Year-round inclusion: how can schools support autistic teachers and education staff?

Welcome to our blog series featuring voices of neurodiverse teachers, leaders and education staff. Here they will share their candid experiences of working in education, highlighting actions that support their mental wellbeing and foster real inclusion in the sector.

In this blog, we hear from Dr Jennifer Glover-Woollard, science teacher and board member within the Women’s Engineering Society and STEM advocate, as she discusses how schools can move beyond autism awareness to allyship, year-round acceptance and inclusion.

Teaching is in a very unique position because staff mostly have an understanding of what autism is, but this is centred on the students. I don’t think it’s unfair to say that many staff hold old fashioned or incorrect ideas about how the condition might present in colleagues. Although, the vast majority of my interactions have been really positive. Teaches are a very caring bunch!

However, I’ve found conversations about staff with autism are not taking place, so little is being put in place to support them.

The experiences of those with autism are highlighted by yearly awareness campaigns. The aim is to spotlight ongoing issues and continue the momentum of change. While these campaigns can fall into tick box exercises, if you are able to use them as an opportunity to start discussions in your school, do. The conversation needs to start somewhere.

But know that inclusion it not just about one day of training a year. There are numerous practical actions school leaders and colleagues can take to foster inclusion for autistic staff all-year round.

Tackle misconceptions

Autism is fairly rare with only one in 100 people having the condition. This means that in most schools only a handful of staff are autistic. Maybe none at all, as fewer than 3 in 10 autistic adults are in employment according to the Department of Work and Pensions.
Misconceptions are perpetuated within society and the media. For example, news reporting that children can grow out of autism which is vehemently denied the by National Autistic Society or TV relying on stereotypes.

In a recent study, Ressa and Goldstein found that, although TV can normalise autism, the commonly featured autistic stereotypes create irreversible damage. And people forget that the barriers and challenges of autistic pupils are carried with them into adulthood. There is an assumption because you've made it into teaching that these obstacles no longer exist for you.

There is a wealth of credible information available that colleagues can use to educate themselves to help fight assumptions and misconceptions about autism. Ambitious About Autism provide a useful guide on how to talk about autism and The National Autistic Society, mentioned below are a reliable source of information.

Start at the beginning

As teachers, we have a duty to create inclusion within our classrooms and staffrooms. This process starts from recruitment and is much more than saying we welcome applications from neurodiverse people.
The National Autistic Society give a great overview with a guide to ‘Employing autistic people’, but personally for me the process boils down to the opportunity to disclose, reasonable adjustments being made and interviewers that genuinely understand.

As a potential candidate I would want a clear instruction of who I could contact about adjustment and then a dialogue about what is suitable for that interview. This initial interaction gives a good idea as to whether the school is truly inclusive.

Facilitate support and open conversations

Once employed the support of a department is invaluable, especially for early career teachers who will likely have a mentor as well. To make these relationships as effective as possible, there needs to be an open conversation about diagnosis, manifestation, and support. I believe mentors or senior members of staff could facilitate this conversation and create a plan to distribute to the wider team. Although disclosure is a very personal decision, I don’t think you or your department can reach their full potential without addressing access issues.

Why might someone not want to disclose?

There are many reasons why a person may not want to disclose a diagnosis of autism. Every autistic person will have a unique set of experiences and it is best not to make assumptions. It is also worth remembering that some people choose not to get a formal diagnosis and others find labels associated with a diagnosis unhelpful.

Most days in school I hear being autistic or ‘on the spectrum’ used as insult synonymous with weird. If there was true acceptance, then autism would be a normal part of life, reducing my need to mask and conform. Unfortunately, I see the fact that people are so reluctant to disclose any neurodiverse condition is a reflection on how these people have been treated in society.

Sadly, on top of this, it has been shown that masking, hiding or disguising parts of yourself, everyday, in order to better fit in with those around you, is harmful to wellbeing and health.

Look at feedback

Continual improvement is ingrained in teaching, but there is some disconnect between the feedback we offer pupils and staff. Fortunately, regular review and structure benefits many autistic staff, but the delivery can be confusing.

Chris Packham puts it very well "The greatest discomfort for autistic people can be the social one”. I found the same techniques used for giving quality feedback to pupils can benefit autistic staff. The feedback should be direct and honest but also respectful of the fact that this will cause stress. Phrasing needs to be clear; do not assume that an autistic person will recognise social cues, phrases i.e. ‘use discretion’ or behaviours in the same way as you.

Inherently teaching relies on a lot of social interaction and development relies on qualitative analysis. Neither of which are strengths of autistic people.

I really struggled with praise in my first year because I do not respond well to praise. I just want to have the answer correct and it doesn't matter if you're pleased with me. It wasn't until a mentor interaction that explained pupils’ perspective, scripted phrases, and gave targets for honour points in lessons, that I was able to praise more authentically and give students what they need.

Give time to process

Mentors and managers should consider the extra processing time needed by autistic staff – especially during times of change. This is also relevant during training and training days (which I discuss more below).

Where possible, you should give information about changes in the workplace or to tasks well in advance. And be prepared for feelings of apprehension or negativity from your autistic staff ahead of changes. They may even ask questions that seem ‘ignorant’ to you or begin stimming behaviours. But, remember that given time, space and the right support they can accept them.

Autism can give you a level of perfectionism that leads to frustration and confusion when you cannot get something right. This means autistic staff may become stressed or anxious when things change or something goes wrong. This is another reason autistic staff may benefit from having a mentor or buddy to go to if they are feeling stressed, anxious or confused.

These adjustments are not just the responsibility of mentors and managers, but needs to be considered by other staff members and part of whole school training.

Consider your training

Autistic fatigue is often explained through the use of a social battery, where my battery has a much smaller capacity and also runs down quicker than normal. Therefore training that is not clear or concise and doesn't give any processing time afterwards is very difficult to engage with.

It is also remembering that training at the end of the school day is tough for everyone but the fatigue for an autistic person can be amplified.

Autistic staff may also struggle to prioritise and implement all the training ideas, finish lesson planning and marking, all to start fresh tomorrow which runs the battery down. When my battery is low, I do become more anxious, prone to aggression, shut down and increase in self-soothing none of which are conducive to a good classroom environment.

This is where the support of the department can make all the difference. Whether it's having a sounding board for what the point of that training was, given meeting time to address the pressing task I am obsessing about or being able to have lunch on my own without being questioned can reduce that load on me.

Training materials should also be considered. I am autistic and dyslexic, and I can honestly say that I read maybe 10% of training slides, instead I listen to the trainer. Frequently, they are much more succinct than the barrage of text on screen. Slides and worksheets are often full of information and too many unnecessary words which can be difficult to take in.

Allyship, acceptance and all-year round inclusion

As a sector, we should move beyond autism awareness to allyship, year-round acceptance and inclusion. The largest area that needs tackling is in our communication with clear, concise, and efficient language. Avoid idioms and undertone (as I mentioned previously, phrases such as ‘use your discretion’ are often unhelpful). Be consistent, convey nothing without clear examples. In fact, when training or feedback gets to the point, it doesn't need catchphrases!

Moreover, if you want your staff to be inclusive actually involve autistic staff in the conversation. Explore how we can improve training, communication, or recruitment. Use the expertise of staff if they're willing to share their experiences.

As an autistic teacher I do feel an outlier in the staffroom, but I want to make sure that my pupils see teaching as a space for them. If you are autistic and can find the courage to share your experience it is truly valuable!

If you need support

Finally, don’t forget Education Support provide a free and confidential helpline. You can call 24/7 for emotional support on: 08000 562 561. Remember, you don’t have to be in a crisis to call. They will listen to any struggles you are experiencing, no matter what the situation.

About Jennifer

Dr Jennifer Glover-Woollard is an ECT Science teacher at Orchard Mead Academy. Her background is in engineering, but her passion for physics brought her to teaching. Jennifer strives to be an advocate for both women in STEM, as a Directors Committee Member for the Women’s Engineering Society, and neurodiversity, having been diagnosed with dyslexia, autism and Meares’ Irlen syndrome.

Sources

• Belcher, H. (2022, July 7). Autistic people and masking. Retrieved from National Ausistic Society: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/autistic-masking
• Department for Work and Pensions. (2023, April 2). New review to boost employment prospects of autistic people. Retrieved from Department for Work and Pensions: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-review-to-boost-employment-prospects-of-autistic-people
• Employing autistic people – a guide for employers. (2020, August 7). Retrieved from National Autistic Society: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/employment/employing-autistic-people/employers
• Goldstein, A., & Ressa, T. W. (2021). Autism in Contemporary TV Shows: A Qualitative Study of the Impact of Educators. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science.
  Oswald, T. (2021, October 19). How Autism Masking Drains Your Social Battery and Affects Relationships. Retrieved from Open Doors Therapy: https://opendoorstherapy.com/how-autism-masking-drains-your-social-battery-and-affects-relationships/
• Packham, C. (2024, Febuary 24). What is autism. Retrieved from National Autistic Society: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism
• Roberts, M. (2013, January 16). Children 'may grow out of autism'. Retrieved from BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21029593
• Whewell, E., & Tiplady, H. (2023, Octoberf 6). What neurodiverse learners told us they needed in order to thrive. Retrieved from WONKHE: https://wonkhe.com/blogs/what-neurodiverse-learners-told-us-they-needed-in-order-to-thrive/
• World Heath Organization. (2023, November 12). Autism. Retrieved from World Heath Organization: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/autism-spectrum-disorders#:~:text=About%201%20in%20100%20children,and%20can%20evolve%20over%20time