Accommodation and Compliance Series: Employees with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Company Structure, Conduct Policy, and Discipline:

Individuals with ASD may not be familiar with or understand abstract concepts like corporate structure, hierarchies of responsibility, reporting requirements, and other structural elements of the workplace.

• Explain corporate structure to employee, using visual charts and clear descriptions of positions and reporting structure. Do not assume that employee will understand structure from a simple chart of job titles
• Review conduct policy with employee
• Adjust method of supervision to better prepare employee for feedback, disciplinary action, and other communication about job performance
• Provide concrete examples to explain expected conduct
• Provide concrete examples to explain consequences of violating company policy
• Use services of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) if available