In her own words: What it's like to be a working adult who has autism

This article was written by Laura Coleman, a Behavior Data Analyst at Marcus Autism Center and an adult living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). 

Starting a career with an autism diagnosis

Prior to working for Marcus Autism Center, I was a mental health technician at a drug detoxification center. After the center eliminated my position, I applied and was accepted to work as an intern at Marcus Autism Center. Within my first month here, I applied for a behavior data analyst position in the Severe Behavior Program and was thrilled to be hired as a full-time staff member. I started working as a member of the severe behavior team in May 2016. Today, I am a behavior data analyst on the research team. 

Managing my autism with a full-time job

For me, the two most challenging aspects of being autistic in the workplace are the difficulty I sometimes have regulating my emotions and my struggle to perform certain tasks of executive functioning, especially in stressful situations. What has been important for me to consider while contending with these two issues is that either may lead to the same adverse outcome—that is, having what is most often described as a meltdown. 

To give you some insight into why this occurs, imagine living in a world where every act of social interaction is like a game of chess, with each situation presenting itself with varying levels of difficulty—from simple, everyday interactions like greeting someone to the grand-master level of figuring out a complex and dynamic social situation involving multiple people and trying to quickly determine how to best act accordingly.  

The best way I can describe it is that my brain’s social software program simply crashes—that is, literally does not compute—and this can lead to me becoming emotionally dysregulated. High-stress situations that demand quick mental processing can also be extremely challenging for me, especially under pressure, as my brain tends to get lost in the details. This impairment in executive functioning can also lead to an emotional meltdown. 

Why working for Marcus Autism Center is a perfect fit for me

From day one, I was always able to be open with colleagues about being on the spectrum and was happy to find that everyone accepted me for who I am and never made me feel ashamed or like an outsider for being autistic. Every single person I have met at Marcus Autism Center has been kind, respectful and empathetic. I have never once had a reason to doubt our commitment as an organization to our mission statements and guiding principles.

On those occasions when I do get overwhelmed, my supervisors and coworkers continue to be supportive of me and help me find solutions to get through it. In both my roles at the center I have always known what was expected of me and I have been given the tools to be able to meet expectations. 

At Marcus Autism Center, I have been granted opportunities that I simply could not have found elsewhere, including my research mentorships and professional support that has made it possible for me to attend and present at organizational conferences and being a camp counselor at Camp You B You , which was one of the most transformative experiences of my life. 

How Marcus Autism Center can be a model for employing people with autism 

When I interviewed at the center, they took my disability into consideration and factored in that the interview component is an area where I am at a clear disadvantage compared to others. For me to be successful at Marcus Autism Center I had to learn how to adapt and compensate for the disabling aspects of my condition. The center supported me in every way, providing me with a supportive and nurturing environment, fostering mentor relationships and investing in my personal growth and development.

Marcus Autism Center should serve as a model for how all organizations treat their employees with ASD. With our organization leading the way I believe it is possible to hope for a future in which all people with autism are able to flourish while working side by side with their neurotypical peers in an inclusive environment where they finally have the chance to make their own unique contributions to the world. I am so excited to have the privilege of being a part of the life-changing work we do here at Marcus Autism Center, and I cannot wait to see what we do next. 

A better future for people working with ASD

It gives me great joy that the power of the autistic brain is starting to be recognized and appreciated, and it is my hope that more people with autism will have more opportunities to display the knowledge and skills that their brains are uniquely designed for.

It used to be that it was extremely difficult for candidates with ASD to secure stable employment in positions that are commensurate with the skills they have to offer, but I see this beginning to change. I am hopeful that other organizations will start taking these factors into consideration when they are considering hiring applicants with ASD, as this pool of individuals has enormous potential that far too often goes to waste.