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Staff training and culture

Deliver autism inclusion training

Offer varied seating choices and flexibility so customers can select spaces that best suit their comfort and sensory needs.

Woman giving a presentation in a wine shop

Why this matters

 

Training staff is one of the best ways to support persons with autism. This creates a family friendly and inclusive experience. The judgments and actions of others can make public spaces difficult. Well-trained staff can make a visit feel calmer and more welcoming. With the right skills, your team can confidently serve everyone with respect.

“Most of the time you have to give them a lesson on autism, and this is not what we're here for…have staff training so that they don't ask for explanations, they just ask for what you need. That's it. You don't have to explain why, just what you need.”

Community Member

What best practice looks like:

 
  • All customer service staff take part in the training, not just managers
  • Training is created, delivered, and reviewed by persons with autism
  • Topics could include:
    • Understanding different ways of thinking and processing information
    • Recognising distress behaviours, expressions of emotions, double empathy
    • Different ways of communication and ways they interact socially
    • Sensory differences and different ways of regulation
    • Support and accommodations eg. support person, animal, technology, regulation tools
    • Stigma, bias and discrimination
    • Holistic Person- identity, life experiences and possible co-curring invisible conditions
  • Practical scenarios and role-plays
  • Refresher sessions at least once a year
  • Training included in onboarding for all new staff
  • Knowing that autism is different for each person

Example:

A restaurant trains all staff. Training covers how to recognise when someone needs more support eg. extra time to place their orders or make payment. Staff learns how to adjust lighting or music to reduce sensory stress. They learn to respect different ways of communicating and ask for permission before offering any form of physical assistance.