Article

Imagem gerada com o auxílio de IA. 

Art x Autism:

Enhancing Creativity and Productivity 

Article developed by Cícero Lopes, with AI review. 

28/01/2025, atualizado em 30/01/2025 

If you give wings to an autistic individual, their creativity will be unparalleled.

I am a graphic designer, illustrator journalist, and a Level 1 support autistic person. I rarely make statements like this on my professional pages—not only because my condition does not interfere with my work when well managed, but also due to ableism, which remains a significant barrier in the job market.

The adaptations I make are simple and could be applied to everyone, regardless of whether they have a specific neurological condition. After all, mental health depends on habits and behaviors that benefit everyone, not just autistic individuals.

I won’t go into basic health care practices, as they are already widely known. Instead, I will share small procedures that can help maximize the professional potential of an autistic person, turning challenges and creativity into opportunities.

Organization

A clean and organized environment keeps the autistic mind functioning perfectly, preventing meltdowns and reactivity. Clutter can be particularly disruptive for those with heightened sensitivity to external stimuli.

Strategic Role

To extract the maximum potential of an autistic artist, place them in key roles where quality is the primary goal. Assign projects that target important clients, awards, or portfolios. Autistic individuals often excel in tasks that require attention to detail and technical excellence.

Avoid Urgencies

Tasks with very tight deadlines and unforeseen changes can overwhelm an autistic professional. Have a dedicated team to handle urgent demands, allowing the autistic individual to focus on projects that require planning and precision.

Well-Established Schedule

Each task should have a clear and detailed schedule. Predictability helps the autistic person mentally sequence the steps of the work, facilitating execution and ensuring deadlines are met. It’s essential that the schedule is created in collaboration with the artist, as only they know the time required for each stage and how to balance the variables of time, quality, and budget.

The autistic individual can calculate these variables accurately, providing clear answers about what is feasible.

Quiet Environment

A location away from noise and excessive visual stimuli is ideal. If this isn’t possible, consider the option of remote work. Noise and excessive visual stimuli can make an autistic person nervous and tired, hindering their creativity and productivity. The autistic brain doesn’t filter external information as efficiently, which can lead to sensory overload.

Written Information

Many autistic individuals struggle with Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), which affects the ability to filter noise and understand speech in noisy environments. The use of text messages, already common in today’s society, can be expanded to professional communication. The more detailed the writing, the better. And if the autistic person asks for more details about something that seems obvious, be patient. What’s obvious to you may not be to them.

Logic

Autistic individuals tend to be highly logical, which can be an advantage in creative discussions. Even in topics like abstract art, logic can be a valuable guide. Like the character Spock from *Star Trek*, autistic individuals seek rationality in everything, which can result in innovative and well-founded solutions.

Environmental Hygiene

A clean bathroom may seem like a trivial detail, but for an autistic person, environmental hygiene is crucial. Sensory issues related to dirt or odors can cause emotional dysregulation. Promoting hygiene education in the company benefits everyone, increasing productivity and reducing costs.

Inclusion as a Success Strategy

You can ignore all these recommendations and still have a competent autistic professional on your team. Perhaps they are already working for you, without even knowing about their own condition—or without anyone else realizing it. However, without the necessary adaptations, their performance may fall short of their potential, leading to stress, exhaustion, and reactivity. This can result in frequent medical leaves and eventually put them on the list of potential layoffs.

Now, think about it: what is more advantageous? Implementing these adaptations and benefiting from a highly productive and creative professional, or maintaining practices that limit talent within your company?

Believe me: providing the right environment for an autistic professional not only enhances their skills but also increases the company’s visibility and profitability. After all, prioritizing employee well-being should be standard practice, regardless of their neurological condition.

Inclusion is not charity; it is strategic intelligence.

Conclusion

Including autistic professionals in the workforce is not just a matter of diversity but also of business intelligence. With small adaptations, it’s possible to turn challenges into opportunities, extracting the maximum potential from individuals who bring a unique and creative perspective to the professional environment. Art and autism, when combined, can yield extraordinary results—just give wings to creativity and talent.

By Cícero Lopes Journalist Illustrator and Graphic Designer