Competitive Integrated Employment for Youth and Adults with Autism: Findings from a Scoping Review

Key points

Method

The following databases were reviewed to capture a broad range of multidisciplinary literature across educational, medical, and vocational rehabilitation related fields: PubMed, CINAHL, Education Research Complete, Web of Science, and EMBASE. The recommended framework for conducting a scoping review was followed, which includes formulating research questions, identifying relevant articles, and then charting and summarizing findings.11, 12, 13 A more elaborate description of each step in the

Results

A total of 25 articles met established inclusion criteria regarding employment interventions for individuals with ASD. Nearly all studies were conducted within the United States (n = 23; 92%), followed by the United Kingdom (n = 1; 4%), and Ireland (n = 1; 4%). A breakdown of articles by methodological rigor includes 6 at level I, 4 at level II, and 15 at level III.

Discussion

This scoping review analyzed the experimental, quasi-experimental, and secondary data analysis research literature to identify employment interventions that result in CIE for individuals with ASD. In addition, the authors provided a description of the intervention components that appear to increase positive CIE outcomes. Table 7 presents these findings. The results suggest strong evidence for 1 packaged intervention, PS + ASD. In addition, there is strong evidence of the efficacy of SE for

Summary

Individuals with ASD continue to experience extremely poor employment outcomes, often remaining chronically unemployed or only finding work in segregated settings.⁹ The challenges that individuals with ASD face in their quest to attain CIE can be mitigated by the implementation of evidence-based interventions. Therefore, the identification of highly effective vocational interventions is greatly needed to help an array of stakeholders, including individuals with ASD, service providers,

Disclosure

The authors have nothing to disclose. This study was funded by the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project (DRRP) grant no. 90DP005103 from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), and by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) Autism Research Program grant no. W81XWH16-1-0707. No IRB approval was necessary. This project was nonhuman research.