The purpose of accommodations is to "level the playing field" and enable the person to reach their full potential, integrate, and function equally, without imposing a heavy or unreasonable burden on the employer or educational institution.
For autistic people, reasonable accommodations often do not require huge budgets, but rather focus on environmental, sensory, and communication changes:
- Sensory accommodations: Permission to work or study with noise-canceling headphones, dimming overwhelming fluorescent lights, or providing the option to work in a quiet/isolated station to prevent Sensory Overload and Misophonia.
- Communication and management accommodations: Providing task instructions in writing and in a clear, detailed manner (to support Literal Thinking and challenges in Executive Functioning), and setting clear goals without relying on social cues.
- Structural flexibility: Allowing for remote work, flexible working hours, or taking proactive regulation breaks during the day to prevent the Coka Cola Bottle Effect and the depletion of "spoons" (Spoon Theory).
