K-12 Life Skills Education, Independence, and Employment of Autistic Individuals: Giving Voice to Autistic Adults.
Jenna Christine Zatz, Judith R Harrison
PMID 38568366WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic adults valued job site training and practicing real life skills.
They wanted less academic work and more help with social skills, money, and finding jobs. They did not link specific school methods to getting hired. Their experiences highlight gaps in current education.
Key findings
01Participants identified job site training as the most beneficial component of their K-12 education for gaining employment.
02Individuals reported shortcomings in their education, specifically a lack of training in social skills, financial literacy, and computer skills needed for work.
03Survey data showed no significant association between any specific life skills instruction component and employment status.
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 sample size was very small (12 survey participants, 6 interviewees), limiting the generalizability of the findings. All participants communicated via spoken language, excluding the perspectives of non-speaking autistic individuals. The sample was predominantly white, limiting the diversity of racial and ethnic perspectives. The study did not calculate interrater reliability for the qualitative coding. The participants were selected from those who had received life skills instruction, which may bias the results toward positive views of that instruction. The study design cannot establish causation between specific educational components and employment outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that job site training causes employment. The survey found no significant statistical link between instruction types and getting hired, and the interview data reflects the memories of a very small, specific group of adults who were mostly employed after high school.