Introduction

This advice was written by a Careers Applications Adviser. It gives suggestions for how to adapt communications in 1:1 appointments to make them autism friendly. There is a particular focus on appointments where CV or application feedback and advice is being given.

Examples of student presentation

Autism is a complex spectrum condition. People with autism share certain difficulties but are affected in different ways. In an appointment, you might notice one or more of the following characteristics:

• poor short-term memory
• repetitive behaviours, for example, stimming such as hand flapping and other motions
• comorbidities such as mental health challenges, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, and possible physical challenges such as needing the toilet frequently
• may be prone to sensory overload, for example, difficulties filtering out background noise
• may be under-sensitive to any of the seven senses
• may not make eye contact
• loss of concentration, for example, focussing on other stimuli such as noise
• obsessive with timings, for example, eager to finish the appointment at the exact agreed time

Communication adjustments for a good appointment

If the student has not already requested reasonable adjustments for the appointment, the following might be helpful:

• check if they are okay with their surroundings and make the appropriate adjustments. For example, close the door, turn off air conditioning, or alter the lighting
• be clear and direct when asking questions, for example, ‘who are you writing this CV for?’. Avoid ambiguous questions such as ‘how do you feel about…’
• be specific and directional with instructions. For example, ‘when you get home, go on your laptop and find the job specification. Look at the eligibility criteria....’
• be prescriptive and offer more detail than you would usually give
• accept that they might not make eye contact and proceed as if they are listening unless they show other signs that they have lost concentration
• speak in a calm, slow manner with pauses between phrases

Key challenges in appointments and how to address them

Anxiety

• Check for sensory overload and make appropriate adjustments. If the student’s anxiety is not improving, see below

Student breakdown

• Check that the environment is not contributing. For example, is it too loud? If so, offer to go to a quiet place
• Offer to pop out of the room and leave them for a few minutes
• Ask them what they can manage today
• Consider rearranging the appointment if appropriate

Student loses concentration

• Use their name
• Ask them what they think about the topic you were discussing
• Offer to change the environment
• Offer to move on to a different question/topic
• Assess when might be an appropriate time to end the appointment and reschedule

Trouble meeting recruitment deadlines

• Break the deadlines into smaller tasks
• Create a spreadsheet with a record of deadlines, what was agreed, and the actions to take
• Email this to the student

Filling their CV

• Use probing questions: What extracurricular activities are you involved in at University? What are your hobbies? What do you do in your spare time? Request that they describe them to you
• Try to find a passion or a deep focused interest
• If any of their activities or interests involve working with people, you could tell them to describe how they work in a team
• Discuss disclosure if appropriate, for example, if related to gaps on cv, disclosing in a cover letter. Have they thought about it and do they need additional advice?

Application question support

• Help them interpret the language. Ask them if they understand what is required
• Find out which questions they find most concerning
• Suggest they fill in the easy questions first
• Discuss using strengths gained from their autism as evidence for competencies. Probe to find strengths

Actions after appointment

• Agree on clear achievable steps for the student to take after the appointment
• Email them to the student
• Write a journal note to record this