Workplace reasonable adjustments

[Peekingovertheparapet]

Howdy!

Last week I had a bit of a shitty week at work, full of conflict, an interaction set of my rejection sensitivity big time, and I retreated to my default pattern of trying to get out by finding a different job. This has prompted me to pull the trigger and ask my GP for assessment.

I have a 9yo with Asperger’s but I feel like an ADHD diagnosis is more likely for me, or maybe an AuDHD. I think I probably cope too well in the social communication domain to be full on autistic but I’m open minded.

I was just wondering, since work is very much the trigger for me, and since my main motivation is protection in the workplace, what types of reasonable adjustments have made a difference for you?

[Peekingovertheparapet]

Bumping for the morning crowd

[FloorWipes]

It's not an explicit reasonable adjustment but, for me, having a high degree of autonomy is something I've negotiated over time and it makes everything a lot better.

[Ihaveleft]

I am ADHD and have really succeeded with RAs but mainly from asking for them for dyspraxia, which I also have. So not sure this is helpful, but maybe some of it will be.

Dyspraxia does often co-occur with ADHD and ASD. Dyslexia does too. They can be easier and quicker to get diagnosed and can be used to obtain many helpful workplace adjustments.

I was diagnosed dyspraxic in the final two years of a ten year stint at my last company (using private health) and told I should also pursue a separate ADHD dx. The company were unwilling to adapt my role for dyspraxia, which was illegal, so I got a financial settlement and then found a new job. I was privileged to have union support and a healthcare benefit.

Before I started my current job I got an Access to Work advisor (excellent free govt scheme) to help me understand what adjustments I needed for dyspraxia and presented their stipulations for RAs to my HR dept and my new manager.

The new company happily adapted my role, and I am thriving there. When I was then diagnosed with ADHD all the RAs I’d have needed for that were already in place. Dyspraxia means I can’t easily do admin, need 1-1 training, can miss appointments, can be emotionally up and down and need compressed hours/more wfh to manage fatigue. This was well understood by my bosses. Dyspraxia also does not risk being viewed prejudicially as a ‘mental health’ issue but a physical and neurological disability, once properly explained.

I have a friend who is also ADHD but in the workplace and when asking for adjustments only talks about her dyslexia and dysgraphia.

Personally I wanted to be as open as possible but this was in an environment where I felt I could be. When I got the ADHD diagnosis finally after many months of waiting (even on private for a decent clinic there was a six month wait) I told my boss right away and her response was ‘what additional adjustments do you need?’ I am working on that now with my Access to Work coach.

It took 1 month to get dyspraxia diagnosed on work private health policy, I think because a general psych can do it. I got the private appt with a general psych by saying I thought I had a neurological condition (not mentioning neurodiversity which the policy had a specific exclusion for). I was then referred to a psych whose expertise covered a bunch of brain and eye conditions. At the appt I talked about bumping into things, not being able to pass my driving test, forgetting appointments, interrupting people, fatigue and migraines and eye strain. All of these of course are real and then I had sth easier to get than an ADHD dx that has protected me at work.