Sagar Elixir, Khera Shikha N, Garg Naval
Department of Delhi School of Management, Delhi Technological University, Delhi, India.
Autism Adulthood. 2024 Dec 2;6(4):474-484. doi: 10.1089/aut.2022.0096. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements are a core feature of autism. In recent years, autistic individuals have asserted themselves by reclaiming these repetitive movements as "stimming." There is growing evidence in the form of scientific research regarding the usefulness of stereotypie movements. Recent research has captured the perspectives of autistic adults on stimming. However, to date, no research has examined the perspective of Indian autistic individuals around the display of stimming behaviors at the workplace.
We used semi-structured interviews and online focus groups to ask 20 Indian autistic individuals to share their experiences centered around stimming at Indian workplaces. Data obtained were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis.
The thematic analysis helped us identify three major themes: (1) stimming as a (beneficial) coping mechanism, (2) repercussions of stim suppression, and (3) (De)stigmatization of stimming.
Most Indian workplaces lack workplace accommodations to reduce sensory overload on autistic employees. Hence, Indian managers open to employing autistic individuals must accept stimming as an autistic individual's attempt at managing overwhelming emotions brought on by sensory overload. Acceptance of stimming behaviors by nonautistic managers would not only benefit the autistic employee by aiding them in better managing their mental and emotional health but also benefit the organization by allowing the autistic employee to function at peak productivity levels. Thus, Indian managers and colleagues of autistic employees should work to accommodate, support, and understand the stimming behaviors of autistic employees as opposed to judging them in a negative light.
刻板或重复的运动行为是自闭症的核心特征。近年来，自闭症患者通过将这些重复行为重新定义为“自我刺激行为”来表达自己。关于刻板行为的实用性，科学研究形式的证据越来越多。最近的研究捕捉了成年自闭症患者对自我刺激行为的看法。然而，迄今为止，尚无研究探讨印度自闭症患者在工作场所展示自我刺激行为的看法。
我们使用半结构化访谈和在线焦点小组，让20名印度自闭症患者分享他们在印度工作场所围绕自我刺激行为的经历。使用定性主题分析法对获得的数据进行分析。
主题分析帮助我们确定了三个主要主题：（1）自我刺激行为作为一种（有益的）应对机制，（2）抑制自我刺激行为的后果，以及（3）自我刺激行为的（去）污名化。
大多数印度工作场所缺乏工作场所便利设施来减少自闭症员工的感官过载。因此，愿意雇佣自闭症患者的印度经理必须接受自我刺激行为是自闭症患者应对感官过载带来的压倒性情绪的一种尝试。非自闭症经理接受自我刺激行为不仅会通过帮助自闭症员工更好地管理其心理和情绪健康而使其受益，还会通过使自闭症员工发挥出最高生产力水平而使组织受益。因此，印度自闭症员工的经理和同事应该努力接纳、支持和理解自闭症员工的自我刺激行为，而不是以负面眼光评判他们。
