Routine and Structure

Establishing and maintaining good routines normally takes a great deal of time and effort and so any outside threats to them are often fiercely resisted.

Change does not need to be big to be a threat. Very small and seemingly simple changes can have a knock-on effect. For example, changing the font house style may mean that a person finds it uncomfortable and slower to read accurately. To compensate, they may change it to their preferred font while working on a document before changing it back to the new house style. If that doesn’t work, they may have to copy and paste to another document to work on it before reverting back to the original style. All this takes time and energy and often causes frustration.

• Always discuss a potential change as far in advance as possible. This will be helpful for everyone. For example, changing the time at the last minute of a person’s lunch break may mean they cannot go to a pre-existing appointment. For some neurodiverse people that can feel very stressful.

• Involve neurodivergent people right from the start when planning large changes. They can often see potential barriers not obvious to others and suggest good solutions. It also gives them time to work out what they may need to consider for their individual requirements.