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Writer's pictureKatie Whittier

How over-communicating helps autistics

Updated: Sep 29, 2023

(And allistics too)

Sign asking "why not" in a transit hub to symbolize benefits of signage

Last month, my husband and I celebrated our anniversary on Hawaii’s Big Island, one of our favorite spots on the planet. We decided to visit the south and north points of the island this trip because, in spite of visiting twice before, we’d stuck to the easier-to-access attractions.


South Point was incredible, but there’s something special about the north end that I just have to share.


We stopped at a delicious restaurant for lunch, the Bamboo Restaurant, housed inside a very old and worn building. The service was excellent, and the lunchtime cocktails generous. Then I got up to use the ladies’ room, and the adventure began.


Everything about the bathroom was ancient. There was a particular way to open the door so as not to rip the lock off the latch if someone was inside. The toilet had to be flushed a certain way. The sink needed coaxing. Paper towels were to be disposed of here and other products thrown away there…. You get the point.


But none of this was awkward or inconvenient. Why? Because they'd posted cute little handwritten signs with every instruction clearly laid out at-a-glance. It felt like a guided tour of a well-loved bathroom that had served many generations and deserved its due respect. In short, I kinda loved it.


I keep thinking about this experience and how often, when I visit a new space, I run into unexpected surprises that throw me for a loop. Doors that don’t open or close properly, water faucets that don’t turn on, toilets that may or may not flush on their own, and then might scare me with a second flush before I gather my purse to leave the stall.


How much easier and less stressful would these experiences be with a few simple signs posted? If the Bamboo Restaurant is any proof, the answer is a lot less stressful – and even fun!


What if we took this lesson beyond restrooms and applied it to any novel situation? What if we treated more situations as novel situations because, a lot of the time, they are? How many nerves could a few signs alleviate by simply answering the unstated questions?


Let’s over-communicate more. As an autistic who really wants to be out and about when I have enough energy, don’t make me waste energy trying to figure out something that could easily be explained with a simple handwritten sign.


And if you don’t know how to tell whether something needs a sign, ask your customer-facing staff what questions they answer most repetitively or what problems come up too often. If any of those questions could be answered with a sign, or any problem solved by posting an explanation instead, do it.


Your staff will thank you, and so will your neurodivergent visitors.

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