A new research study from professors at Washington University in St. Louis published last week in Pediatrics shows one in three young adults with autism are not prepared for life after high school; putting a spotlight on the lack of post-secondary job training and employment opportunities for these particular individuals with disabilities.
The abstract for “Postsecondary Education Employment Among Youth With an Autism Spectrum Disorder” on the American Academy of Pediatrics website says the researchers conducting the study compared participation in “postsecondary employment, college, or vocational education” among youth with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to those with other types of disabilities. In each instance, “youth with an ASD has the lowest rates of participation in employment and highest rates of no participation.” The conclusion calls for further research to better understand how transition planning can be improved for these individuals.
As the definition of ASD has expanded over the past 10 years, so too has the public attention it garners. As NPR’s Nancy Shute reported back at the end of March, improved diagnoses of ASD has led to a dramatic 78% increase in the number of children found to have some version of the disorder. So it’s no surprise to find coverage of this report spanning mainstream media and special interest outlets, seeking reasons why the disparity exists and what can be done about it.
Correspondent Molly Daly of Philadelphia’s CBS affiliate found solid answers to both questions in her conversation with Dr. Margot Burke of the Center for Autism. Burke says the social component of the workplace is typically the primary barrier for people with an ASD, who tend to have difficulty interpreting other people’s behavior in social settings, oftentimes resulting in an inability to engage with co-workers in a friendly manner. But the solution Burke proposes is probably a familiar one to those who help people with disabilities get the career and vocational training necessary to succeed in jobs. Daly writes:
Burke says training in interpersonal skills is key, since they generally don’t come easily to people with autism. And she says a technique called job coaching can offer trainees much-needed support until they settle in at work. ‘With job coaching, I’ve seen lots of adolescents and adults be very successful in a particular job.’
If a silver lining can be taken from the results of the WashU study, it’s that the training programs have evidently helped the other population subsets make the transition from high school to employment. MedPage Today staff writer Nancy Walsh offers some of the best number-crunching analysis of the report in her May 14 writeup, “Autistic Youth Face Hardship in Post-School Years,” including how the other three groups of people with disabilities fared:
Compared with the 55.1% of youth with autism spectrum disorders who reported any paid employment, those with speech or language impairment had significantly higher employment rates (86%), as did those with learning disabilities (93.8%) and mental retardation (68.9%).
While the national employment numbers say much more can be done to provide job opportunities for people with disabilities as whole; it will be interesting to see whether the same opportunities through contract services and vocational rehabilitation programs can provide a positive impact for people with ASD, just as they have helped make life matter for other individuals with disabilities.
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Job training programs specifically designed for individuals with autism play a vital role in promoting their employment opportunities and overall independence. It’s wonderful to see organizations like American Training Inc. recognizing the importance of such programs and working towards empowering individuals with autism in the workforce. Thank you to American Training Inc. for their commitment to creating inclusive employment opportunities for people with autism.