Autistic Civil Servant

Autistic Civil Servant Blogs about being an autistic civil servant written so other autistic civil servants don't feel alone

My autistic brain always wants to face the worst. At this time of year we look at the worst that can happen on Good Frid...
06/04/2026

My autistic brain always wants to face the worst. At this time of year we look at the worst that can happen on Good Friday, and how the worst can be redeemed at Easter that follows. Here's to the future being better than the past.

My autistic brain appreciates that option to face the worst and deal with it – the worst (death) can and will come, but something continues beyond. I’d much rather that than use euphemi…

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...
30/03/2026

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.

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 c…

As an autistic, I tend to think a logical, factual point of view will be heard, but the sad truth I have to remind mysel...
23/03/2026

As an autistic, I tend to think a logical, factual point of view will be heard, but the sad truth I have to remind myself of is that that's not the case!

A pitfall I’ve often fallen into at work is assuming that because something is true it doesn’t need to be advocated for. Or indeed that the facts are always a winning argument. It doesn…

Would you rather hear from an "expert on autism" or an autistic person? Actually I hope you'd like to hear from both. To...
16/03/2026

Would you rather hear from an "expert on autism" or an autistic person? Actually I hope you'd like to hear from both. Too many people talk about us without remembering to talk with us.

I sometimes speak on panels about my experiences of being an autistic professional, or particularly an autistic professional woman. A little while back I was discussing one such where, during the p…

Autistics aren't stereotypically good listeners. But tbh if I'm tired and struggling with communication (which is the ca...
09/03/2026

Autistics aren't stereotypically good listeners. But tbh if I'm tired and struggling with communication (which is the case more than half the time) I will use active listening to try to get the other person to speak which is far more restful!

If you’re looking for a good listener, you’re probably not going to look for an autistic person. The stereotype is that we’re un-empathic and prone to talking incessantly about ou…

A conference I'm speaking at coming up in April:
03/03/2026

A conference I'm speaking at coming up in April:

Join our neurodiversity conference to hear how your workplace can make reasonable adjustments, promote inclusion and offer flexibility.

Autistic binary thinking can definitely have its uses - imagine being a civil servant who has to swap which political pa...
02/03/2026

Autistic binary thinking can definitely have its uses - imagine being a civil servant who has to swap which political party they serve overnight.

Impartiality is something we debate about our news providers. Is the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, whoever truly impartial? Many of them might attempt to be, but it’s difficult to achieve imparti…

Some people are worried that autistic people are becoming more visible in society, but suppose it's just that we're a li...
23/02/2026

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?

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 min…

Objectivity doesn't sound very exciting but it can be an autistic strength, as well as a civil service virtue.
16/02/2026

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

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…

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, ...
09/02/2026

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!

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 …

Autistic honesty can be a weakness in some social situations - but it's also a strength, so let's celebrate it!
02/02/2026

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

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 …

My wonderful colleague Iain Forbes at the Department of Transport has been working on a series of podcasts on neurodiver...
28/01/2026

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

https://helenjeffries.wordpress.com/2026/01/28/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 te…

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