Improving Employment Outcomes For Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder

The prevalence of individuals affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to rise. Schools are responsible for preparing youths with ASD for transition into postsecondary education and employment. However, employment outcome data suggest that individuals with ASD are not adequately prepared for success in the workforce. This presentation will explore how addressing deficits in communication and social skills, self-advocacy and career awareness can improve employment outcomes for young adults with ASD. Schools are responsible for preparing youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) for transition into postsecondary education and employment. However, employment outcome data suggests that individuals with ASD are not adequately prepared for success in the workforce. This presentation will seek to present existing data on transition outcomes for youth with ASD and explore what parents, teachers, psychologists, and other support staff can do to encourage positive outcomes. Data suggests that successful employment greatly improves quality of life for individuals with ASD and waiting until a child is 16 years old is too late to begin adequate preparation for exiting the public school system.  According to 2010 data, young adults with ASD are working on average eight less hours a week and earning $120 less per week than individuals with other disabilities successfully exiting vocational rehabilitation programs. Even more troublesome is that there is data to suggest that young adults with ASD not accompanied by an intellectual disability have the worst employment outcomes of all. So what can be done to improve these outcomes?

1) Improve Career Awareness. 

The first step to improving postsecondary transition is to increase the student's understanding of the workforce. Exposure to work experiences and paid employment while in school is vital when preparing for transition in to employment. Exposure to different types of career environments, as well as the demands of these different environments, will helps students and staff to better understand the needs of individual students. Understanding the environmental conditions, physical demands, and attributes of different work environments will increase the likelihood of finding a more successful job match.

2) Teach Self-Advocacy.

The transition from the education system to the adult service provider system is a transition from entitlement to eligibility. This distinction can be tough for parents, advocates, and students to navigate. By teaching youth with ASD to self-advocate for their needs as a person with a disability is essential for success outside of the school setting. With information on the Americans with Disabilities Act and ways to make requests for accommodations students will be prepared to advocate for the changes they need to be successful.

3) Improve Social Skills. 

Deficits in communication and social skills play a major role in negative employment outcomes for young adults with ASD. Difficulties with communication may include issues with understanding and reading facial expressions, inappropriate tone of voice, asking too many questions, difficulty understanding directions, and an inability to “read between the lines.” Social skills interventions that are evidenced based and tailored to the specific needs of individuals can be successful in improving social deficits in individuals with ASD. Providing social skill interventions as part of high school curriculum that are tailored to employment and community living may be critical to properly prepare youth with ASD for employment and a higher quality of life after exiting school.