Employment Challenges and Strategies for Success for People with ASD

1. Employment Challenges and Strategies for Successfor People with ASD Ronda Feterl Black Hills Special Services Cooperative

2. RE-CAP • Understand some fundamental characteristics of autism spectrum disorder • Basic knowledge of three types of thinking: Visual-Music/Math- Verbal Logic • Employment preparation: • Employment accommodations to consider • Potential Employment considerations

3. Learner Objectives • Employment provisions, placement and retention • Reasonable accommodations • How to provide directions to people with ASD • To disclose or not to disclose ASD to co-workers • What does the change of criteria in DSM-5 bring?

4. What we Know • The disorder is growing at a rate of 10-17% annually • Very little known as how best to provide support in postsecondary success • Employment opportunities are limited. Maintaining employment is difficult due to unique communication and social impairments

5. What we Know… • Adults with ASD rank the lowest among all disability groups in employment with 12% having jobs • Those who are employed are typically underemployed, switch jobs frequently, have difficulty adjusting to the job setting. • Master the job but not the complex everyday situations. (hidden curriculum)

6. Obstacles to successful employment • People with ASD have markedly different vocational needs than people with other developmental disabilities. • Each individual is UNIQUE • Variability in social interactions, language, abilities, sensory, and behavioral deficits found in people with ASD, makes autism especially baffling.

7. Examples…. • Communication and social difficulties with supervisors and coworkers • Difficulty understanding directions • Inability to “Read Between The Lines” • Read Facial Expressions/Tone of Voice • Asking Too Many Questions • Inappropriate Hygiene and grooming • EXECUTIVE Functioning: attention, motor planning, working memory, Problem Solving, Organization

8. Strategies for Success • Supported employment is often necessary for SUCCESS • Support: • Job Placement- • Supervisors and Co-Workers • On-the-job provisions • Work place modifications • Long Term Support

9. 1. Job Placement • Job Placement should be individualized and based on the person’s strengths and interests. • Job Placement should be appropriate to the person’s intellectual and educational background; AND also matching the person’s social skills and abilities.

10. Job Tasks and Environment Considerations • Job that is predictable and can be adapted to a schedule • Work tasks are clearly defined and in areas with minimal distractions. • Jobs to require minimal social demands, and be void of sensory stimulation

11. Additional considerations… • Predictable routines for lunch, breaks, and other unstructured times during the work day • Time before the beginning of the work day to organize self and tasks • A method to transfer support from you to a mentor/fellow employee

12. 2. Supervisors and Co-Workers • Provide a supportive work environment increases employment success • Modification to job tasks or the work environment, adjustments to communication exchanges, and assistance with social interactions will be required. • Provide autism awareness training to the employers and co-workers to help foster understanding of who they are why they behave in a certain way

13. 3. On-the-job-Provisions • Learn the job tasks but also learn communication, interpersonal skills, management of stereotyped patterns of behavior. • Learning the tasks to be performed on the job, along with social integration increases the likelihood of success.

14. On-the-job-Provisions • Possible objectives for the employment specialist • Understanding work tasks • Complete tasks to satisfaction of supervisor • Understands workplace rules • Knows Start Time-End Time-Break Time • Understands Sick Leave-Vacation Policies • Is Aware of Emergency procedures • Knows his way around pivotal areas of building • Knows how to get to and from work

15. Teaching methods for on-the-job training • Modeling • Video modeling • Graduated Guidance • Hidden Curriculum

16. 4. Work place accommodations • Because of difficulties in modulating sensory input, environmental stimuli can be distracting and disorientating. • Environmental assessment to identify distractions. Assessment should evaluate noise level, interruptions, crowding, lighting, and space navigation. • The employee with ASD will benefit from clearly defined work tasks. • Organize a system to help structure and keep track of work: instruction sheets, notebooks, checklists. • Idle time; taking a walk, computer game

17. 5. Long-term Support • People with ASD may need extended support to avoid later deterioration in work performance leading to employment failure. • People with ASD recommends ongoing vocational services that help them prepare and negotiate challenges that arise day to day. • Natural supports include identified supervisors and co-workers- mentor. • Follow along phone calls to person, employer, families, on-site visits.

18. DSM-V Criteria Changes • Merging Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, PDD-NOS into single disorder: Autism Spectrum Disorder • Combined Communication and Socialization criteria into one criterion: Social Communication • Symptoms must be present prior to age 3 (may not manifest until social demands limited capacity) • Including a number of specifiers: (age of onset, level of functioning, level of support needed) • May be diagnosed with other disorders (ADHD, depression, etc.)