Tips for supervising a student/managing staff on the Spectrum

How to use this blog post:
There will be a short section at the top explaining briefly what aspect of the spectrum you might encounter (Aspect). The middle section will list a few examples of how it could manifest in a university environment (What you might see). The final section will offer some possible solutions (Things to try). Please be mindful that this list is not exclusive or complete. Please also remember that everything in both the middle (What you might see) and the final section (Things to try) are examples.
Always stick to the 5 Ts as well and remember that the individual you are interacting with might be different and that is okay.
In this hands-on guide, I have intentionally oversimplified some definitions for pedagogical purposes.

Aspect: Atypical body language = their body language might not meet your expectations and differ from what you are used to
What you might see: too little eye contact, too much eye contact, fidgeting, always moving a leg, playing with a pen, rocking back and forth slightly, doodling, chewing on something like a pen, sitting in a way that in uncommon, etc
Things to try: Remind yourself that this is normal for them and they are doing what they need to do to focus on you. Ignore their atypical body language and just carry on as you would with anyone else.

Aspect: Lack of Object Permanence = they might struggle to remember something that is no longer in front of them and
Short-term memory problems = struggling to remember small pieces of information and have them readily available
What you might see: things are “out of sight, out of mind”, they might not send the email/report/chapter they promised until reminded, they might not show up to the meeting they agreed to, etc
Things to try: Have a non-judgmental conversation (trust me, they feel bad already).
Explore reminder options: Bullet points after a meeting to have a record what was agreed? Calendar invites for all meetings instead of just verbally setting a date? A fixed time a week to send an update to create a habit and/or allow for reminders on phone? Try making to-do lists on a platform with reminders? Maybe using phone alarms? Calendar invites with a 10 mins slot “send report” instead of reminder email? Consider exploring MS To-Do (part of UoE license) to create tasks and assign them to people and/or make use of the Outlook/To-do connection by flagging emails so they get added to the to-do list automatically.
Bottom line: try out ways of shifting the labour of remembering small things onto technology.

Aspect: Issues with Executive function = struggling to start a task or remain on a task
What you might see: they might struggle significantly to start a task, even though the task seems to be simple. They might only manage to use their coping strategies after hours, so you might receive their work at 3am. You might receive their work very last minute, eg due noon, received 11:59:52am.
Things to try: Maybe suggest a different schedule/working pattern: small, simple tasks in the morning, bigger tasks in the afternoon, or tasks they struggle less to start in the morning and the harder ones in the afternoon, for many executive function increases after they have executed some tasks. Support and/or encourage “body doubling” (doing a task with company, eg marking essays together in a room rather than alone) by offering to organise a room and coffee. Consider deadlines, for some they are unhelpful stressors, for some necessary for executive function.

Aspect: Problems with set-shifting and focus = they might struggle with change from one task to the next, having too little or too much focus
What you might see: they might struggle to focus on a task and get very easily distracted (hypofocus) or they might focus on a task so much they forget to drink, eat or go to the bathroom (hyperfocus), they might lose the ability to focus if they have to swap back and forth between tasks
Things to try: Consider a change in schedule to minimise set-shifting, such as doing all teaching in a block, then doing research in a block. Allow them to schedule their breaks around sets rather than fixed time slots, such as finish teaching for the day, lunch, then paperwork rather than teaching, lunch, 1 more hour of teaching then paperwork.

Aspect: Time blindness = struggling judging how long things take or took already
What you might see: they might be always late to meetings or just barely in time, they often assume something can wait until the last minute because “it only takes me an hour”, in reality it will take 10 hours. Or they will badly plan events, assuming something will fill 2 hours, but it only takes 10 minutes. They might struggle to judge and keep track of the time they invested in a task already, eg they spent 3h on feedback for a short essay when only 45 mins were allocated.
Things to try: Encourage them to block of travel slots in their calendar before meetings or teaching (with reminders on!) and to build in a buffer, if they tend to be late. Encourage them to track their hours when marking or similar tasks where time is limited. Encourage the use of agendas with time slots so everyone in the meeting knows that eg 20 mins in 1/3 of the content should have been addressed. This works for teaching too, eg they can mark in their slides when they should have covered this aspect of a topic.

Aspect: Hypersensitivity = being more sensitive to sensory stimuli and
sensory processing disorders = struggling to process the input from one or more sense
What you might see: they might be sensitive to sound, light, smell, or tactile input. This may reach from causing stress and requiring more labour of them to cope with the input to distress, pain and a shutdown due to overstimulation. They might struggle to hear when there is background noise or the sound quality is bad, they might struggle to focus, they might not be able to see what is in an image or read text from a screenshot.
Things to try: Give them as much control as possible about their work environment, such as the ability to control the lights, the room temperature, etc. Provide helpful technology such as noise cancelling headphones. If students/staff are hot-desking in shared offices, consider having a quiet office (no talking at all) and a social office (quiet chats are allowed). Consider providing other colleagues with good tech, such as suitable headsets/microphones for online meetings to avoid bad sound quality. Encourage having cameras on in meetings where possible, mute everyone who is not speaking. Enabled Closed Caption subtitles. Use Teams or Zoom, never Collaborate. Face colleagues/students when you speak so they can lipread. Always use Alt text for pictures/graphs.

Aspect: Working Memory issues = problems with short-term memory and recall on task-relevant information 
What you might see: 
They might struggle to remember what was said 30 seconds ago, forget meetings, forget tasks they agreed to carry out. They might forget what they are doing mid task. They might struggle to retrieve information related to the task or not find the right words mid sentence. 
Things to try:
Shift the work onto technology. Send calendar invites. Use MS to-do. Send bullet points after a meeting. Send a wee agenda before the meeting. Reduce additional stressors in the environment, such as background noise (ANC headphones) or people walking into their office. Encourage the use of technology, ancient and modern, such as transferring numbers by copy/paste instead of short-term memory, having a notepad and writing intermittent steps down.



FAQ:

Q: Some of these are very similar, is it possible that more than one aspect contributes to what I see?
A: Yes, absolutely! Everyone on the spectrum will show a mixture of different aspects, sometimes they can manifest similarly. And the coping mechanism can overlap, too. What works and why will vary from person to person.

Q: Don’t you always say that they neurodivergent person is the expert? Why do I need this list then?
A: They are the expert and they may have coping strategies in place already. If they do, try to give them what they know works for them if possible. Sometimes they are not the expert just yet because they grew up in an environment where they could not safely declare or where they were bullied. They might be at the start of their journey and only now find themselves in a place to ask for help.

Q: I think my student/colleague is on the spectrum. But they don’t seem to know. What do I do?
A: Use the tips on this list anyway. They work whether the person knows they are on the spectrum or not. They also are likely to work for other underlying causes. Eg control over room temperature will work for a hypersensitive person and for someone going through menopause. Control over light works for someone who suffers migraines and for a photosensitive person on the spectrum.

Q: Wait… isn’t all of this just implementing the 5 Ts?
A: Yes, it is. So, if you need to adapt, you know where to look.

Q: I need more help/have more questions. Can I contact you?
A: Yes, email me here. Or send me a Teams message here. Or book a slot to meet with me digitally or in person here.


The 5 T Approach

The 5 T approach to Inclusive Student Supervision & Line Management

The 5 T approach has been designed to support supervisors and personal tutors for neurodivergent students, it is part of DSN’s training. (And works as well for other disabilities or line managers of disabled/neurodivergent staff!)

In the following paragraph you will read about each of the 5 Ts. There will always be a “Why” section first, that will give you the reasoning and background to the T in questions, followed by a “How” section, that gives you concrete ideas and tools to use. So, why do we always start with “why”? We want to enable informed and aware action. Understanding and knowing allows for empathy, and it empowers you to develop your own ideas and tools, tailored to your own circumstances.

Talk

Have an open conversation about your professional relationship, work, studies, and about how to have conversations.
(Print off a useful checklist here that will guide you through the Talk!)

Why?

  1. The one sentence you will hear again and again in inclusion and disability work is “Nothing About Us Without Us”. As a minoritised group, disabled people are often spoken about but not to. While those who discuss inclusion without actually including a disabled person may mean well, they deny us agency and thus equality. Almost all disabled students/staff have experienced that. Having the conversation about how to best support them without them is not only denying them agency, it’s robbing yourself of a very powerful resource, i.e. someone who has managed the student’s neurodivergence for about 20 years: the student/staff member!
  2. Many disabilities and especially forms of neurodivergence come with communication styles and needs that are different from what you might be used to. These differences may be purely due to disability and/or neurodivergence or due to cultural and linguistic differences, or both. That is not a bad thing and diversity is precious, but to avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretation of the other person’s action, it’s best spoken about openly. 
  3. Predictability is generally calming and helpful for everyone, but for many disabled people it’s essential. Making the process accessible and transparent helps everyone involved and makes sure everyone has realistic expectations.  

How?

No matter what it is you need to discuss about the student’s/your direct report’s work or support, include them! Always speak to them rather than about them.
Have the Talk about talking to each other and working with each other.

How do we want to communicate with each other?

  1. Frequency: how often do you want to meet? 
  2. Medium: do you want to meet in person? On a video call? Should we speak or write to each other?
  3. Length: are shorter meetings better or longer meetings? 
  4. Notes: are we good at writing action points down ourselves or should we exchange a quick email after the meeting to clarify what we agreed on?
  5. Style: Can we hint at something or should we always be explicit? Can we use metaphors? (yes, really!)

What can we expect of each other?

  1. How much time do we realistically have for each other? 
  2. How much work/feedback do we expect of each other and when? 
  3. What are our working hours? When can we reach each other and how?

What we need:

  1. Consider the needs of both parties and find something that works for both.
  2. Try to openly discuss needs, but be prepared that the student might be ashamed or scared and not tell you everything right away. 

Keep talking!

Make clear that the Talk is not a 1-off. They have forgotten or not dared to mention some needs? You two can talk more later. Their needs have changed? No problem, you can renegotiate how to communicate. You two agreed on talking with no written notes and you feel it doesn’t work? Talk about it openly with the student and agree on notes from now on.
Talking is a process, keep communicating!

Trust

Why?

Building a relationship of trust with your student is crucial, because only trust allows them to open up about their needs and to believe that your offers of help are genuine. Disabled students have reasons not to trust. They have experienced being ridiculed or belittled when voicing their needs or struggles. They have to feel that you are a safe person to talk to. 

How?

Building trust between yourself and the student might be harder because they have had many bad experiences. What might help you get there is trusting them first.

Listen. Empathise. Believe them.
They are the expert on their neurodivergence or their other disabilities. If they say that they cannot work in this bright light, believe them. If they say the office is too loud, take their word for it. Don’t try to minimise their problem (worst case “it’s okay for the others though, are you sure?”), but trust their assessment of the e.g. workspace. They can tell you what is not suitable for their specific needs, and if they do so, that is a huge leap of faith and a sign they trust you with their vulnerability. Show them it was the right decision by listening and taking them seriously. 

Give them reasons to trust you:
Make sure your words and actions align.
If you made a mistake or missed a meeting, own it and say sorry.
If you ask something of them, tell them the reason.
When they open up to you, you know what to do: Listen. Empathise. Believe them. 

Tailor

Why?

People’s needs are vastly different. Techniques and adjustments that help one person might make another person worse. That is why we want more than equality (everyone gets the same), we want Equity (everyone gets what they need). This has to be said so explicitly because we increasingly see the rise of discrimination in the name of equality. E.g.
“We offer only apples for dessert so everyone gets the same.”
“I’m allergic to apples, can I have a banana instead?”
“I’m sorry. Giving you a banana would mean you don’t have the same experience as everyone else. It’s apples only, because we want parity and equality (sic!)”

How?

Tailor your approach to the individual student. Consider:

Some need pressure, some need space. 

Some need more contact, some quiet.

Some need more feedback, some more autonomy.

But all of them need the 5 T. Every disabled person needs you to believe them, to consider them, to ask them what would help them. Listen. Empathise. Believe them.

Trauma

Why?

You won’t find a disabled person that does not have traumatic experiences in their past.

– Bullying

– Exclusion

– Having to mask

– Gas-lighting

– Ableist abuse

That is the sad reality of our society. Every disabled person you will encounter is traumatised.

Every. Single. One.


You cannot change that, but you can be aware of it.

A traumatised person can “overreact” to something you might consider harmless or even helpful/friendly.
A traumatised person might verbally lash out at you, and will immediately feel bad about it.
A traumatised person might shut down completely in response to something you said. 

How?

If you want to turn the other cheek and interpret an outburst has the student loudly suffering in your presence rather than rudeness, remember:

That has to be your personal choice. No one can ask you to do this. You have the right to dignity and respect at work. You can remove yourself from the situation.

Choice can only happen out of a position of safety.

But if you can make that choice and see their pain, that might help a lot. Even if it doesn’t make things better overnight. What you can do then is:
De-escalate. Be calm.
Listen. Empathise. Believe them.

And very important: Tell yourself that it’s NOT your fault. You stepped on a trigger you didn’t know existed. That happens to professionals, that happens to people who know the person. It’s never nice when it happens but it’s not you. Remembering that is important for your own sake but also for the student’s/report’s sake. If you can remain calm and resting in yourself, they will calm down.
Trust yourself, so they can trust you.

A cup of Tea

Why?

In German we have a saying “Ratschläge sind auch Schläge” (Advice is also a beating). Help you offer, no matter how well intended, could retrigger the student’s trauma. That is of course sad and painful for you, because you really want to help and standing by watching while someone struggles is quite a burden. But for the student/your staff the offer of help could be anything but helpful. It could make them feel ashamed that they cannot do it by themselves, as they have been told for most of their life “everyone else can do so you are just lazy”. It could trigger anxiety, as they might feel they disappoint you. It could make them feel that they are not good enough. Remember, if that happens, it’s not you who caused this. You just put your finger on an old wound. So, where does the tea come in?

How?

Imagine the help you want to offer like a cup of Tea. What would you do with a cup of tea?
Offer it to someone in distress? Absolutely!
Keep offering it, warmly and plenty, even if it’s not always taken? Also yes!
Advertise it by saying you also like this tea and drink it often? Maybe.
Offer a different kind of tea if the first cup isn’t accepted? Perhaps.

Be offended or hurt if someone doesn’t want tea right now? No.
Force them to drink the tea? No way!

Help works exactly in the same way. Offer it, offer it warmly and plenty. Even if it wasn’t taken the last time. Someone might not dare to ask for help after they didn’t accept your help initially. Offer it again the next time, even if it wasn’t wanted the first time around. If they feel they can trust you, and they are ready to accept the help, they will take it if it’s still there.

Anything else? Need more help? Questions?
You can email me here. Or send me a Teams message here. Or book a slot to meet with me digitally or in person here.

DSN Training – Tailored to your needs

What types of training do you offer?

DSN offers a variety of training around disability inclusion. We believe that one size fits no one and therefore all of our training offers are tailored to the needs of the cohorts.
Here are some examples of training we designed and continue to offer:

– Inclusive Pedagogy Training
(aimed at tutors and teaching staff, a 3h mini course that covers general awareness training, higher education specific training and practical pedagogy skills; the training is delivered to a small cohort, using frontal teaching, group work and experiential teaching)

– Neurodiversity Awareness Training for PG supervisors
(aimed at staff supervising PG students. It covers general awareness training, neurodiversity awareness, practical tools to foster an inclusive supervision experience and procedural advice. This training can be customised further to focus on a specific neurodivergence, e.g Autism, ADHD, Bipolar disorder, etc. Generally delivered within 90min, 60mins training with 30mins Q&A)

– General Inclusion Training for Admin Staff and HR
(aimed primarily at those who work on the procedural side. It covers general awareness training and then heavily focussed on how to support disabled staff using procedure. Generally delivered within 90min, 60mins training with 30mins Q&A)

– Communication in the light of Inclusion and Diversity
(not aimed at a specific group. Often we miscommunicate due to our differences, we come from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, we may be of different neurotypes. This training takes you onto a wee bit of a journey, inviting you to look at concepts of politeness and body language in different languages, giving you a bit of an idea what the neurodivergent experience can be like. The training is aiming to foster better communication by creating diversity and inclusion awareness. It can be delivered in 60mins or 90mins. The longer version allows for more interactive engagement with different languages around the world.)

– Mind The Gap, First Response Tool Kit
(aimed at teaching staff of all grades. This covers general first response tools for the classroom and supervision. Student Support service have now taken over and will be looking after the students instead of a personal tutor. However, if a student is struggling in your classroom, having a breakdown in class or during a meeting, there is a gap between the situation and the support structure. You will have to manage the situation and then organise getting support from the system in place. This course is all about The Gap. How to we bridge it? De-escalating, calming, reassuring, ensuring the student gets support, managing the rest of the class. Generally delivered in 90-120mins.)

– What to do with student adjustments?
(aimed at teaching staff of all grades. This covers a brief introduction into inclusion and the principles it is guided by, followed by actively working on solutions for implementing adjustments. Every year teaching staff are sent a list of adjustments for the students on their courses, but they are often unsure of how to implement them. This is highly dependent on the subject area and we may ask you to let our trainer sit in one of your seminars/tutorials/lectures well before the training so they have an understanding of your subjects area’s needs. Generally delivered in 90-120mins.)

That all looks very interesting but it’s not what my school/unit/department/staff needs. Can you make something especially for us?

We would be happy to.
All our training includes general awareness training (medical vs social model, labour of inclusion, etc). Beyond that, we will tailor to your needs.
Do you need classrooms tools? Focus of pedagogy? Tools for individual communication? Procedural advice? Tips on creating inclusive teaching material?
How big is the cohort? How much time can we get?

Drop us an email, we’re happy to have a chat and put together the right training for your needs. Email us here

What does it cost my department to invite you?

If you are part of the University of Edinburgh, currently nothing, and we hope it will stay that way. At the moment we can provide our training through citizenship and with some Trade Union help.

What is the advantage of getting DSN to deliver the training?

Our training is grounded in both research and lived experience. We are disabled staff that can speak from experience. And we have another have huge advantage: We know University of Edinburgh policy, procedure and practice. We can tell how to access help and how to handle procedure around inclusion. We are connected to the University community through other Staff Networks, Trade Unions and EDI streams which helps us address intersectionality.
Our training is continuously informed by developments and concerns that are specific to our University community.