Employment in someone affected with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is a rare sight, in fact less than half of people with ASD are employed globally due to low expectations for disabled adults in which few schools/families expect kids within this spectrum to find satisfying careers, competition in position, as well as most workplace programs developed for adults with disabilities, aren’t developed with autism in mind.
Employment is vital for anyone, including ones with autism, since it enables them to acquire & improve his/her life & social skills. Adults with autism diagnosis are rare, and the ones with more severe autism are diagnosed more often. Like mentioned before, needs for adults within this spectrum are unique, in which some have no intellectual disability but they have difficulties with anxiety & sensory challenges.
Autism causes someone difficulties with communication & interaction in social situations, which limits his/her ability to function in social situations, affects interaction with others & the ability to perform physical work. This disorder also limits the types of activities & interests they’re in, which makes it difficult to perform work outside his/her interests.
Someone affected with ASD also can’t handle jobs requiring significant interaction with others, which makes it difficult to communicate effectively with each other, and also suffer from meltdown which triggers socially inappropriate & violent behavior. Unfortunately, they are often paid less than their neurotypical counterparts, which damage them psychologically & affects their confidence as contributing members of society.
There are issues/obstacles that prevent someone with ASD from getting employed, such as social anxiety, sensory challenges, inflexibility, inadequate development of language & social skills, need for order/routine, and difficulties with handling criticism & expressing emotions, as well as unwillingness to share/collaborate with others.
Understanding the strengths & challenges of someone with autism is important to the transition & job search process, which can be done through job training like what I’ve been doing, and internships. Vocational & aptitude tests also help determine the best career choices for them, since their vision is part of the transition plan, which makes it easier for training, internships & vocational opportunities.
Still, there are employment possibilities for someone affected by this disorder, such as competitive employment, a supported environment that allows paid employment within his/her community, a secure environment that includes work skills & behavior training as well a sheltered environment that doesn’t involve any training. Most workplaces are more likely to hire extroverts & someone with strong communication skills, something that most people with ASD have difficulties with.
In addition, people with autism suffer from prejudices & discriminatory social, financial & political barriers, with the employment rate being less than other disability groups, even to the ones with learning & intellectual disabilities due to limited societal knowledge about ASD & effective transition services, which causes limited employment potential for them.
Another obstacle that prevents people with autism from getting employed also includes interviews, which is used to examine his/her ability to synthesize his/her past experiences showing high intelligence & indicate & manifest his/her social competency. Interviewers also demand applicants to conform to behavioral norms, such as focusing on conversation, listening without interrupting, good grooming, hygiene & dressing, handshakes, understanding & reciprocating facial expression and seeing each other, something that isn’t easily learned & applied for someone within this spectrum, which makes employers think twice of hiring them.
Employers also think that abnormal behaviors associated with some people with this disorder disrupt their colleagues at work. Not just interviews, drafting & submitting job application materials such as CV/resume, cover letter & diploma and time management hampers their chances of employment. Most the people suffering from this disorder aren’t confident enough to express their feelings, struggle at adapting to their new work environment & expectations, recalling & following instructions, & work & correspond productively with their co-workers.
There are assets for someone with ASD in employment, such as having a high attention to detail, interest in animals, good with facts, good technical skills & knowledge on the topic of their interests. People within this spectrum perform best in positions that maximize his/her strengths & minimize his/her weaknesses and seek jobs with structure, well-defined goals, routine, attention to detail, requiring long-term memory & limited intense interpersonal work.
Suitable jobs for people with ASD include animal trainers, zookeepers, research assistants, network engineers, animators, photographers, CAD designers, machine operators & engineers. On the other hand, the jobs that aren’t suitable for someone within this spectrum include waiter, air traffic controller, receptionist, social service agent, poker player, salesperson, politician & sex worker, because they cause sensory overload, require short term memory & multitasking, cause stress, unpredictable work, require organization skills & high levels of interaction, require knowledge of emotions/hidden motives, as well as requiring high levels of emotional intelligence & theory of mind.
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