Employment activities and experiences of adults with high functioning autism and Asperger's Disorder

Baldwin, Susanna; Costley, Debra; Warren, Anthony

Abstract

There is limited large-scale empirical research into the working lives of adults who have an autism spectrum disorder with no co-occurring intellectual disability. Drawing on data from a national survey, this report describes the employment activities and experiences of 130 adults with Asperger’s Disorder (AD) and high functioning autism (HFA) in Australia. Outcome measures include current occupation; occupational skill level and alignment with educational attainment; type of job contract; hours of work; support received to find work; support received in the workplace; and positive and negative experiences of employment. The findings confirm and expand upon existing evidence that adults with AD and HFA, despite their capacity and willingness to work, face significant disadvantages in the labour market and a lack of understanding and support in employment settings.

Citation

Baldwin, S., Costley, D., & Warren, A. (2014). Employment activities and experiences of adults with high functioning autism and Asperger's Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(10), https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2112-z

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 1, 2014
• Online Publication Date: Apr 9, 2014
• Publication Date: Oct 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: Jan 10, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 10, 2017
• Journal: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
• Print ISSN: 0162-3257
• Electronic ISSN: 1573-3432
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 44
• Issue: 10
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2112-z
• Keywords: Autism; Asperger’s Disorder; High Functioning; Employment; Overeducation
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/994170
• Publisher URL: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10803-014-2112-z
• Additional Information: The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2112-z.