How Do Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder Participate in the Labor Market? A German Multi-center Survey.
Tolou Maslahati, Christian J Bachmann, Juliana Höfer and 8 others
PMID 33864556WHAT IT FOUND
High education did not translate into regular employment for 196 German adults with ASD.
Only 17.5% were employed or self-employed, and 63.4% depended on public or family support. This is a survey, not a treatment test.
Key findings
01The sample had high education: 43.9% had a high general education level and 22.7% had a high vocational education level.
02Only 17.5% were employed or self-employed, while 21.1% worked in a sheltered workshop.
03Most participants depended on public or family financial support (63.4%), and 72.8% received some public support.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample came from four outpatient clinics, so it may overrepresent people who sought help. The response rate was 26.8%, so the results may not represent all adults with ASD in Germany. Only 31.1% had IQ below 85, and the authors suggest people with intellectual impairment may be underrepresented. Comorbid psychiatric diagnoses were not standardized and were not included in the analyses. Maladaptive and repetitive behavior was not assessed. This was a cross-sectional survey, so it cannot show why employment status occurred.
Declared interests
Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. No additional conflict of interest statements are provided in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these employment rates as representative of all adults with ASD in Germany. The sample came from four outpatient clinics, had a 26.8% response rate, and did not include comorbid psychiatric diagnoses in the analyses.