Autism in the workplace : a colleague’s experience

Abstract

The present study explores the experience of colleagues of individuals diagnosed with ASD. Three colleagues with various roles and experiences participated in this study. Semistructured interviews were conducted and later transcribed and analysed using IPA guidelines described by Smith et al. (2009). From the analysis, five major themes emerged including several sub-themes. The main themes are: Characteristics of ASD, Relationship Amongst Colleagues, Extra Responsibility, Interaction with Other Colleagues, Training and Experience with ASD. The findings suggest that there is the possibility of a good, strong relationship between colleagues with ASD and other co-workers. In addition, there should be more training provided to the co-workers so in order to work together as efficiently as possible. Moreover, the participants felt that their responsibility extends more than what is stated in their job description such as adapting their style of work according to the situation. The results, were discussed with existing literature on the topic.