Barriers and Facilitators to Employment for Adults With Autism: A Scoping Review

Harmuth, Erin; Silletta, Emerald; Bailey, Anthony; Adams, Tracy; Beck, Charlotte; Barbic, Skye

doi:10.3928/24761222-20180212-01

Cited by 77 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(54 reference statements)

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“…Thus, findings suggest that treatments seeking to improve functional and social outcomes should not exclusively target social cognitive abilities but—given the strong contribution of general and neurocognition found here—situate them within a broader cognitive treatment focus [e.g., CET; Eack et al, 2018]. Additionally, because much of the variance in functional and social skills was not accounted for measured variables, other factors unaddressed here, including social barriers [Harmuth et al, ; Kapp, ] and negative biases and discrimination towards autistic differences [Sasson et al, ], likely contribute to poor functional and social outcomes for autistic adults without intellectual disability. Future research is encouraged to examine whether a larger focus on alleviating these biases and barriers may also improve outcomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Social cognition as a predictor of functional and social skills in autistic adults without intellectual disability

et al. 2019

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Autistic adults, including those without intellectual disability, commonly experience poor social and functional outcomes. Although reduced social cognitive ability in autism is often theorized as a mechanism of these poor outcomes, there has been surprisingly little empirical work testing this assumption. Here, 103 autistic adults without intellectual disability completed a comprehensive battery that included eight social cognitive tasks psychometrically validated for use with this population (e.g., emotion recognition and theory of mind), five tasks assessing neurocognitive abilities (e.g., processing speed and working memory), performance‐based measures of their functional skills, and a standardized assessment of their social skills. Collectively, the combination of demographic variables, IQ, neurocognitive performance, and social cognitive performance accounted for 49% of the variance in functional skills and 33% of the variance in social skills. For functional skills, demographic variables, and general and neurocognition independently accounted for a significant portion of the variance, but social cognition did not. Social cognition did, however, significantly mediate the effect of neurocognition on functional skills. Social cognition also accounted for significant proportion in the variance in social skills above and beyond the relatively large contribution of neurocognition. Taken together, findings indicate that social cognitive ability contributes to functional and social skills in autistic adults without intellectual disability, but this contribution may be more limited and indirect than commonly assumed. Autism Res 2020, 13:259–270. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Lay Summary Many social programs for autistic adults presume that improving social cognition will translate to better life outcomes. In this study of 103 autistic adults without intellectual disability, we found that social cognitive abilities do contribute to real‐world social and daily living skills, but this contribution is small and indirect once general‐cognitive abilities are taken into account. Although results substantiate social cognition as an independent cognitive capacity in autism spectrum disorder, its unique contribution to functional and social outcomes may be more limited than previously assumed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Social cognition as a predictor of functional and social skills in autistic adults without intellectual disability

et al. 2019

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“…Our findings suggest that taking performance and job satisfaction into account may not be enough in assuring that employee needs are being met. Therefore, job-related supports and accommodations, which were already found necessary for success of autistic employees (Harmuth et al 2018;Lee and Carter 2012), should also address and continually monitor psychological need satisfaction, in order to ensure employment stability along with professional development and overall satisfaction. Since any change in familiar routine of autistic employees can potentially lead to difficulties, the process of returning to the initial working arrangement after a period of remote work also deserves careful attention, ensuring that proper supports are offered.…”

Section: Implications For Professionals and Employersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implications of Employment Changes Caused by COVID-19 on Mental Health and Work-Related Psychological Need Satisfaction of Autistic Employees: A Mixed-Methods Longitudinal Study

Goldfarb

Gal

Golan

2021

J Autism Dev Disord

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This mixed-methods study examined longitudinal data, assessing Israeli autistic adults' employment-related changes, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In the quantitative phase, 23 participants answered a survey before and during COVID-19, assessing work-status, mental health, and work-related psychological need satisfaction. The qualitative phase included interviews with ten employed participants. Results indicate a significant decrease in mental health of participants who lost their jobs during COVID-19, while participants who continued to physically attend work, maintained pre-COVID-19 levels on all assessed variables. Participants who transitioned to remote-work from home, showed a marginally significant deterioration in mental health and a significant decrease in satisfaction of work-related psychological needs for competence and autonomy. Qualitative accounts supplement these findings and portray advantages and disadvantages of remote-work.

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“…Current guidance for employers from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) includes additional modifications, such as time to attend therapy appointments, a quiet work space, or permission to work from home (EEOC, 2018).The lack of reasonable accommodations in employment is often cited as a primary cause for high unemployment levels amongst people with disabilities (Harmuth et al, 2018), indicating that reasonable accommodation measures are essential to enjoyment of basic rights, including the right to employment.…”

Section: Reasonable Accommodationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Legal and policy provisions for reasonable accommodation in employment of persons with mental disability in East Africa: A review

Ebuenyi

Regeer

Nthenge³

et al. 2019

International Journal of Law and Psychiatry

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Despite an elaborated framework on reasonable accommodations in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), persons with mental disabilities continue to face significant limitations to employment in East Africa. The aim of our study is to explore legal provisions related to reasonable accommodations in the employment-related laws regarding persons with mental disabilities in East Africa, and to suggest ways to bridge the gap between principles of international law and provisions of domestic laws. The disability, labour and human rights laws of 18 East African countries were accessed from the database of WHO MiNDbank and the International Labour Organisation. These laws were reviewed in the light of the framework of Article 27 of the UN CRPD. We found that 15 (83%) of the countries in East Africa have ratified the UN CRPD, and 12 (67%) have formulated an explicit definition of disability that includes mental illness. Eleven countries (61%) have explicit laws mandating employers to provide reasonable accommodations for persons with a mental disability. Eight countries (44%) have submitted a state report to the CRPD Committee. Lack of clear and specific definition of reasonable accommodations or the existence of vague definitions create challenges. If persons with a mental disability are to exercise their right to inclusive and gainful employment, there is a need for legal reforms that guarantee access to inclusive employment practices.

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Barriers and Facilitators to Employment for Adults With Autism: A Scoping Review

Cited by 77 publications

References 49 publications

Social cognition as a predictor of functional and social skills in autistic adults without intellectual disability

Social cognition as a predictor of functional and social skills in autistic adults without intellectual disability

Implications of Employment Changes Caused by COVID-19 on Mental Health and Work-Related Psychological Need Satisfaction of Autistic Employees: A Mixed-Methods Longitudinal Study

Legal and policy provisions for reasonable accommodation in employment of persons with mental disability in East Africa: A review

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