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

For autistic individuals, predictability is essential. Having a clear schedule helps mentally organize work steps, making execution easier and ensuring deadlines are met. This doesn’t mean we can’t handle unforeseen events, but rather that we need to anticipate them and plan strategies to minimize their impact.

There is a difference between events we can foresee and prepare for and sudden changes that occur without warning. Autistic individuals often create strategies to deal with potential setbacks, reducing the impact of unexpected situations. However, unforeseen changes require greater mental effort to reorganize plans, which can cause strain and affect productivity and creativity.

Expected vs. Unexpected Unpredictability: 

• Expected: This is the kind of uncertainty we can anticipate. We know that something might go wrong, so we create contingency plans to minimize the impact.

Example: When building a project schedule, we take into account potential technical failures or scope changes, preparing alternative solutions to keep things on track. 

• Unexpected: These are events that arise without warning and completely break away from the plan. Such sudden changes often cause stress, disrupt task organization, and directly affect productivity.

Example: A last-minute project change, with no prior communication, that forces previously completed steps to be redone. 

That’s why the schedule should be created in collaboration with the autistic professional, balancing time, quality, and budget. This way, they can assess different scenarios and provide precise answers about what is feasible, making work more productive and predictable.

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's more advantageous? Implementing these adaptations and benefiting from a highly productive and creative professional who has preserved their cognitive functions, 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