Autism in the Workplace

Employment, one of the most valued aspects of adult life, presents various challenges for young people and adults with intellectual disabilities. These challenges can begin with simply understanding complex job application forms and later manifest in behavior during job interviews, adapting to new procedures and routines, the need to be flexible in the face of unexpected situations, planning and performing multiple tasks simultaneously, communicating effectively with colleagues, interacting socially, or managing hypersensitivities in the workplace.

The most commonly used selection techniques do not guarantee equal opportunities for people with disabilities, especially if the disability affects psychological/mental functions, as is the case with people with intellectual disabilities.
Several studies have found that adults with PEA face significant challenges in obtaining and maintaining competitive employment. Given these findings, it is clear that resume screening can make life difficult for candidates with PEA right from the first stage of the selection process.

 
The job interview, on the other hand, is a mandatory step in almost all hiring processes, during which the interviewer assesses the candidate’s verbal skills, nonverbal communication, and the way they communicate and interact with others. This is a process that obviously poses a challenge for candidates who struggle with communication and social interaction, such as those with intellectual disabilities.
Finally, aptitude and personality tests, also widely used in selection processes, compare individual performance against a pre-established standard and invariably disqualify any “atypical” candidate.

 
Unless reasonable accommodations are made in the selection processes for these candidates, we cannot guarantee them equal employment opportunities.
Once a candidate is selected and integrated into the workplace, current legislation recognizes the possibility and obligation to make reasonable accommodations in the workplace in order to promote equal opportunities.

1) support the candidate; 

2) support the employer; 

3) facilitate communication between employers and employees.

 
To support candidates with disabilities during the workplace onboarding phase, three areas of focus are recommended:

1) Training in essential soft skills for the job market (communication, interpersonal skills, time and money management, emotional regulation, and adaptive behavior);
2) Developing skills to cope with anxiety and frustration in the workplace;
3) Support in setting priorities at work.

 
Regarding support for employers, there are three key aspects:
1) Raising awareness about employees with disabilities;
2) Selecting a workplace tutor/mentor, who should plan activities, support, train, evaluate, and provide feedback to employees with disabilities;
3) Identification of reasonable accommodations (e.g., a fixed workstation, replacing telephone communication with email communication).

 
Finally, to facilitate communication between the employer and the employee, we recommend regular visits to the workplace to assess progress in the adjustment process, identify potential challenges, and find ways to overcome them.

Workers with disabilities, when supported in finding and keeping a job, are generally more committed than workers without disabilities because they feel the need to prove their worth.

 
It is our hope that the supported employment model and the implementation of Law 4/2019—which establishes a quota system for people with disabilities—will help erase the prefixes “in” and “un” from the words “incapable” and “unemployed,” which still persist in the lives of young people and adults with disabilities, thereby changing the course of these individuals’ lives in our country.