Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello,
This is my first post as recent - Covid 19 catalysed - issues have caused me a few problems that have led me to the waiting list for an adult assessment for autism.
Long and the short of it is that I have a job I love but that requires a lot of interaction with a small group off colleagues. The dynamic worked well in the office and as an information provider I managed quite well.
Move it to remote (thanks to Covid) and I am working with messages (no inflection to help me understand if people are annoyed, dissatisfied or happy with my work) or worse Zoom meetings (how does anyone cope with a series of faces on the screen that randomly freeze and voices that sound like they're underwater?) So three weeks ago I fell apart.
It was my standard meltdown I suppose. A body that wouldn't move and a brain that was just a cascade of a million fragmented thoughts. ...but because I couldn't see a cause, I knew it wasn't anxiety or depression (my previous diagnoses when this has occured).
A brief chat with my GP after realising this happens repeatedly, and that there are a lot of telltales throughout my life that indicate potential ASD traits, and she has referred me for assessment. Probably, realistically, in 6 months time.
So does anyone have advice about how to survive in work in the period between meltdown and diagnosis. I was signed off for two weeks and spent the first one resting and just letting my mind spin away...but I get destructive if I don't work, so even though I'm not coping, I'd rather be doing my job.
How would I go about asking for adjustments without medical backup?
Thanks in advance, and apologies if this makes no sense.
You do not need a diagnosis for any condition to receive 'reasonable adjustments' at work, and even those with a diagnosis do not necessarily get any help if the condition does not affect them in their everyday life.
Make a list of how you are affected, and then write down what help you would like. You may get anxiety and depression, be unable to change the way you work, have trouble on the telephone, forget things easily (poor short term memory), take things too literally and misunderstand other peoples nuances, be very rigid in your timetable and what you do, not be able to rapidly change between one job and another. Then make a list on how you feel you may be helped. If you are a member of a Trade Union, discuss it with your representative and arrange to see your manager.
Or you could contact Access to Work, it depends where you live what help is available as they will look to third parties to give help. This could include training for other members of staff to understand your condition and a support worker for a session or so a month to help you over the difficulties you have.
You could also be exempted from certain 'duties' at work if these give you particular difficulty. I know how difficult it can be to ask for adjustments, this is why a third pary is very useful. Occupational Health may help but their purpose is to represent the employer, not the employee.
You may find the following publication useful:
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/proving_disability_and_reasonable_adjustments.pdf