Autistic traits are described so negatively by default.
That’s because the historic perception of autism continues to control the narrative despite us having autistic people sharing their perspectives.
Once I imagined what life would be like if autism was the default and allistics were the outliers, everything changed.
Reframing my autistic traits in a neutral or positive light helped me truly accept and love myself.
The more I did it, the more I thought it needed to be shared.
Because the original descriptions of autistic characteristics paint autism as a problem instead of differences in communication and function.
Repetitive behaviors = Consistent behaviors
Instead of calling autistic people’s behaviors “repetitive”, why not call them “consistent”?
Rituals, routines, scripting, stimming — it’s all predictable, consistent.
Non-autistic people engage in plenty of behaviors repeatedly, but not always consistently.
As an autistic adult myself, I find my repetitive behaviors quite consistent:
- I flick my fingers or touch my fingertips when embarrassed, frustrated, stressed and tired.
- I wear the same outfit to work because it’s sensory-friendly most of the time, as far as the dress code goes.
- When I shower, I wash in the same order every single time.
Literal context = clear communicator
Why are autistic people the ones who communicate strangely when non-autistic people don’t communicate clearly?
It literally makes ZERO sense to me.
Autistic people often spend a lot of energy and time into communicating in a way so it comes off exactly as they mean, only for allistic people to add context based on how they feel about it.
Yet, flexible and figurative context dependent on how someone else interprets what I say or how I position my arms while speaking is considered “clear communication”?
When people from different backgrounds and cultures are going to have learned how to interpret communication differently?
I don’t understand why, instead of a default, we don’t embrace the differences in communication more?
Reframing autistic traits for a résumé or a job interview
Creating a résumé feels like I have to find ways to sell myself without embracing who I am.
Through reframing autistic traits in a neutral light, I’ve realized some of them are beneficial in the workplace.
Only include these on your own résumé or in an interview if they are true of you. Otherwise, you’ll be lying and will be found out sooner or later.
Literal language interpretation
You could say you are capable of simplifying complex topics into easy-to-digest information.
Info-dumping
If you infodump everything you’ve learned about your special interests, you might instead say you’re
“exceptional at researching topics and writing articles/reports”
or even that you are a quick learner.
Pattern recognition
Pattern recognition is both a skill and a curse.
I know retail jobs prefer employees who ignore the problems until they absolutely must be dealt with, so this skill is best described as
“has a keen eye for detail”
because most jobs want people who pay attention to detail.
Is it vague? Yes…I still don’t know what “detail” employers are looking for.
With pattern recognition comes recognizing and identifying institutional and systemic problems within the workplace.
You could include this as a skill by saying you’re
“a team player who provides constructive feedback for collective improvement and growth”
Monotropic mind
Spend hours focusing on one specific thing and need a lot of noise/auditory sensory input to work?
You could say,
“specializes in staying focused in busy work environments”.
If you work best alone/outside a team, a neutral reframe is
“thrives in independent work environments”
Play by sorting
If you play by sorting items into groups or categories, you might reframe this as
“ensures product quality and arranges per modulars (MODs)”
or adapt it based on the job tasks for the role you’re applying for.
Another idea for a sorting enthusiast:
“organizes product into categories while checking product quality”
Technologically-literate
More technologically-literate than your peers/colleagues and wrote tutorials for them?
“wrote reference guides for department trainees and existing team members”
Rule follower
If you’re a stickler for rules, you could say you’ve
“maintained safety and compliance standards”
Great at fixing system problems
Are you great at coming up with new/better/more efficient systems?
Maybe you’ve
“developed better workflow for inventory management to avoid excess overstock”
Organized collections
If your collections or things are arranged in an aesthetically- or visually-pleasing manner, consider adding “Visual Merchandising” as a skill.
Visual merchandising includes being able to piece together outfits from random clothes.
Chatterbox
If you’re a chatterbox and could focus this onto customers, you could say,
“greets customers and coworkers with a smile”
People-pleasing behavior
For now, you could say,
“anticipates customer needs and provides them with high-quality service while upholding brand standards and values to ensure customer satisfaction”
for surface-level character traits.
And then work on your people-pleasing behavior behind the scenes.
Struggle to balance customer service with work tasks
I’m slower while taking customers into consideration. A positive reframe turns this into a strength:
“prioritizes customer well-being while maintaining [product quality/quality service]”
Distracted by new things
A positive reframe that looks good on a résumé:
“stays on top of trends and happily guides customers through the process of finding their ideal styles”
Tidy task work
Do you clean up while you cook?
You could reframe that as
“maintains a [clean/tidy] workspace]”
What traits might you reframe & how might you reframe them?
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