"[I] don't wanna just be like a cog in the machine": Narratives of autism and skilled employment.
Dora M Raymaker, Mirah Sharer, Joelle Maslak and 6 others
PMID 35362339WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic professionals described disclosure as a high-stakes gamble that could secure accommodations or cost them their jobs.
Success relied on bypassing traditional interviews, trauma-informed support, and workplaces that allowed them to be openly autistic.
Key findings
01Participants described disclosure of an autism diagnosis as having a substantial impact on their employment experiences and outcomes, both positively and negatively.
02Many participants accessed jobs by bypassing typical gatekeeping processes like interviews, which were frequently noted as an insurmountable barrier.
03Supervisors emphasized the need for trauma-informed approaches and mental health support when working with autistic employees.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study is exploratory and not structured to demonstrate causality or efficacy. The sample was a convenience sample, which may not represent the broader population. People with high support needs or who are non-speaking were not deliberately sampled. Black and Latin/Hispanic individuals were under-represented despite oversampling efforts. Rural perspectives may be under-represented. Supervisor perspectives were limited primarily to STEM fields. The application of findings outside the U.S. is unclear.
Declared interests
The study was supported by N.I.H. funding. The principal investigator is autistic and part of the AASPIRE partnership, which involves autistic community members in all research phases. No commercial conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that specific employment interventions work. This is a qualitative study describing experiences and barriers, not a trial testing the efficacy of any treatment or program.