April 2 is United Nations World Autism Awareness Day.
On this special day, people around the globe join efforts to better increase understanding of the complexity of the autism spectrum, as well as to create a worldwide awareness of the characteristics of people with this condition.
We know the numbers: According to a 2015 article by the United Nations, more than 80% of adults with autism are unemployed or underemployed.
We also know the challenges. People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), by definition, have difficulty with social communication. This can translate into difficulty getting through an interview, and once on the job, overcoming obstacles with social interactions at work. In addition, they may display repetitive motor movements, inflexibility, ritualized behavior, fixated interests, reactivity to sensory input, and/or other challenging behaviors.
So, you may be wondering how you are going to help your job seeker who has ASD get and keep a job.
Fortunately, we have good news
Despite the challenges, employers are starting to recognize the benefits of employing someone with ASD. These employers are targeting this group of potential workers for their specific assets. Check out the positive attributes listed in this Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) article:
- trustworthiness
- strong memory
- reliability
- adherence to rules
- attention to detail
- pattern recognition
- very direct communication style
- diversity in thinking
- innovation and creativity
In the 2018 article, “Positive Autism,” Wong, Donelly, Neck, & Boyd give a more detailed list to expand on cognitive potential:
- interest in arcane or off-beat fields of knowledge
- concentration for long periods of time
- systematic information processing
- precise technical abilities
- ability to notice small details
- ability to perform repetitive tasks where accuracy, rules and routine are important
- commitment to quality
- accuracy of work
While not every trait in these lists applies to all persons with ASD, the above attributes can assist you in the Discovery process by providing ideas to uncover your job seeker’s natural skills and abilities—by focusing on the positive. Learning the positive attributes of the individual’s neurodiversity will accentuate your efforts to match the employers’ needs for those skills and abilities, which will ensure a good job match or an avenue for customized employment.
You may ask, “What does neurodiversity mean? It is a concept that’s been around for a while. In a nutshell, it means that brain differences are just that: differences. So conditions like ADHD and autism aren’t “abnormal.” They’re simply variations of the human brain.
Of course, you and your job seeker do have to attend to the challenges of ASD
Temple Grandin provides an excellent list of tips in her online article “Landing a Job.” Dr. Grandin directly writes to the person with ASD, so share the article with your job seekers. Since she has ASD, Dr. Grandin’s experience is invaluable to share with others in her shoes. Among some of her tips:
- Differentiate between a tantrum and a reaction to sensory overload.
- Develop areas of strength.
- Utilize obsessive interests in service of employment.
- Find mentors in your field.
- Find a way to control aggression and anger (she gives her own example).
Dr. Grandin also gives a very frank list of dos and don’ts while on a job such as: avoiding jobs requiring multitasking, not pestering the boss, doing the things your boss tells you to do, and “do not tell other people they are stupid even if they are stupid.” Because she has the mind of someone with ASD, she is the perfect person to communicate these tips. While to the average person, these things are obvious, they are not obvious to the person with ASD.
Employers such as Microsoft, JP Morgan Chase, Ford, and other companies who specifically recruit people with ASD have established ways of supporting individuals with ASD from the interview process to onboarding as well as with training and social interactions on the job. View the EARN Autism @ Work Playbook and Roundtable for more information on companies who hire folks with ASD.
But don’t just take our word for it! Watch one example of an inclusive hiring initiative in this 3-minute video on the Microsoft Autism Hiring Program and begin to apply some of these positive principles of neurodiversity in the workplace with the job seekers you support with ASD.
Resources
Autism @ Work: Hiring and Training Employees on the Spectrum
Autism Speaks Employment Took Kit
EARN Autism @ Work Playbook and Roundtable
Employment and Autism Tips by Temple Grandin
JAN Accommodation and Compliance Series on Autism
JAN Interviewing Tips for Job Seekers on the Autism Spectrum
ODEP’s Topic Resources: Autism and Employment
Promoting the Autism Advantage on World Autism Awareness Day
Special Note: Since the writing of this blog, the COVID-19 pandemic has escalated to the point of social isolation and disruption of routines for everyone. Because routine disruption can be particularly challenging for those on the spectrum and individuals with other disabilities, we invite you to share these resources created by the Indiana Resource Center for Autism (and other centers of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community). In addition, for those of you working with clients online, APSE has recorded their webinar “Strategies for Providing Remote Employment Supports.”