Align-ju FEATURE
All veterinary professionals are seen as well-educated , high-achieving and capable people by both the public and our peers , which is a huge privilege . However , because autistic and other ND people in the profession have achieved our veterinary qualifications and employment roles , we are often expected to be as psychologically and socially able as our colleagues , which isn ' t necessarily the case .
In every aspect of life , not just the workplace , it is important to remember that not all disabilities are visible . At times , it is natural for those who don ' t have personal experience of a disability to forget this . Autistic women and girls , in particular , are very good at ‘ masking ’ their disability , which involves suppressing certain behaviours that may be perceived as typical for those with ASD . Often , this means we ' re not diagnosed until later in life and we may already be working full-time in veterinary practice or education before , or at the time of , assessment and diagnosis .
Sensory processing
A veterinary practice can be a stimulating , social and high-pressure environment , which can be incredibly challenging for ND people . There are lots of different sounds , lighting , textures and social situations , which can be difficult for ND people to manage , as we ' re often much more sensitive to such stimuli than NT people .
This sensitivity means that ND people are at high risk of ‘ sensory overload ’, which is when we receive more input from our senses than our brains can process [ 3 ] . Over-stimulation and sensory overload can be physically and psychologically exhausting , and we can require plenty of rest to aid recovery , so it ' s important to be aware of the risks of this occurring in the practice , and to provide preventative measures and support for ND people , according to their needs .
Symptoms of sensory overload
Symptoms can include but are not limited to :
• anxiety
• outbursts of emotion , such as anger , laughter or upset
• irritability , stress , fear or panic
• physical discomfort and / or pain
• restlessness
• a strong urge to block out a stimulus , for example , by covering one ' s eyes or ears , or leaving an area abruptly .
To support an ND colleague with sensory processing issues , it can be helpful if you communicate your plans to the person in advance if they are likely to involve a sudden change to a practice environment – for example , turning on a loud machine , cleaning up noisy food bowls or changing the room lighting – so the person has opportunity to remove themselves from the environment , if necessary . Practices could also provide aids , such as ear defenders or ear plugs to block out noisy patients and / or other practice sounds , as it may not always be possible for the person to leave the environment entirely .
Emotion regulation
ND people also have to deal with emotion-regulation issues on a day-to-day basis , which can vary from person to person . Most veterinary team members find the profession mentally challenging and stressful at times , so additionally struggling to regulate even the most basic emotions can cause ND people to have social problems with peers and can result in sensory overload [ 3 ] .
An ND person may also react to a situation in a way that may not be deemed appropriate or professional and can be perceived as dramatic . These reactions can be the result of built-up emotions that have not been regulated appropriately within the brain , which causes an outburst of anger , upset or what could be perceived as rudeness . In these circumstances , it can be helpful to have a conversation with the person , to understand the build-up to these emotions and what , if any , supportive measures they feel could be put in place to reduce the likelihood of it happening again [ 4 ] .
Social skills
ND people can have difficulty recognising and understanding social cues , and can struggle with general day-to-day social interactions . This is particularly challenging in a veterinary practice , as we frequently need to interact with colleagues and clients . If you can provide clear and direct instructions it lessens the need for interpretation by an ND colleague – which they could find overwhelming – and reduces the risk of them making a mistake . Additionally , having standard operating protocols in a veterinary practice will help ND people and the rest of the team to maintain structure and routine in their roles and procedures , which will also help to improve patient care and client relationships .
As previously mentioned , autistic women and girls , in particular , are good at masking and can appear to socialise like NT people . However , this is often merely a series of learned and rehearsed phrases , conversations and facial expressions that mimic other people , which can create a crisis of identity in the autistic person and understandably can cause issues with confidence .
Volume 39 ( 1 ) • February 2024
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