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:
- Support & diagnosis information for individuals
- Employees and employers
- Police and the Criminal Justice System
- Research
Last updated: 28/11/2024
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:
- What is autism?
- Diagnosis information for adults and children
- Autism services directory
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
If you have a neurodivergent condition such as autism, you are likely to be covered by the Equality Act 2010:
- The government Disability Unit has produced a PDF guide to what constitutes a disability under the Equality Act (neurodivergent conditions are included as examples of long-term impairments on pages 8-9)
- ACAS has provided a guide to the Equality Act and the protections afforded by it for disabled employees
- The Public Sector Equality Duty (s.149 of the Equality Act) lays down additional requirements for public sector bodies to promote equality for staff and service users
- The Stammeringlaw website includes a comprehensive resource on disability equality law throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
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
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 Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has produced a white paper, Divergent Thinking: Embracing Neurodiversity at Work. In this report, IOSH says building a positive organisational culture in which diverse employees thrive and are encouraged to share details of their needs goes well beyond policies, training and adjustments.
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
The Metropolitan Police Service has released a guide for police officers exercising stop and search powers on autistic people, and for autistic members of public who may be subject to a stop and search
Autism advocate Viv Dawes has developed a new guide for police officers and other professionals who may come into contact with an autistic person experiencing meltdown
Information on Appropriate Adults
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 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
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
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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