Autistic Appreciation Month: From Awareness to Appreciation in the Workplace
By Toni Horn, Neurodiversity Consultant, Speaker, and Founder of NeuroEmpower CIC
April is often marked as Autism Acceptance Month, but I invite you to join me in taking it a step further. Let’s celebrate it as Autistic Appreciation Month.
Why the change? Because acceptance is the baseline. Appreciation is the goal.
Too often, conversations about autism, especially in professional settings, focus on what needs to be “accommodated” rather than what should be celebrated. However, autistic individuals bring powerful, unique strengths to the workplace when supported and, more importantly, appreciated for who they truly are.
Autism: A Spectrum of Strength
Autism is a spectrum, which means there’s no one-size-fits-all profile. It also means that autistic individuals can have a wide range of strengths, attention to detail, intense focus, creativity, pattern recognition, innovative thinking, and honesty, to name just a few.
At the UK’s intelligence agency GCHQ, some of the most talented professionals are proudly neurodivergent. “Having a mixed mind team better equips us to carry out our mission,” they’ve said. That mindset isn’t just about being inclusive; it’s about being smart.
What’s Often Overlooked: Masking and Mental Health
Many autistic professionals feel they have to ‘mask’, and hide their true selves to fit into a neurotypical workplace culture. While this helps them appear to “cope,” it comes at a heavy cost: burnout, anxiety, and a lost sense of identity.
Masking is not thriving; it’s surviving.
Appreciation means removing the pressure to mask. It means creating a culture where someone can take off the mask and still be valued.
How to Be an Ally: From Passive Acceptance to Active Appreciation
If you want to support autistic colleagues, here are practical ways to move from awareness to appreciation:
- Ditch the Stereotypes
Autism doesn’t look one way. Get curious and ask questions before you assume. - Adapt the Environment, Not the Individual
Instead of expecting autistic people to bend to systems, fix the system. Bright lights? Offer a quiet workspace. Vague instructions? Be clear and structured. - Rethink Recruitment
Traditional interviews can disadvantage autistic candidates. Offer alternatives, like work trials, visual portfolios, or questions shared in advance. - Provide Mentorship, Not Micromanagement
Many autistic people thrive with mentoring relationships and structured onboarding. It’s not about handholding; it’s about partnership. - Celebrate Their Strengths Publicly
Recognition matters. Spotlight their contributions not “despite autism” but because of their unique perspective. - Educate Your Teams
Awareness training for all staff helps dismantle unconscious biases and makes the workplace genuinely inclusive.
Final Thought: Fix the Environment, Not the Flower
As I often remind organisations: “When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” (Alexander den Heijer)
Let’s stop trying to fit autistic individuals into neurotypical-shaped boxes. Let’s build workplaces that embrace difference, champion strengths, and foster psychological safety.
This Autistic Appreciation Month, let’s move beyond passive awareness. Let’s unmask potential by seeing, valuing, and appreciating autistic brilliance in the workplace.
To learn more or book a talk, visit www.neuroempower.org or connect with me on LinkedIn.
#ActuallyAutistic #Neurodiversity #AutismInTheWorkplace #AutisticAppreciationMonth #ThinkDifferently