Good Systems · public information library

What can I do at work to help someone when their home, school or workplace feels overwhelming?

People come here to understand why something in everyday life feels harder, different or more costly than it should — and what might make it work better.

Short answer

Change the setting before expecting the person to absorb more.

What this can look like

An environment may be the barrier: interruptions, noise, unclear change or no recovery time.

Why it can happen

Overwhelm can come from noise, interruption, unclear expectations, constant change or insufficient recovery. Remove an unnecessary demand and review whether the work becomes more usable.

What might help

Change the condition within your control before expecting more coping.

What the research helps explain

Australian autism guidance and research on masking describe meaningful differences in sensory experience, communication, routines, transitions and recovery. At work, person-led, context-aware options can improve access without requiring a person to disclose or be identified as autistic or AuDHD.

What can vary

People differ widely in communication, sensory needs, recovery and preferred support. Similar experiences can have other explanations. Do not infer identity, ask for private information or make adjustments conditional on disclosure.

For this situation

For you, include sensory, social and cognitive load in workload planning.

More info and original sources

Poko summarises the relevance of public original sources and links out for anyone who wants to read more.