The possibility of employing people with autism

Abstract

The unemployment rate of people with autism is four times higher than in neurotypical population. Although competitive employment is considered the most adequate form of work engagement of people with autism, they are still mainly engaged in poorly paid jobs within the segregated environment. Existing vocational rehabilitation programs are mainly focus on developing technical and soft skills of people with autism, while the issues of adaptation, discrimination and strength-based approaches are rarely raised. The adaptation process should include: physical environment and equipment (e.g. temperature, lighting, plotted space, visual cues), work roles and management process (e.g. precise job description, announcing a change, frequent feedback), as well as different social practices (e.g. avoiding negative language and idioms, team building activities, training on neurodiversity). In process of adaptation, special attention should be paid to the position of the employee with autism in relation to other workers. Apart from direct discrimination, it can also be indirect, when employers and other colleagues discriminate against persons with autism by imposing rules and norms that are accepted in general population. One of the ways to improve attitudes towards people with autism spectrum disorder is to perceive autism as a condition with some advantages. The most common explanatory concepts explain autism through executive function disorders, insufficient theory of mind or poor central coherence. Each of the mentioned deficits can be an advantage of the people with autism in the workplace. The most common strengths of people with autism are: persistence, attention to details, a tendency to think outside clichés, honesty, naivety, good memory and visual processing, the primacy of rational reasoning over emotions etc. Additional research is necessary to determine actual effectiveness of all above interventions.