15-05-2020 | Commentary | Uitgave 11/2020
Autism and Employment: Implications for Employers and Adults with ASD
- Tijdschrift:
- Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders > Uitgave 11/2020
Belangrijke opmerkingen
The author is grateful for the opportunity to work with students in the Asperger Syndrome Adult Transition Program (ASAT) at Chapel Haven Schleifer Center in New Haven, Connecticut. Their search for employment inspired this paper.
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Abstract
A small but growing body of research has been conducted on vocational outcomes for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); however, limited resources have been directed towards understanding outcomes for competitive employers. While ASD does present with a range of social communication and adaptive behavior deficits, adults on the spectrum may be extremely efficient, trustworthy, reliable, and cost-effective employees. Nevertheless, fewer than half of young adults with ASD maintain a job. Many businesses are unwilling to hire these capable candidates, concerned among other things about an increase in supervision costs and a decrease in productivity. This is a bias based on misperceptions; the financial and social benefits of hiring adults with ASD, for businesses and the individual, often outweigh the costs.