggests an accommodation of modifying the professor’s schedule. By reducing the number of days he has office hours, but augmenting the number of hours available, the professor can limit the amount of unpredictable days on his calendar.
- JAN also recommends asking students to make appointments at least one day in advance, to ease the professor’s anxiety.
What the Data Shows About Neurodiversity and Workplace Requests
We recently surveyed 1,200 HR leaders from a variety of industries to understand how the accommodations landscape is evolving. Our data revealed a few interesting findings related to accommodations and neurodiversity. For instance: 19% of respondents said that neurodiversity is among the top drivers of accommodations requests.
Our report also revealed the most popular accommodations. Many of them could serve as support for individuals with autism or AuDHD. These include:
- Remote work or telework: Employees may benefit from working where they’re most comfortable.
- Reduced schedules or periodic time off: Workers may need time to attend appointments or therapy.
- Specialized equipment: Someone with autism may benefit from ergonomic equipment, for instance.
- Additional breaks: Employees may need extra break time to cope with the demands of their job.
- Changes in workspace: Small changes — a desk lamp or a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, for example — may provide big relief for someone with sensory issues.
As accommodations rise in number, employers will likely see more requests related to neurodiversity. Like any accommodation, these require time and attention from HR and managers.
What We’re Hearing from HR Teams
Many HR teams struggle to manage accommodations. With so many requests from employees with varying disabilities, they create a complex workload for HR and managers alike. This was the case for Cache Creek Casino Resort in northern California. The resort’s HR team managed both leave and accommodations manually, a process that generated a complicated web of folders and subfolders.
When the team started managing leave and accommodations with AbsenceSoft, this network of folders disappeared. The team can now log into our platform and immediately access whatever employee data it needs.
“AbsenceSoft saved us hours upon hours of time,” said Wendy Ayala, Benefits Supervisor at Cache Creek Casino Resort. “Being able to just go to one spot and see everything related to a case is just, I can’t even tell you how helpful that is.”
Improve Your Process With Tools, Technology, and Training
As your organization seeks to accommodate employees with autism, here are a few best practices to keep in mind:
- Review data: Reporting can help you spot inequities or other trends. Data can reveal, for instance, how many employees have asked for accommodations, what kinds of accommodations are most popular, and how quickly your team fulfills requests.
- Document the interactive process: The interactive process should take place for every request, even if the accommodation is provided quickly. Whether the process is swift or slightly lengthy, every step should be fully documented. Robust documentation helps employers ensure consistent processes and avoid unfounded accusations.
- Follow up: When an employee discloses their disability — whether it’s autism, ADHD, or something else — it’s important to follow up quickly. It takes courage to ask for help, and employers need to respond swiftly and kindly when an employee takes this step. Provide concrete, detailed next steps to show the employee that you take their request seriously.
Technology can help your organization implement these best practices. Platforms like AbsenceSoft, for example, centrally store cases, medical documentation, and decisions, ensuring rapid access if there is an audit. Our system also provides automated reminders, helping your team follow up on cases that need attention. AbsenceSoft’s self-service portals even give employees a discrete, convenient way to request an accommodation — an important benefit for employees who struggle with in-person communication.
Accommodations technology also streamlines the interactive process. While managers are a common bottleneck, platforms can reveal which managers stand in the way of accommodations getting implemented. Even so, it’s important to provide training to managers so they understand what accommodations are, how employees can ask for them, and what the interactive process should look like.
Optimize Accommodations for Autism and Beyond with AbsenceSoft
Finding accommodations for employees with autism takes time, energy, and careful management. With the right technology, however, employers can centrally manage their accommodations for employees with autism, AuDHD, and other kinds of disabilities. To learn how AbsenceSoft could benefit your organization’s approach to accommodations, book a demo today.
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Reasonable accommodations for autism depend on the individual, but often include sensory tools, quiet workspaces, written instructions, and schedule flexibility. Because autism affects how someone processes sensory input or communicates, small changes can make a big difference. Under the ADA, employers must provide accommodations that help someone perform the essential functions of their job. AbsenceSoft helps HR teams manage this process with tools that guide the interactive process, centralize and review documentation, and ensure legal compliance.
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Start by recognizing that not every employee will say the words “I need an accommodation.” A request for help or a mention of struggling at work can be enough to trigger your ADA obligations. Once a request is made, HR must begin the interactive process, gather any needed documentation, and work with the employee to identify reasonable supports. AbsenceSoft helps simplify this process by automating administrative tasks, tracking requests, and sending follow-up reminders to check in.
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Effective accommodations for autism often include written instructions, extra time to process changes, fewer meetings, quiet spaces, and tools that support sensory needs. Some employees may also benefit from job coaches, flexible deadlines, or trial runs during onboarding. The best accommodations are tailored to the employee and their role. With AbsenceSoft, HR teams can document requests and decisions made, review data on what accommodations have been made across the organizations, and manage follow-ups all in one place.
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Yes, autism is recognized as a disability under the ADA because it can impact communication, sensory processing, and other major life activities. That means employers must provide reasonable accommodations unless doing so causes undue hardship. AbsenceSoft helps HR teams stay compliant by managing the entire lifecycle of each accommodation request, including documentation, a step-by-step guided process, and communication templates.
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Manual processes leave room for delays and risk, especially with hidden disabilities like autism or AuDHD. Many HR teams are already overwhelmed and can’t always keep up with complex requests. AbsenceSoft streamlines the process by storing and reviewing medical documentation for completeness, tracking every request, and automating reminders and communications. It also offers self-service portals, making it easier for employees to ask for accommodations discreetly and clearly.