Do you find yourself being the person who raises concerns at work? If so, and you’re autistic, you’re not alone.

A consistent theme that has cropped up in my work with autistic clients is that they tend to have a strong sense of social justice; this means they try to help colleagues when needed and ensure their workplaces are implementing best practices. Despite their general discomfort with communication and their dislike of drawing attention to themselves, my autistic clients often tell me that their need to do what they consider to be the right thing overrides their fear of doing so.

“I’ll stay quiet during a meeting, even when I’ve got something to contribute," my client Shona told me. "But if I feel that someone is being picked on in any way, I’ll very vociferously offer my opinion."

Another client, Anita, described a strong need to make sure people were “doing what was right” from a very young age. “I work as a nurse now," she explained. "There are procedures in place to protect people’s safety but colleagues still cut corners. This is a black-and-white issue to me, and I’ll report anyone who’s not following the rules as it endangers patients.”

“I’ve become the go-to person at work for when something needs to be sorted out,” Stella shared. “As a manager, colleagues know that I’m never going to sit by and let bad practice go unnoticed. Much as it causes me stress to speak my mind, it would be........

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