# 289. The Canary in the Coal Mine: What Autistic Employees Reveal About Your Workplace, with BPS President Elect, Dr Laura Dean

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/truth-lies-and-work-5599780/289-the-canary-in-the-coal-mine-what-autistic-employees-reveal-about-your-workplace-with-bps-president-elect-dr-laura-dean
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/truth-lies-and-work-5599780/289-the-canary-in-the-coal-mine-what-autistic-employees-reveal-about-your-workplace-with-bps-president-elect-dr-laura-dean.md
Podcast: [Truth, Lies and Work](https://stenobird.com/podcast/truth-lies-and-work-5599780)
Published: 2026-04-02T10:14:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/HS5417222945.mp3?updated=1775055878
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/HS5417222945.mp3?updated=1775055878
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Duration seconds: 3044

## Resource

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work, the award-winning workplace podcast where behavioural science meets workplace culture. Today, April 2nd, 2026, marks World Autism Day. Statistically, if you have 70 employees, at least one is likely autistic—whether they have disclosed it to you or not. In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Laura Dean, a chartered occupational psychologist, President-Elect of the British Psychological Society, and a leading expert on neurodiversity. Laura explains why building a workplace that works for autistic employees isn't just about "being nice"—it’s about high-performance system design that makes work better for everyone. 🧠 What We Discuss with Dr. Laura Dean 1. The "Canary in the Coal Mine" Laura introduces a powerful framing: autistic employees are the "canaries" of the workplace. The environmental stressors that cause burnout in autistic people—such as ambiguous instructions or rigid social rules—impact the efficiency of your entire workforce; they just impact neurodivergent individuals first. 2. Moving Beyond the "Superpower" Narrative While it’s often intended as a compliment, framing autism as a "superpower" can be damaging. It reduces people to their "usefulness" to capitalism rather than seeing them as whole human beings. Laura explains why we should value people for who they are, not just for their pattern recognition or logical skills. 3. The Myth of the Empathy Deficit One of the biggest lies about autism is that autistic people lack empathy. Laura breaks down the difference between Cognitive Empathy and Affective Empathy, explaining why autistic people often have a heightened sense of justice and care. 4. System Design vs. Special Treatment Inclusion shouldn't be hidden behind a diagnosis. Laura argues for Universal Design: clear w…

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