Workplace Social Challenges Experienced by Employees on the Autism Spectrum: An International Exploratory Study Examining Employee and Supervisor Perspectives

Social challenges represent a significantly under-researched area when it comes to the poor employment outcomes in autism. In this exploratory study employees on the autism spectrum ( N  = 29) and supervisors ( N  = 15), representing seven continents, provided 128 written examples of workplace-based...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2021-05, Vol.51 (5), p.1614-1627
Main Authors: Bury, Simon M., Flower, Rebecca L., Zulla, Rosslynn, Nicholas, David B., Hedley, Darren
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autism
Barriers
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Challenges
Child and School Psychology
Content analysis
Employee Attitudes
Employees
Employer Attitudes
Employment
Equal Opportunities (Jobs)
Interpersonal Competence
Labor force participation
Neurosciences
Original Paper
Pediatrics
Pervasive Developmental Disorders
Psychology
Public Health
Social aspects
Social Environment
Supervisors
Work Environment
Workers
Workplaces
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Summary:Social challenges represent a significantly under-researched area when it comes to the poor employment outcomes in autism. In this exploratory study employees on the autism spectrum ( N  = 29) and supervisors ( N  = 15), representing seven continents, provided 128 written examples of workplace-based social challenges, their interpretation, consequences and resolution. Content analysis revealed that types of social challenges were individually oriented or associated with the work-environment. Social challenges were frequently attributed to internal or personal factors with direct consequences for the employee. Resolutions were more frequently targeted toward the individual than the workplace, and hindered employees’ experience of work. This international study represents a first look at the types of social challenges that impact equitable work participation of autistic people.
ISSN:0162-3257
1573-3432
DOI:10.1007/s10803-020-04662-6