lyledunn said:

Sorry Mike, I was being fictitious, just my silly attempt at trying to connect what I see as an over-zealous safety notice with the requirements of 7671. 

Indeed. Further, this would be either a Health, Safety & Welfare issue, or a 'reasonable adjustment' according to other legislation.

HOWEVER, such a sign could be specified following an assessment according to PAS 6463:2022 Design for the mind. Neurodiversity and the built environment. Guide. (PAS 6463 is free to download: https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/standards/pas-6463/)

To be brutally honest, I am astonished at how immediately dismissive some comments in this thread are ... very similar to another thread in recent months where some posts which were tantamount to saying that people who miss spelling and grammar errors on reports and certification can't be competent. (In fact, this Victorian attitude helps me understand completely why some people with dyslexia etc. are reluctant to tell tutors on vocational courses about it before sitting exams!)

Regards neurodiversity, it is true that there are ever increasing rates of diagnosis. Whilst more is known by relevant professionals providing diagnosis, leading to increasing rates of diagnosis, it is also suspected that the actual underlying rate of cases is also increasing.

aligarjon said:

If they were that badly affected i doubt they would be unsupervised the first time they go in to a public toilet.

I agree, "coping strategies" are very important for some people with neurodiversity, and some individuals need other management approaches.

However, it's also the case that at the moment 15 % of the population in the UK are thought to be neurodiverse, and this is comparable with rates of hearing loss and visual impairment for people at pension age.

Given the fact that we have to make reasonable adjustments, I feel we ought to avoid, where practicable, making people's lives a misery, and if we can't, then we could help people prepare (with signage like this) if they have a strategy for managing the situation.

I welcome the publication of PAS 6463, and I would vote for it to be referenced in Approved Document M, Scotland Technical Handbooks, etc.

gkenyon said:

Regards neurodiversity, it is true that there are ever increasing rates of diagnosis. Whilst more is known by relevant professionals providing diagnosis, leading to increasing rates of diagnosis, it is also suspected that the actual underlying rate of cases is also increasing.

That is my impression, not least because I have a professional interest in the matter. The quality of diagnosis is variable.

However, my view of autistic people is that they are capable, it's just that they think differently.

What about the systematising quotient? Might that be a benefit in engineering?

gkenyon said:

Regards neurodiversity, it is true that there are ever increasing rates of diagnosis. Whilst more is known by relevant professionals providing diagnosis, leading to increasing rates of diagnosis, it is also suspected that the actual underlying rate of cases is also increasing.

That is my impression, not least because I have a professional interest in the matter. The quality of diagnosis is variable.

However, my view of autistic people is that they are capable, it's just that they think differently.

What about the systematising quotient? Might that be a benefit in engineering?