Müller, E., Schuler, A., Burton, B.A., Yates, G.B. Meeting vocational support needs for individuals with Asperger syndrome and other autistic spectrum disabilities. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. 18 (3): 163-79.

Online version: http://www.autastics.org/JVRpaper.htm

The authors of this study interviewed 18 adults living in the San Francisco Bay area who are on the Autistic spectrum (most diagnosed with Asperger syndrome), about their experiences in the workforce and receiving vocational training services. Unfortunately, nearly all of the participants talked about going through persistent unemployment, underemployment, and job turnover. Most of them also described their work experience as being overall negative, plagued by problems in communicating with co-workers and supervisors and in figuring out what was expected from them, and subsequent financial and emotional distress. On the other hand, a few of the participants described some decidedly positive experiences, usually involving work that was a good fit for their unique skills and knowledge and/or an open-minded supervisor. Other than these isolated incidents, the main good news in the study was that younger participants, who tended to have been diagnosed sooner (due to more understanding of the Autistic spectrum in the medical profession than ever before) and were more likely to have had access to special education and therapeutic interventions and experience with self-advocacy earlier in life, generally reported significantly better experiences.

Participants also made suggestions about what vocational services might be more helpful for people with Asperger syndrome: Assistance finding jobs that are a good match with the employee’s strengths as well as potential limits seems key. Support geared more specifically toward the particular communication and learning difficulties often associated with Asperger syndrome, and willingness on the part of supervisors to work with their needs (for example, giving clear, direct instructions) also appear to be crucial. Participants also said that job-coaching throughout the entire process – including résumé building advice, interview skills training, and help smoothing the transition and mediating workplace interactions once they are actually placed in a job – would be valuable. Finally, participants called for Autism awareness training for co-workers and supervisors, and a more open-minded attitude on the part of the neurotypical world at large.

This study would be most useful for people working at vocational service agencies, who may at some point work (and most likely already are working) with clients with Asperger syndrome. It might also be helpful for adults with Asperger syndrome or other high-functioning developmental disorders who are seeking vocational training and may have to advocate for the specific kinds of services they really need. Even if they are not seeking official vocational services, it might still be useful to read about what employment issues others on the Spectrum have faced and how (or in what circumstances) they were able to deal with them. Of course, this is only a pilot study, and the sample is too small – and in some aspects not very representational of everyone with Asperger syndrome (let alone other, related developmental conditions) – but many of the recommendations make a lot of sense. Furthermore, just the very nature of the study – going directly to individuals on the Spectrum and reporting their own experiences and ideas, in their own words – is promising, and quite poignant.

- John Cavanagh

Asperger Foundation International
501 Madison Avenue, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Phone: 212-371-7755
www.aspfi.org