Helen Jeffries (@helenjeffries) Bsky

Holy Week – Joy I use the word "joy" a lot - generally in a sarcastic sense, as for example: "eight meetings today? Joy!" True joy is harder to come by but for an autistic person it can be no less intense than for the neurotypical - possibly even more so. That might be the joy of engaging the mind fully in a special interest: a subject or activity you're so passionate about it can be likened to being in love. Or there are other fleeting joys - a colour or pattern that just hits the mental spot, or a sound or a period of glorious silence when no communication needs to be happening. Today is Palm Sunday and marks the beginning of Holy Week leading up to Easter when Christians recall Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection. The reference to palms is because when Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph, riding on a donkey, the people shouted for joy and threw palm branches in his path. We see something similar nowadays when crowds clap or throw flowers into the path of a hearse of a famous person; the thrown greenery is a mark of honour and respect. Jesus rode in triumph (another tradition that continues today) but on a donkey, rather than a horse or other grander animal, to demonstrate his humility. The story illustrates the sad truth of human nature that you can be massively popular one day but have the crowds wanting you dead a few days later. But on Palm Sunday itself we remember Jesus being welcomed with joy by people who were immensely glad to see him.

It's the start of Holy Week - a solemn time of the Christian year, but also a good moment to think about joy and what it can mean, particularly to an autistic person. #Autism

3 weeks ago 0 0 0 0

Everyone’s deciding they’re autistic nowadays Having a diagnosis of autism shouldn't be a bad thing - if you have an autistic brain then having a diagnosis helps you manage that brain. Society shouldn't need us to hide or minimise our disability to be valid as people, nor pressure us to "act normal" if we can. Society definitely shouldn't be dividing autistic people into two categories, one of which should just stop complaining and fake normal like everyone else while the other is consigned to institutional care. So yes, there do seem to be a lot more autistic people around than there were 30 years ago, but that's not because people are "catching" autism or deciding to be autistic because it's "fashionable". A lot of those people are becoming able to be their real selves for the first time, and that should be something everyone can celebrate.

Some people are worried that autistic people are becoming more visible in society, but suppose it's just that we're a little bit more able to be ourselves? #Autism

1 month ago 0 0 0 0

Autistic leadership: Objectivity Objectivity is something that scientists, academics and civil servants aspire to, but it's quite hard to achieve. It's taking decisions on the basis of the evidence rather than your own personal feelings or opinions. We all like think we do that but - frankly - if you were listening to a politician, you'd probably pre-judge them a bit according to whether they belonged to a party you supported wouldn't you? Being truly objective would mean setting aside all your own preconceptions and judging them just on the merits of what they said at the moment. Happily, focusing on the evidence and screening out bias and assumptions is something that autistic people can learn to do very well.

Objectivity doesn't sound very exciting but it can be an autistic strength, as well as a civil service virtue. #Autism

2 months ago 3 1 0 0

Drop the Mask! It's becoming better known that autistic professionals generally "mask" a lot, meaning that we hide our autism in order to fit in with those around us, to avoid being judged, and to maximise the impact we have at work. Masking takes up a lot of energy and concentration - equivalent to speaking a foreign language the whole time. So kindly friends who know we're autistic sometimes suggest we don't need to mask around them. It's very difficult to drop a habit that's been trained into you your whole life - but if you do, what would it actually look like?

We autistics mask - we do it to protect ourselves. It's lovely if you'd like to let us reduce how much we have to mask, but please make sure you really mean it! #Autism

2 months ago 2 2 0 0

Autistic leadership: Honesty In government autistic honesty can be a really solid basis for work. It has its pitfalls because there are certainly times when autistic honesty can go too far - sometimes you need to tell a white lie or a gentle half truth in order to help someone come round to your point of view. We all know that the right answer to "does my bum look big in this?" is unlikely to be "yes - enormous - what were you thinking?" and there is always a risk that an autistic colleague will come out with the work equivalent of that. But on the whole, autistic honesty is a really good thing in a civil servant. If there is a painful truth that needs to be faced, an autistic person may be better able to do it than someone neurotypical. If there is a difficult truth that needs to be communicated, an autistic person will be able to do it - not because they're brave so much as because they find it impossible to not to tell the truth. There's skill in telling truth to power in a way that makes it most likely to be heard, but as regards the instinct to tell the truth, rather than dodge the issue and hope someone else takes responsibility for doing it, an autistic colleague can be a great ally.

Autistic honesty can be a weakness in some social situations - but it's also a strength, so let's celebrate it! #Autism

2 months ago 0 0 0 0

The Neurocrats The overarching project of The Neurocrats is a series of episodes starting here. Iain writes: "How do you get to be a Director General if you are dyslexic? Can being autistic help you lead teams through a crisis? What is it like to discover you are neurodivergent a long way into your Civil Service career? "Over the past few months I have been working with some amazing colleagues from the neurodiversity networks of the Department for Transport and the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero to explore these sorts of questions. I am very happy to be able to share the results with you from today. "The Neurocrats is a podcast that explore stories and experiences that help us understand how neurodivergent people in the Civil Service work, live, and thrive. In the first episode I talk to Conrad Bailey about how his experience of dyslexia has shaped his journey through education, work, and leadership. "Each episode is 20 minutes long, so perfect for a listen on your commute or over lunch. The first season is seven episodes long, with new episodes released weekly on Mondays. "If you like what you hear please do click “Subscribe” in YouTube to be notified of future episodes. And please do pass the link on to others who you think may be interested."

My wonderful colleague Iain Forbes at the Department of Transport has been working on a series of podcasts on neurodiversity in the Civil Service. My episode came out this week so flagging it here in case you, who have subscribed to this blog, are interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POzbVr

2 months ago 0 0 0 0

The Neurocrats: Episode 02 - Helen Jeffries YouTube video by The Neurocrats: Civil Service Lives

My episode of The Neurocrats is out: www.youtube.com/watch?v=POzb... I have literally no memory of what I said so here's hoping it made sense as I am NOT watching it back! #Autism

2 months ago 1 0 0 0

The Neurocrats: Episode 01 - Conrad Bailey YouTube video by The Neurocrats: Civil Service Lives

The Neurocrats is a new podcast that explore stories and experiences that help us understand how neurodivergent people in the Civil Service work, live, and thrive. youtube.com/watch?app=de... #Autism #dyslexia #ConradBailey

3 months ago 2 0 0 0

Landscape saying Happy New Year and May the year to come be better than the one just gone and if it isn't may you come to realise it's probably not your fault.

3 months ago 0 0 0 0

“Your child is different…” I write a lot about the positives of autism, about the fact that autistics are everywhere, that we're not something (all that) weird, and that we can be successful professionals and leaders. But I'd like to counterbalance that a bit by drawing attention to the challenges for the parents of autistic children and the families of autistic adults. Having a disabled person in your family is often going to be a blessing, but it may not be what you expected, and it may ask more of you than you thought you could give. Some autistic kids don't get diagnosed until teenage or later because they mostly mask and fit in - others are picked up very early on because they have high support needs or because their behaviours present a lot of challenges. In either case the parents are going to have a lot to deal with - perhaps the child having meltdowns after school from masking all day, or struggles through local education systems to access the right support package. Being told that adult autistics sometimes succeed and want to celebrate autistic identity may offer hope for the future, but I imagine it doesn't make the parents' lives much easier in the short term.

For many people Christmas is about family, but what does it mean for a family to find out that one of you is different to what you'd thought? #Autism

4 months ago 0 0 0 0

Christmas Jumpers drat it OK so Christmas Jumpers are probably not the worst of the world's problems right now but bear with. This blog focusses on the particularly autistic issues of the world and right now, Christmas jumpers are potentially a biggy. You have to wear them - the introduction of the "compulsory Christmas jumper" dress code is a major blow this year in some workplaces - and the dratted things are too hot, too scratchy, made of nasty cheap plasticky material and generally deeply unpleasant for those of us with hyper-sensitive senses.

Christmas is coming,
Jumpers getting itchy,
Autistics everywhere are now
Starting to get twitchy.
A curse on all uncomfortable Christmas jumpers! #Autism

4 months ago 1 0 0 0

Hide your emotions! The autistic stereotype is that we're unemotional. We have blank facial expressions (well I do when you try to explain IT to me), flat modes of speaking and are thought of as lacking in empathy. But actually many of us have the opposite problem, particularly in the workplace. I've noticed from myself, and from lots of autistic colleagues I talk to, that we can get passionately involved in things and then emotionally overwhelmed.

Autistics are stereotyped as unemotional but we can also become emotionally overwhelmed very easily, and the pressure to hide those emotions then just makes everything worse. #Autism

4 months ago 0 0 0 0

Christmas is coming, autistics getting scared… Christmas is a wonderful time of year with friends, family, food, presents, lights, music and togetherness. It's a chance to step outside the normal day to day routine and do something different - from bank holidays when you don't have to go to work, to special events, to small things like changes to the TV schedules. Sounds great? Yes - obviously. But also it's worth remembering that a lot of the good things about Christmas can also be autistic nightmares.

Christmas is coming, Autistic's getting scared, Everything's all different, Please help us feel prepared! #Autism

4 months ago 1 0 0 0

When someone comes out as autistic – what to say Lots of people are getting autism diagnoses in adulthood, and while some friends and family see it coming, for others it can be quite a surprise. They may have thought You don’t look autistic, for example. So here's my reflections on how to respond when your friend, colleague or family member comes out as autistic to you. As always, please note the caveat that what I think has no particular authority, I may be wrong, your mileage may vary, and if in doubt ignore me and do what the person you're talking to would like you to do.

Maybe someone you know has just got diagnosed autistic. So what do you say? I tend to start with "congratulations on your diagnosis!" since knowing yourself better is always good. #Autism

4 months ago 2 0 0 0

Small talk – big problem If you're autistic it's likely one of your struggles in life is small talk. You go up to someone and you need a piece of information from them - but can you just ask for it? No - you have to go through a sort of vocal dance first. There's a code you have to follow - words have to be exchanged - like spies in a movie uttering meaningless content to establish that they're talking to the right person - before anything substantive can happen.

Small talk's a social expectation - a code. It doesn't exchange any information and it doesn't require honesty. So why do the neurotypicals need it? #Autism

5 months ago 1 0 0 0

A TOTAL PIG-HEADED UNWILLINGNESS to look facts in the face Talking to other autistic people in the workplace, I've tended to find that they prefer to look facts in the face like I do, but others may differ. Sometimes just knowing that actually the world is hard, that life isn't fair can be very empowering to me because it means that I can acknowledge that those things aren't my fault. If I believe that autism is a superpower, then all the things that make life difficult are my failure to deploy my superpower effectively. If I recognise though that autism puts a lot of hurdles in my path, then I'm less surprised and angry with myself when I fall over them. So that's why I pig headedly look the worst facts in the face - to know the worst and be able to deal with it. But I'm aware that it's a potentially high-risk strategy that might not work for everyone.

Face the facts! Easier said than done for many people, but for autistics it can be the only way we can cope with the world. #Autism

5 months ago 0 0 0 0

I’m literal – please don’t read in your non-literal meanings! You say something. The person you're talking to's face changes. They go very silent and walk away. Much MUCH later, you find out what they took your words to mean, which wasn't what you meant at all. In the mean time you've been at cross purposes with them, and probably everything you've said has made the situation worse. Sound bad? Well that is the reality of life for autistic people when we get over-interpreted. I've had it happen at work a number of times and it can cause so much harm. Once someone reads a message into your tone, words or body language that you didn't mean to be there, it's almost impossible to unpick the misunderstanding even if you're neurotypical, and if you're autistic it's harder still. Everything you say makes the situation worse, and ultimately if it happens with your manager they can conclude you're a poor performer and it can even end your career.

The autistic nightmare - when the simple words you say are interpreted to mean something else that's bad, and everything you do to try to unravel the misunderstanding makes it worse. #Austistic

5 months ago 1 0 0 0

Being TOO conscientious There's plenty of things in a world not designed for autistics that can make our lives difficult. But we autistics can also work against ourselves with over-conscientiousness - going not just the extra mile but the extra million miles and then wondering why our shoes are worn out. Figuratively.

Being very conscientious is good, right? But for an autistic brain it can easily flip over into not knowing when to stop! #Autism

5 months ago 1 0 0 0

Smarten yourself up! Picture the stereotype you have in your head of an autistic person. It's probably a geek or a nerd - maybe wearing loose, scruffy clothes and trainers, possibly with thick glasses, hair probably a bit messy or very short. Probably not much makeup. Now picture the stereotype you have of a "professional" person. Suit and tie/heels, well turned out, smart clothes, impeccably groomed, not a hair out of place. There's not a lot in common between the two is there? Appearance isn't everything but it sets the tone of a business relationship, and your clients, stakeholders and politicians want to see you've made an effort. So if autistic people are to succeed in the workplace they should probably stop looking such a mess and start looking professional. Everyone else makes an effort - why shouldn't they?

Dress for the job you want not the one you have, right? Well if you're an autistic person, smartening up your clothes might be the one thing you just can't do. #Autism

6 months ago 1 0 0 0

Language about autism For me, like many autistic people, precise language is important. But unfortunately not all autistic people agree on the language that’s best to use about autism. This is an attempt to summar…

Is it "autistic person" or "person with autism"? Quick clue - most autistics prefer to former. But here's a bit more info. #Autism helenjeffries.wordpress.com/2025/10/13/l...

6 months ago 0 0 0 0

Different hand for different tasks.

6 months ago 0 0 0 0

Fixed desk – hot button One of my most important reasonable adjustments for autism is having a fixed desk. Like most workplaces, mine operates a hot-desking policy and colleagues have to book in advance where they will sit on a given day. I realised several years ago that that system really didn't work for my autistic brain - the sheer level of stress at having to sit in different places every day - or worse still being uncertain about where I could sit - took up all my processing power. My brain is quite capable of spending a whole day going over and over "this is the wrong place, this doesn't feel right, I'm in the wrong place" and failing to get anything useful done at all. So, I know I need a fixed desk, so much is clear. And yet...

Having a fixed desk can't make all that much difference can it? I accidentally did an experiment and it totally can... #Autism

6 months ago 2 0 0 0

Autism Myths: Autism is a mental illness If we call someone "mad" or "crazy" or any number of other words meaning "mentally ill" then we often mean we can discount what they're saying. That's really bad for people who are mentally ill, and who deserve to be listened to as much as anyone else, but pretending the unfair stigma isn't there in those words won't make it go away. When an autistic person is called "mentally ill" it's a coded way of saying that they're wrong, they don't know what they're talking about, that their differences are unacceptable.

Autism's my brain's operating system - it's not an illness to be cured. And yet the mischaracterisation of autism as an illness persists. #Autism

7 months ago 0 0 0 0

Autism Myths: Autism can be “cured” It's asking a lot of parents, but I really think it would be better for an autistic person if they were allowed to be who and what they are, rather than trained to fit in. Or, I should say, it probably helps to be trained to fit in if that's what you want to do - to have that option - but not to pretend that the autism can go away. Accepting that your family member is autistic not neurotypical can mean great sacrifices - giving up the life you thought you'd have, taking on caring responsibilities that you hoped you wouldn't have, dealing with someone you maybe don't understand very well or who hurts and frustrates you. It's asking the family and friends to adapt and change and they may not like that. But hopefully as more do, as autism is better understood, and with more successful autistic people in work and the public eye it will come to seem less imperative to "cure" rather than accept autistics.

If your autistic person seems to be "cured" or "less autistic" then probably they've learned to hide who they truly are because being true to themselves isn't safe. We autistics need choices about how we present ourselves, not to hide out of fear. #Autism

7 months ago 0 0 0 0

Autism Myths: it’s a boy thing Most autistics are men or boys, right? It makes sense that women and girls who are more naturally people-focussed and communicative wouldn't be autistic doesn't it? Well no. That's a whacking great stereotype about females but also there is no particular reason to think most autistics are male. What IS the case though is that autism is much more likely to have been diagnosed in boys in the past. As Caroline Criado Perez has pointed out, the world (regarding diagnostic criteria and many other things) has tended to treat males as the "default" or the "norm" and females as the exception. So if the way we think about autism is based on the male experience of autism, what does that mean for people like me?

Even now the stereotype of autism is male - but what does that mean for autistic females? #Autism

7 months ago 0 0 0 0

“Back to school” – deep dread If there are any people aged about 4 to about 18 in your family, you might have been confronting "back to school" for a few weeks now. For many children school is something to be looked forward to (I'm told!) but for this autistic it was a total nightmare. And sadly there are still plenty of autistic children having to confront that nightmare every September. Why is it so bad? Well for me at least it wasn't about the teaching and learning so much as the other children.

Even *ahem* years since leaving school I get a deep sense of dread at this time of year. Such is the damage caused by by undiagnosed (so unsupported) autistic in the classroom. #Autism

7 months ago 1 0 0 0

Everyone’s “on the spectrum”? Kindly meant but no Everyone's on the spectrum, right? We all have some of the traits of autism ranging from being a little bit quirky occasionally to being non verbal and unable to function? Well no. The "spectrum" doesn't work like that and saying everyone's "on the spectrum" isn't helpful. You don't have to minimise someone's disability for them to be valid as a person. You don't have to tell them they're (nearly) normal for them to be valid as a person. And you definitely shouldn't be dividing autistic people into two categories, one of which should just stop complaining and fake normal like everyone else while the other is consigned to institutional care. We can do better than that.

"Everyone's on the spectrum" sounds like a kind affirmation of autistics but actually it's rather undermining. Here's why. #Autism

7 months ago 2 0 0 0

Autistic leaders? Yes way! If about 1 in 100 people is autistic, and if the UK civil service reflects the population it serves, then there may be enough autistic civil servants to make up a medium-sized department. But what jobs are they doing? They're probably all doing the filing and/or data entry, right? Well no, some of us are doing leadership roles, but autistic leaders may tend to keep quiet about their autism because of the fear of stigma. Part of the role of a senior civil servant is to be able to advise Ministers and speak authoritatively about government policy with people outside government. To do that we need to be able to have credibility, and many of us fear that if our stakeholders knew about our autism, they might not trust us.

If you think autistic people can't be leaders, maybe you're just buying into the stereotype. Look again? #Autism

8 months ago 1 0 0 0

Autistic leaders? No way! I got my autism diagnosis when I was half way to my goal and working as a middle manager, and already things were a struggle. So while the diagnosis was brilliant in explaining a lot of things about me that I'd blamed myself for, it also made me feel that leadership was now out of reach. I still struggle with whether that's the case because of my attacks of self doubt, but I'm hoping that by being open I'll encourage more autistic leaders to come forward and go for the top.

Who wants to hire an autistic leader? We're inflexible, poor with people and unable to communicate, right? Well actually no - we can make great leaders. #Autism

8 months ago 2 0 0 0

Compulsory neurotypical-ing I've been doing an occasional series of observations about how neurotypical attempts to support autistic people can fail because of lack of understanding about how are brains are different. Here's a few extra pitfalls and aggravations for autistic and neurotypical colleagues. I mentor a lot of autistic civil servants so these reflections are derived from their (and my) experiences but each is composed of multiple people and not supposed to represent anyone in particular.

Neurotypical people just can't get out of their own heads can they? They're sure they know what a particular behaviour "means" so they enforce it on we autistics, not knowing what harm it may do. #Autism

8 months ago 0 0 0 0

Posts by Helen Jeffries