General guidance

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Irrespective of a diagnosis or difficulties, you may want to consider the following approaches:

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• Ask the individual what has helped them in the past at work.

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• Ask them what (or who) could help them now.

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• Try to understand how their challenges may effect them at work. Discuss the job day and expectations with the person, where possible.

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• Consider developing an individual development plan and regularly review it to see what is working well or not.

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• Arrange short and regular meetings to discuss goals, and review how work is going. This can make a big difference and can reduce anxiety and allow small problems to be dealt with quickly if they arise.

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• Ask if (and what) the individual wants others to know about their diagnosis/condition (including peers and line managers) and how they want it described / told to others.

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• Ask what situations / tasks make it harder for them to complete their work, such as background noises or working in group settings.

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• Discuss, where possible, the individual’s preferred form of communication (e.g. email, orally, face-to-face meetings, in a quiet setting).

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• Encourage the individual to consider their mental wellbeing, as they may be at greater risk of anxiety and depression.

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• Where possible, use technology to help with work tasks, including spellcheckers, text-to-speech, proofing and speech-to-text software, organisers, diary systems and alarms.

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• The individual may need training and sufficient time to practice if learning new skills or accessing software in order to become confident in their work setting.​

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Please remember that every individual will be different, and challenges may depend on the specific workplace setting and type of tasks asked of the individual.

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Under each of the headings below you will find more information relating to practical guidance for employability:

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>  General Considerations

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>  Applying for Jobs

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>  Interview Settings

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>  In the Job

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>  Literacy / Dyslexia

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>  Social and Communication / ASC

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>  Attention / Concentration / ADHD

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>  Co-ordination / Dyspraxia (DCD)

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>  Maths / Dyscalculia

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