Links

Here is a small selection of our ‘go-to’ web resources and articles. Note that if you’re an employee or volunteer of a police force or criminal justice agency, we recommend that you join our web forum – here you’ll find a much larger range of resources, and you can join in discussions and connect with other members and support professionals.

Click on the links to jump to sections on:


For people affected by neurodivergent conditions – support & diagnosis information

The National Autistic Society is the UK’s leading autism charity. Some useful links from their website:

The AQ50 is an autism self-screening questionnaire* developed by the Cambridge Autism Research Centre and recommended by the NAS

The British Dyslexia Association represents people with dyslexia. Along with the resources on their website, the BDA offers a private individual assessment service and links to commercial online screening tools. These can generate a report which can be passed on to an employer to assist with requesting reasonable adjustments.

The Dyspraxia Foundation is a UK-wide charity, founded in 1987 as the Dyspraxia Trust. The Foundation seeks to increase understanding of dyspraxia, supports families affected by the condition, and assists healthcare and education professionals working with dyspraxic adults and children.

The ADHD Foundation works in partnership with individuals, families, doctors, teachers and other agencies to improving emotional wellbeing, educational attainment, behaviour and life chances through better understanding and self-management of ADHD and related learning difficulties.

The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale is an ADHD screening questionnaire* developed at Harvard University, designed for use by healthcare professionals

The mental health charity Mind has a comprehensive library of resources on mental health and mental illnesses including anxiety and depression, conditions which commonly affect those on the autism spectrum

*Links are provided for interest only – diagnosis of medical conditions can only be confirmed by a suitably-qualified healthcare professional


For employees

If you have a neurodivergent condition such as autism, you are likely to be covered by the Equality Act 2010:

More information on your rights and entitlements can be found on the Disabled Police Association legal resources webpage

The GMB Union has produced a guide to neurodiversity and employment law ‘Thinking Differently at Work’ which explains employees’ entitlements concerning treatment of disability in the workplace, reasonable adjustments and career progression


For employers

The College of Policing has developed a workplace adjustments toolkit in response to recommendations from the 2021 Discovery report into workplace adjustments

The British Psychological Society has produced a report, Psychology at work: Improving wellbeing and productivity in the workplace – Chapter 2 (pages 43-61) covers neurodiversity, including explanations of the main neurodivergent conditions and examples of reasonable adjustments for neurodivergent and disabled staff

Evaluating and supporting Neurodifferences at work is available from The Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM). The guide is aimed occupational health, HR professionals and employers who are considering referring their staff for diagnosis or support for neurodivergent conditions. It outlines what to look out for in staff, different options available for support and legal duties of employers.

Acas has produced a set of resources for employers on neurodiversity in the workplace

The ADHD Foundation has produced an information guide for employers on neurodiversity in the workplace

The TUC has produced a guide on accommodating autism in the workplace

The Data & Marketing Association has produced the Autism Employer Guide to help employers to understand autism and its potential to diversify and expand the pool of talent available to them

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has produced the Neurodiversity at Work guide, which explains how conditions such as autism bring a critical advantage to employers

The Business Disability Forum has produced a report, Square Holes for Square Pegs, with key recommendations for employers on adopting inclusive practice for staff on the autism spectrum

Untapped Talent is a guide for employing autistic people, put together by the Department for Work and Pensions and the National Autistic Society


For police officers & staff working with autism in the community

The National Autistic Society has produced a guide for police officers on working with autistic victims, witnesses and suspects

Register of Appropriate Adult schemes throughout the UK

Article by Autism West Midlands on autistic people coming into contact with the police

The Sunflower Lanyard Scheme allows people with hidden conditions such as autism to discreetly signal to staff in public spaces that they may need additional support. The scheme is recognised in rail stations, airports, supermarkets and other public locations around the world. Lanyards, wristbands and other forms of identification can be purchased from the website shop.


The Criminal Justice System

The Advocate’s Gateway have produced a guide on questioning autistic witnesses and defendants at court

Safety Net is a project to prevent the exploitation of people with learning disabilities by those claiming to be their friends, and aiming to deal with issues around mate crime

Young people with autism can be at risk of child sexual exploitation (CSE). Reports on CSE are available on the Barnardo’s website: Underprotected, Overprotected and It’s Not On The Radar


Academic studies & research

The Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University is at the forefront of research into autism spectrum conditions. Click the links for a list of current projects and a profile of the Director, Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen. (In case you were wondering, comedian Sacha Baron-Cohen is his cousin.)

The University of Bath hosts the Centre for Applied Autism Research (link to Twitter account)

The Nottingham Autism Police Partnership is an interdisciplinary group of autistic individuals, police officers and academics from across the UK, established by researchers at the University of Nottingham


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