An 8-year follow up of a specialist supported employment service for high-ability adults with autism or Asperger syndrome.

Howlin P, Alcock J, Burkin C.

Autism. 2005; 9(5): 533-549.

Question: Do supported employment services help adults with autism or Asperger syndrome find and keep appropriate employment?

Background: Although people with higher functioning autism are intelligent and capable, their social communication skills are often lacking.  For this reason, they may not be able to attain and keep employment without job coaching and other supports.

Design: Follow-up study

Setting: London, Manchester, and Sheffield, England, and Glasgow, Scotland.

Participants: Adults with high functioning autism or Asperger Syndrome using an employment support program between April 1 1995 and March 31, 2005.

Intervention: In this project, support workers gave participants help to find appropriate work and to keep it.  Prospective employers were provided with education around autism and Asperger Syndrome and were given consultations with the support workers around any difficulties that arose.

Main Outcome Measures: The authors looked at the numbers and kinds of jobs the clients found and whether or not they were able to stay employed over time. They also described how employees, employers, and support workers evaluated the program.

Main Results: Over the 8 year period, nearly 70% of clients found administrative, technical or computing jobs, the majority of which were permanent. This is compared to the 12 to 25% employment rates reported in other studies. The jobs found in those programs were often low level and inappropriate to the educational and skills levels of the employees.  Those with lower level abilities and skills helped by the employment support program also found steady jobs stocking shelves, sorting mail, cleaning, or as cooks or kitchen helpers. Most employees, employers, and support workers were satisfied with the program, and reported that any problems that arose (poor work habits, socially inappropriate behaviour) were solved by the support workers.

Conclusions: A supported employment program was successful in helping to place adults with high functioning autism or Asperger Syndrome in permanent jobs that made use of their skills and educational backgrounds.