Self-Advocacy for Autism at Work | Open Doors Therapy

Welcome back! Today I will wrap up my blog series on social skills in the workplace. We have previously discussed confusion over facial expressions, social smiles, how to participate in small talk, the importance of initiating conversations, and the power of hyperfocus. Today, we will discuss the importance of self-advocacy for young neurodiverse professionals. This is a topic I am particularly passionate about. My hope is this blog will give you the courage to be a self-advocate.

Communicating with supervisors and self-advocacy with your colleagues about your neurodiversity is critical to your success at work. We’ve spent time over the past couple of months looking at social skills in the workplace because they can assist you in day-to-day success. Social skills can help you advocate for your needs and communicate better with the people you work with.

Difficult Conversations Often Require Self-Advocacy

Before you joined the workforce, you had built-in support systems to help you succeed in high school and college. “Adulting”, by contrast, feels isolating without supports. Combine that with moving to a new place, meeting new people, and learning new skills, and it can be overwhelming. One of the goals of Open Doors Therapy is to help young professionals build skills they need to be more confident at work. These skills are very useful when you need to have tough conversations or clear up any misunderstandings or be a self-advocate.

Talking to Neurotypical Supervisors as an Aspie Adult

Talking to a supervisor can be very daunting. But, you can practice self-advocacy with other autistic, aspie, and neurodiverse adults. Together you can practice asking your boss for clarification, more information, or training to effectively complete your work. After you practice these skills, you will feel more confident initiating a conversation with them.

Communicating With Colleagues and Stakeholders

Even though you may have thought you were at work to do your job well. But, work requires you to interact with your colleagues. This can feel draining, confusing, and unnecessary for adults on the spectrum. In our groups for neurodiverse working professionals, we discuss these and other feelings as they arise. We provide you with the opportunity to learn strategies that will help you be successful in all types of work environments and advocate for your needs.

Learning New Coping Skills for Managing Stress

Engaging in social interactions can be very stressful. Especially if you identify as being autistic. That stress is compounded by working in technology, as many of our clients in the Bay Area do. In our social skills groups, we help you identify strategies to better manage stress and social anxiety. You can have positive interactions with neurodiverse peers in the group. And, by practicing newly learned skills, you will become more confident being a self-advocate. We will help you cope with the stress of your job and lead the independent life you want!

Self-Sabotage is the Enemy of Self-Advocacy

I know it is challenging to find the motivation to learn new social skills and advocate for your needs. But, you do not have to deal with these issues alone. Our group members have found that our adult group is a great place to learn how to stand up for yourself.

As a Therapist, I Would Like to Hear From You

I sincerely hope this blog series has been useful! I would love to hear from you about the strategies you use to be successful in the Silicon Valley workforce. Also, please reach out to let me know what else you would like me to cover in my blogs. Thanks for reading. I hope to see you at Open Doors Therapy in 2020!

Stay Connected With Open Doors Therapy

Thanks for reading my blog series on social skills in the workplace. If you feel like you, or someone you know, would benefit from learning social skills, I would love for you to be a part of our working professionals community at Open Doors Therapy.
Here are three easy ways to stay connected with our Silicon Valley counseling clinic:

Contact Open Doors Therapy and schedule a free 30-minute phone consultation.
Connect with me on Facebook for another way to stay informed.
Sign up to receive my newsletter for news and information on living with neurodiversity

Other Autism Services at Open Doors Therapy

My Palo Alto/Bay Area mental health clinic serves individuals with autistic traits. This includes individuals who identify as having Asperger’s, high functioning autism, undiagnosed autism traits, etc. and their families. I am proud to offer individual counseling, parent counseling, and group therapy for the Silicon Valley area and beyond. Additionally, our therapists offer support and educational groups for neurodiverse working professionals, college students with autistic traits , gifted youth & caregivers , autistic adults, women who identify as neurodiverse, a summer social skills college transition training program for youth transitioning to college, teens & caregivers, and a mothers group. To learn more about any of these services, contact our office and schedule a free consultation.

About the Author

Dr. Tasha Oswald is a trained developmental and clinical psychologist. She is the founder and director of Open Doors Therapy, a private counseling practice in Palo Alto, near San Francisco, CA. She facilitates social skills groups for neurodiverse adults and teens on the autism spectrum.

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