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Factors impacting employment for people with autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review
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The aim of this study is to holistically synthesise the extent and range of literature relating to the employment of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Database searches of Medline, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Scopus, ERIC, Web of Science and EMBASE were conducted. Studies describing adults with autism spectrum disorder employed in competitive, supported or sheltered employment were included. Content analysis was used to identify the strengths and abilities in the workplace of employees with autism spectrum disorder. Finally, meaningful concepts relating to employment interventions were extracted and linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for autism spectrum disorder. The search identified 134 studies for inclusion with methodological quality ranging from limited to strong. Of these studies, only 36 evaluated employment interventions that were coded and linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, primarily focusing on modifying autism spectrum disorder characteristics for improved job performance, with little consideration of the impact of contextual factors on work participation. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for autism spectrum disorder are a useful tool in holistically examining the employment literature for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. This review highlighted the key role that environmental factors play as barriers and facilitators in the employment of people with autism spectrum disorder and the critical need for interventions which target contextual factors if employment outcomes are to be improved.
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“are either unemployed or underemployed at greater rates than other disabled people (Chen, Leader, Sung, & Leahy, 2014; Scott et al., 2019)”
From Annual Research Review: Shifting from ‘normal science’ to neurodiversity in autism science (2022) · cites this paper as Scott et al., 2019
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Annual Research Review: Shifting from ‘normal science’ to neurodiversity in autism science
Pellicano, E., & den Houting, J. (2022) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/jcpp.13534 · Cited by 744
“, 2016), are either unemployed or underemployed at greater rates than other disabled people (Chen, Leader, Sung, & Leahy, 2014; Scott et al., 2019), are at greater risk of physical health conditions (Croen et al.”
BackgroundThe Neurodiversity Approach(es): What Are They and What Do They Mean for Researchers?
Dwyer, P. (2022) · Human Development · doi:10.1159/000523723 · Cited by 672
Lai, M.-C., Anagnostou, E., Wiznitzer, M., Allison, C., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2020) · The Lancet Neurology · doi:10.1016/s1474-4422(20)30034-x · Cited by 250
A capabilities approach to understanding and supporting autistic adulthood
Pellicano, E., Fatima, U., Hall, G., Heyworth, M., Lawson, W., Lilley, R., Mahony, J., & Stears, M. (2022) · Nature Reviews Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44159-022-00099-z · Cited by 237
Dwyer, P., Mineo, E., Mifsud, K., Lindholm, C., Gurba, A., & Waisman, T. C. (2023) · Autism in Adulthood · doi:10.1089/aut.2021.0042 · Cited by 164
Wehman, P., Schall, C. M., McDonough, J., Sima, A. P., Brooke, A. M., Ham, W., Whittenburg, H. N., Brooke, V., Avellone, L., & Riehle, E. (2019) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-019-03940-2 · Cited by 152
“Additionally, very few studies have utilized randomized control trial (RCT) designs in order to confidently measure the effectiveness of interventions (Hedley et al. 2017; Scott et al. 2018).”
BackgroundSuccess factors enabling employment for adults on the autism spectrum from employers’ perspective
Dreaver, J., Thompson, C., Girdler, S., Adolfsson, M., Black, M. H., & Falkmer, M. (2020) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-019-03923-3 · Cited by 144
Self-citationLord, C., McCauley, J. B., Pepa, L., Huerta, M., & Pickles, A. R. (2020) · Autism · doi:10.1177/1362361320919246 · Cited by 147
“…“outcomes” in ASD including several well-known longitudinal samples (e.g. Billstedt et al., 2011; Chan et al., 2018; Howlin et al., 2013; Jones et al., 2018; Simonoff et al., 2008), well as many reviews and commentaries (Ayres et al., 2018; Scott et al., 2019; Taylor, 2017; Zimmerman et al., 2018).”
BackgroundThe Strengths and Abilities of Autistic People in the Workplace
Cope, R., & Remington, A. (2021) · Autism in Adulthood · doi:10.1089/aut.2021.0037 · Cited by 144
“The most recent and most comprehensive research into this area comes from Scott et al., 17 who conducted a scoping review of 134 studies that discussed the factors impacting employment for autistic people, including strengths.”
Goldfarb, Y., Golan, O., & Gal, E. (2021) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-021-05185-4 · Cited by 127
Black, M. H., Mahdi, S., Milbourn, B. T., Scott, M., Gerber, A. S., Esposito, C., Falkmer, M., Lerner, M. D., Halladay, A. K., Ström, E., et al. (2020) · Autism Research · doi:10.1002/aur.2288 · Cited by 111
“…2013), and specific skills, traits, and knowledge beneficial to the workplace [de Schipper et al., 2016; Jacob, Scott, Falkmer, & Falkmer, 2015; Kirchner, Ruch, & Dziobek, 2016; Scott et al., 2018], successfully gaining and maintaining employment are key challenges facing autistic individuals.”
BackgroundSelf-citationAutism Spectrum Disorder: Focus on Glutamatergic Neurotransmission
Montanari, M., Martella, G., Bonsi, P., & Meringolo, M. (2022) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms23073861 · Cited by 114
Autism and Employment: A Review of the “New Frontier” of Diversity Research
Ezerins, M. E., Simon, L., Vogus, T. J., Gabriel, A. S., Calderwood, C. C., & Rosen, C. C. (2023) · Journal of Management · doi:10.1177/01492063231193362 · Cited by 124
“…pattern recognition, work engagement, the ability to see the world differently to neurotypical peers (Buckley, Pellicano, & Remington, 2021), and cognitive and character advantages (Buckley et al., 2021; Bury et al., 2020a; Scott et al., 2019), all of which can create a competitive advantage.”
BackgroundBölte, S., Lawson, W. B., Marschik, P. B., & Girdler, S. (2021) · BioEssays · doi:10.1002/bies.202000254 · Cited by 99
“[31] Further, a comprehensive synthesis of the extent and range of literature relating to the employment of individuals with ASD was linked to the ICF core sets for ASD,[55] an approach which highlighted the key role that environmental factors play as barriers and facilitators in the employment of people with ASD and…”
BackgroundSelf-citationBlack, M. H., Mahdi, S., Milbourn, B. T., Thompson, C., D'Angelo, A., Ström, E., Falkmer, M., Falkmer, T., Lerner, M. D., Halladay, A. K., et al. (2019) · Autism Research · doi:10.1002/aur.2167 · Cited by 91
“The first study in this series, a systematic review [Scott et al., 2018] aimed to position this work in the current evidence base and examined existing literature on employment outcomes for autistic individuals.”
BackgroundSelf-citationDwyer, P. S. R., Gurba, A. N., Kapp, S. K., Kilgallon, E., Hersh, L. H., Chang, D. S., Rivera, S. M., & Gillespie‐Lynch, K. (2024) · Autism · doi:10.1177/13623613241273029 · Cited by 104
“…have overwhelmingly focused on changing autistic individuals, rather than society (Bottema-Beutel et al., 2018; Broderick & Roscigno, 2021; Scott et al., 2019), and currently, autism is diagnosed within a framework that assumes disability/impairment is rooted in the person, largely…”
AMO perspectives on the well-being of neurodivergent human capital
Szulc, J. M., Davies, J., Tomczak, M. T., & McGregor, F.-L. (2021) · Employee Relations: The International Journal · doi:10.1108/er-09-2020-0446 · Cited by 83
Johnson, K. R., Ennis-Cole, D. L., & Bonhamgregory, M. (2020) · Human Resource Development Review · doi:10.1177/1534484320905910 · Cited by 81
“Adults with ASD tend to be unemployed and underemployed because of the challenges with the application and interview processes, lack of a thorough understanding of the social demands of the work environment, problems to secure a position that best matches their skills and qualifications, and difficulty adapting to an…”
BackgroundStepping Out of Isolation: Autistic People and COVID-19
den Houting, J. (2020) · Autism in Adulthood · doi:10.1089/aut.2020.29012.jdh · Cited by 81
Maras, K., Norris, J. E., Nicholson, J., Heasman, B., Remington, A., & Crane, L. (2020) · Autism · doi:10.1177/1362361320981319 · Cited by 89
“The current study builds upon previous research on supporting autistic people in employment interviews (e.g. Hillier et al., 2007; Kumazaki et al., 2019; Morgan et al., 2014; Scott et al., 2019; Smith et al., 2014, 2015; Strickland et al., 2013).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialPost–High School Daily Living Skills in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Clarke, E. M., McCauley, J. B., & Lord, C. (2020) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2020.11.008 · Cited by 78
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“adulthood transitions) has previously been illustrated [57,58].”
Self-citationEmployment profiles of autistic adults in Australia
Harvery, M., Froude, E., Foley, K., Trollor, J. N., & Arnold, S. R. C. (2021) · Autism Research · doi:10.1002/aur.2588 · Cited by 62
Goldfarb, Y., Gal, E., & Golan, O. (2022) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-021-04902-3 · Cited by 51
Cheriyan, C., Shevchuk-Hill, S., Riccio, A., Vincent, J., Kapp, S. K., Cage, E., Dwyer, P., Kofner, B., Attwood, H., & Gillespie-Lynch, K. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.719827 · Cited by 53
Finn, M., Flower, R. L., Leong, H. M., & Hedley, D. (2023) · Autism · doi:10.1177/13623613231153480 · Cited by 52
“Consistent with prior research (Chen et al., 2014; Scott et al., 2019; Strickland et al., 2013), communication was identified as a key challenge for participants during the job interview, whereby participants felt their natural manner of communicating was different from what was expected.”
ResultCareer progression for autistic people: A scoping review
Davies, J., Romualdez, A. M., Pellicano, E., & Remington, A. (2024) · Autism · doi:10.1177/13623613241236110 · Cited by 52
“Moreover, autistic people face a series of barriers to securing employment (Harmuth et al., 2018; López & Keenan, 2014; Scott et al., 2018), which may mean they possess fewer years of relevant employment experience than non-autistic people.”
BackgroundMethodBuckley, E., Pellicano, E., & Remington, A. (2021) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-020-04517-0 · Cited by 49
Lee, E. A. L., Scott, M., Black, M. H., D’Arcy, E., Tan, T., Sheehy, L., Bölte, S., & Girdler, S. J. (2023) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-022-05881-9 · Cited by 66
“In the field of autism research the medical model has underpinned a deficit-focussed approach, failing to recognise and take advantage of the multiple strengths that many autistic individuals possess, likely contributing to their poor education and employment outcomes (Black et al., 2019; Scott et al., 2018).”
Self-citationWen, B., van Rensburg, H., O’Neill, S., & Attwood, T. (2023) · Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation · doi:10.3233/jvr-230060 · Cited by 63
“Interventions which target contextual factors are critically needed to improve employment outcomes in autism (B¨olte et al., 2018; Scott et al., 2019).”
BackgroundInfluentialGoldfarb, Y., Gal, E., & Golan, O. (2019) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-019-04098-7 · Cited by 42
Martin, V., Flanagan, T. D., Vogus, T. J., & Chênevert, D. (2023) · Disability and Rehabilitation · doi:10.1080/09638288.2022.2074550 · Cited by 45
Baker-Ericzén, M. J., ElShamy, R., & Kammes, R. R. (2022) · Current Psychiatry Reports · doi:10.1007/s11920-022-01327-2 · Cited by 43
Norris, J. E., Crane, L., & Maras, K. (2020) · Autism · doi:10.1177/1362361320909174 · Cited by 50
The lived experience of autistic adults in employment: a systematic search and synthesis
Thorpe, D., McKinlay, M., Richards, J., Sang, K., & Stewart, M. E. (2024) · Autism in Adulthood · doi:10.1089/aut.2022.0114 · Cited by 43
“21 Lived experience refers to how workers live through and respond to the challenges associated with employment, 22 including a consideration of the experiences of the worker rather than just a descriptive account of such experiences.”
InfluentialGoodwill, A., Low, L., Fox, P., Fox, P., Poon, K., Bhowmick, S., & Chen, S. A. A. (2023) · Brain Imaging and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s11682-022-00754-2 · Cited by 30
Information transfer within and between autistic and non-autistic people
Crompton, C. J., Foster, S. J., Wilks, C. E. H., Dodd, M., Efthimiou, T. N., Ropar, D., Sasson, N. J., Lages, M., & Fletcher‐Watson, S. (2025) · Nature Human Behaviour · doi:10.1038/s41562-025-02163-z · Cited by 45
“On the basis of the estimated coefficients of the mixed-effect model analysis on the original data (omitting the data for chain positions 7 and 8), Monte Carlo simulations gave power estimates for different numbers of chains.”
Vincent, J., & Ralston, K. (2024) · Autism · doi:10.1177/13623613231182756 · Cited by 38
“Evidence suggests that approximately 50% of autistic individuals have average or above average intelligence (Anderson et al., 2017) and many possess skills including attention to detail, high levels of focus and identifying creative solutions to tasks (Scott et al., 2019).”
BackgroundDesigning for Strengths: Opportunities to Support Neurodiversity in the Workplace
Hall, K., Arora, P., Lowy, R., & Kim, J. G. (2024) · Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3613904.3642424 · Cited by 37
“A 2018 review of 134 studies investigating employment interventions for people with autism found that none of the studies used a strengths-based approach to intervention [70], however, ND employees want their strengths and abilities highlighted in workplace settings [59].”
BackgroundInfluentialThe Ecosystem of Competitive Employment for University Graduates with Autism
Vincent, J., & Fabri, M. (2020) · International Journal of Disability Development and Education · doi:10.1080/1034912x.2020.1821874 · Cited by 36
“Other studies also suggest that some employers hold negative views based on perceived barriers such as the cost of reasonable adjustments, lower productivity, and additional supervision requirements (Scott et al., 2019).”
BackgroundResultCommunity participation in adults with autism: A systematic review
Cameron, L. A., Borland, R. L., Tonge, B. J., & Gray, K. M. (2021) · Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities · doi:10.1111/jar.12970 · Cited by 46
Szechy, K. A., Turk, P. D., & O’Donnell, L. A. (2023) · Autism in Adulthood · doi:10.1089/aut.2023.0046 · Cited by 43
“9,80”
Weld-Blundell, I., Shields, M., Devine, A. E., Dickinson, H., Kavanagh, A. M., & Marck, C. H. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph182212083 · Cited by 34
“Given those with psychosocial disability, autism, and/or intellectual disability often experience poorer employment outcomes, determining evidence of what works for these cohorts is of utmost importance [15,33].”
BackgroundRoux, A. M., Garfield, T., & Shattuck, P. T. (2019) · Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation · doi:10.3233/jvr-191046 · Cited by 35
Ávila-Gutiérrez, M. J., Aguayo-González, F., & Lama-Ruiz, J. R. (2021) · Sensors · doi:10.3390/s21072274 · Cited by 33
“The motor system also plays a role in the pathophysiology of ASD [66], which determines different types of therapeutic needs, and makes it complex to generate multidimensional design solutions that can be adapted to all members of the public involved [67] including in the design of workplaces.”
BackgroundBlack, M. H., Milbourn, B. T., Chen, N. T. M., McGarry, S., Wali, F. A., Ho, A. S. V., Lee, M., Bölte, S., Falkmer, T., & Girdler, S. J. (2020) · Scandinavian Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology · doi:10.21307/sjcapp-2020-006 · Cited by 40
Self-citationJohnson, K. R. (2022) · New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development · doi:10.1002/nha3.20321 · Cited by 29
Chang, H.-Y., Saleh, M. C., Bruyère, S. M., & Vogus, T. J. (2023) · Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation · doi:10.3233/jvr-230031 · Cited by 28
“…raise specific concerns regarding whether typical interview processes and selection criteria (Hendricks, 2010) merely reward neurotypical approaches to self-presentation and social skills that can be particularly challenging for people on the autism spectrum (Chen et al., 2015; Scott et al., 2019).”
Bölte, S., Alehagen, L., Black, M. H., Hasslinger, J., Wessman, E., Remnélius, K. L., Marschik, P. B., D’Arcy, E., Crowson, S., Freeth, M., et al. (2024) · Autism · doi:10.1177/13623613241228896 · Cited by 30
“We identified and analyzed the results of nine studies: five qualitative (Black et al., 2019; Fridell et al., 2022; Lundin et al., 2021; Thompson et al., 2021; Viljoen et al., 2019) and four reviews (D’Arcy et al., 2023; Hayden-Evans et al., 2022; Leifler et al., 2021; Scott et al., 2019).”
BackgroundMethodSelf-citationSchall, C. M., Sima, A. P., Avellone, L., Wehman, P., McDonough, J., & Brown, A. (2020) · Intellectual and developmental disabilities · doi:10.1352/1934-9556-58.4.301 · Cited by 29
“Although federal mandates continue to support initiatives to improve postsecondary employment outcomes for youth with disabilities, the impact of participating in paid work on a multitude of life domains has yet to be studied (Scott et al., 2019).”
BackgroundThe possibility and importance of immersive technologies during COVID-19 for autistic people
Newbutt, N. A., Schmidt, M., Riva, G., & Schmidt, C. T. (2020) · Journal of Enabling Technologies · doi:10.1108/jet-07-2020-0028 · Cited by 28
Exploring the working conditions of disabled employees: a scoping review
Teborg, S., Hünefeld, L., & Gerdes, T. S. (2024) · Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology · doi:10.1186/s12995-023-00397-z · Cited by 27
“The substantial fragmentation within the state of research is also mirrored in existing reviews, which tend to be focused on either a specific target group (e.g., autistic employees [16]) or particular work-related aspects (e.g., the role of the employer [17] or workplace accommodations [18]).”
BackgroundA Qualitative Study of Adults’ and Support Persons’ Experiences of Support After Autism Diagnosis
Huang, Y., Arnold, S. R. C., Foley, K., & Trollor, J. N. (2022) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-022-05828-0 · Cited by 33
“…planning (Hatfield et al., 2017), and training for employees and employers (Wehman et al., 2016 ) have shown promise for improving autistic adults’ workplace experiences and independence as well as lessen - ing the economic impact of autism on society (Hedley et al., 2016 ; Scott et al., 2018 ).”
Featherstone, C., Sharpe, R. A., Axford, N., Asthana, S., & Husk, K. (2021) · Health & Social Care in the Community · doi:10.1111/hsc.13635 · Cited by 28
“…(Wilkenfield & McCarthy, 2020; Hull et al., 2017), which highlights the importance of measuring emotional wellbeing concurrently where interventions target autism presentation due to the potential for stigma (Scott et al., 2019) and promoting strengths-based interventions (Huntley et al., 2019).”
BackgroundAutistic adults’ experiences of financial wellbeing: Part II
Pellicano, E., Hall, G., & Ying Cai, R. (2024) · Autism · doi:10.1177/13623613231191594 · Cited by 24
“…detail (Austin & Pisano, 2017; de Schipper et al., 2016; Russell et al., 2020; Scott et al., 2017), autistic people face substantial challenges in gaining and sustaining employment, even relative to other disabled people (Office for National Statistics, 2021; Roux et al., 2015; Scott et al., 2019).”
BackgroundDevine, A. E., Shields, M., Dimov, S., Dickinson, H., Vaughan, C., Bentley, R., LaMontagne, A. D., & Kavanagh, A. M. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph182111485 · Cited by 24
Rosqvist, H. B., Hultman, L., & Hallqvist, J. (2022) · Autism · doi:10.1177/13623613221137428 · Cited by 24
“However, several researchers have pointed out that environmental factors can be both barriers to and facilitators of the employment of autistic people, and the critical need for interventions that target contextual factors if employment outcomes are to be improved (Scott et al., 2019).”
BackgroundAbbot‐Smith, K., Dockrell, J. E., Sturrock, A., Matthews, D. E., & Wilson, C. (2023) · First Language · doi:10.1177/01427237231172652 · Cited by 26
“…to follow a conversation topic and not get ‘stuck’ is a key skill needed for classroom discussion in secondary school (Brown & Kennedy, 2011; Colley & Windschitl, 2016), as well as in the work-place environment (Garzaniti et al., 2011; Morgan et al., 2014; Scott et al., 2019; Stang et al., 1976).”
BackgroundPredicting the financial wellbeing of autistic adults: Part I
Cai, R. Y., Hall, G., & Pellicano, E. (2023) · Autism · doi:10.1177/13623613231196085 · Cited by 25
“Research on employment in autistic people has been steadily increasing in recent years, with much research examining the support needs and enablers of successful employment (Cameron & Townend, 2021; Dreaver et al., 2020; Hayward et al., 2019; Scott et al., 2019).”
BackgroundOccurrence and predictors of lifetime suicidality and suicidal ideation in autistic adults
van Bentum, J. S., Sijbrandij, M., Huibers, M. J. H., & Begeer, S. (2024) · Autism · doi:10.1177/13623613231225901 · Cited by 24
“* p < .05; ** p < .01. an individual’s perceived quality of life as a result of employment needs to be considered to evaluate the effects of employment status (Scott et al., 2019; Solomon, 2020).”
BackgroundEmployer-focused interventions targeting disability employment: A systematic review
Derbyshire, D. W., Jeanes, E., Morasae, E. K., Reh, S., & Rogers, M. (2024) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116742 · Cited by 23
Experiences of autistic and non-autistic individuals participating in a corporate internship scheme
Remington, A., Heasman, B., Romualdez, A. M., & Pellicano, E. (2021) · Autism · doi:10.1177/13623613211025115 · Cited by 26
“Despite the clear contributions that autistic people can make in the workplace, much of the existing work on employment for autistic individuals is rooted within a medical model and is therefore overwhelmingly focussed on individual impairments and challenges (Scott et al., 2018).”
BackgroundAutistic graduates: graduate capital and employability
Pesonen, H. V., Tuononen, T., Fabri, M., & Lahdelma, M. (2022) · Journal of Education and Work · doi:10.1080/13639080.2022.2059455 · Cited by 21
‘It’s like it is designed to keep me stressed’—Working sustainably with ADHD or autism
Högstedt, E., Igelström, K. M., Korhonen, L., Käcker, P., Marteinsdóttir, Í., & Björk, M. (2022) · Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy · doi:10.1080/11038128.2022.2143420 · Cited by 41
“Environmental factors are crucial as barriers and facilitators in improving employment for adults with ASD [7].”
BackgroundAlehagen, L., Bölte, S., & Black, M. H. (2024) · Autism · doi:10.1177/13623613241272044 · Cited by 21
“One used the ICF as a theoretical framework to guide the examination of work-place accommodations (Khalifa et al., 2020), while the other extracted and linked meaningful concepts relating to employment interventions to the ICF Core Sets for autism (Scott et al., 2019).”
Self-citationTowards more inclusive qualitative research: the practice of interviewing neurominorities
Szulc, J. M. (2022) · Labour & Industry a journal of the social and economic relations of work · doi:10.1080/10301763.2022.2148853 · Cited by 23
Li, Z., Babar, P. P., Barry, M., & Peiris, R. L. (2024) · CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA) · doi:10.1145/3613905.3651996 · Cited by 27
“…training the hands-on skills of autistic trainees, job coaches in these programs (people who train them for employment) also emphasize the importance of training the communication skills of their autistic trainees such as communicating with customers, confdently facing interviews, etc. [2, 14, 29].”
Hedley, D., Hedley, D. F., Walkowiak, E., Bury, S. M., Spoor, J. R., & Shiell, A. (2022) · Autism · doi:10.1177/13623613221138643 · Cited by 19
“The program supports were broadly consistent with those identified in prior research as effective in increasing competitive employment and employability of autistic people (Schall et al., 2020; Scott et al., 2019).”
BackgroundResultWork-Related Self-Efficacy and Illness Identity in Adults with Autism
Lamash, L., & Meyer, S. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph20010122 · Cited by 19
Listening to Neurodiverse Voices in the Workplace
Burton, L., Carss, V., & Twumasi, R. (2022) · Ought The Journal of Autistic Culture · doi:10.9707/2833-1508.1087 · Cited by 18
Hersh, L., Dwyer, P., Kapp, S. K., Shevchuk-Hill, S., Gurba, A. N., Kilgallon, E., Mair, A. P. A., Chang, D. S., Rivera, S. M., & Gillespie‐Lynch, K. (2024) · Autism in Adulthood · doi:10.1089/aut.2023.0202 · Cited by 22
Special Issue on Occupational Therapy With Neurodivergent People
Kornblau, B. L., & Robertson, S. M. (2021) · American Journal of Occupational Therapy · doi:10.5014/ajot.2021.753001 · Cited by 21
Athamanah, L. S., White, K., Sung, C. Y. Y., Fisher, M. H., & Leader, G. (2022) · Inclusion · doi:10.1352/2326-6988-10.3.226 · Cited by 18
Rutherford, M., & Johnston, L. (2022) · IntechOpen eBooks · doi:10.5772/intechopen.108784 · Cited by 16
Brouwers, E. P. M., Bergijk, M., van Weeghel, J., Detaille, S., & Dewinter, J. (2023) · Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation · doi:10.1007/s10926-023-10136-0 · Cited by 25
“To be specific, previously the medical model prevailed, viewing ‘disease’ as the primary reason for lack of employment, requiring the individual to take responsibility for their disability and make the necessary personal adjustments to be eligible for employment [13, 14].”
Autistic Perspectives on Employment: A Scoping Review
Southey, S., Morris, R., Nicholas, D. B., & Pilatzke, M. (2024) · Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation · doi:10.1007/s10926-023-10163-x · Cited by 21
“…about hiring autistic people, inaccessibility of supports and accommodations, communication challenges, lack of diversity and inclusion policy and processes specifically naming autism or neu-rodivergence, and employers feeling ill-prepared to effectively support and manage autistic employees [3–9].”
Awareness of developmental language disorder amongst workplace managers
de Lemos, C., Kranios, A., Beauchamp-Whitworth, R., Chandwani, A., Gilbert, N., Holmes, A., Pender, A., Whitehouse, C., & Botting, N. (2021) · Journal of Communication Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jcomdis.2021.106165 · Cited by 17
Moody, C. T., Factor, R. S., Gulsrud, A. C., Grantz, C. J., Tsai, K. H., Jolliffe, M., Rosen, N. E., McCracken, J. T., & Laugeson, E. A. (2022) · Research in Developmental Disabilities · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104287 · Cited by 15
Parada, F. J., Grasso‐Cladera, A., Rossi, A., Soto‐Icaza, P., Arenas‐Pérez, M., & Errázuriz, M. C. (2024) · European Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1111/ejn.16463 · Cited by 16
“Research by de Beer, Scott, and others (de Beer et al., 2022; Scott et al., 2019) highlight how the work environment, including both physical and social aspects, plays a critical role in enabling neurodiverse individuals to thrive.”
Exploring the income, savings and debt levels of autistic adults living in Australia
Cai, R. Y., Gallagher, E., Haas, K., Love, A. M. A., & Gibbs, V. (2022) · Advances in Autism · doi:10.1108/aia-01-2022-0004 · Cited by 15
Zwilling, M., & Levy, B. R. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19095037 · Cited by 14
“(12) Specificity in functionality: the architectural design and construction of the work environment should pay specific attention to the unique working abilities of employees with ASD, their special sensitivities, and the jobs in which they may excel [9,10,26,27].”
BackgroundKahng, S., Butler, C., Kronfli, F. R., Zaki‐Scarpa, C., Boragi, B., & Scott, J. (2023) · Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis · doi:10.1002/jaba.977 · Cited by 14
Employment-related assistive technologies for autistic individuals: A scoping review
Zhou, K., Richard, C., & Kim, J. (2025) · Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation · doi:10.1177/10522263241312742 · Cited by 15
“(Booth, 2016; Lindsay et al., 2021; Scott et al., 2019).”
Norris, J. E., Nicholson, J., Prosser, R., Farrell, J., Remington, A., Crane, L., Hull, L., & Maras, K. (2024) · Research in Autism · doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2024.102333 · Cited by 13
Goldfarb, Y., Assion, F., & Begeer, S. (2024) · Autism · doi:10.1177/13623613241239388 · Cited by 13
“…to job-specific skills, other studies suggest general advantages that can be manifested in many industries such as logical reasoning, high work engagement and ethics, punctuality, and low absenteeism (Buckley et al., 2021; Cope & Remington, 2022; Lorenz & Heinitz, 2014; Scott et al., 2019).”
Process evaluation of an autism-specific workplace tool for employers
Scott, M., Falkmer, M., Kuzminski, R., Falkmer, T., & Girdler, S. J. (2020) · Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy · doi:10.1080/11038128.2020.1820571 · Cited by 13
“Occupational therapists understand that employment occurs within complex social and physical environments and recognize the impact of the environment in relation to the unique needs and characteristics of employees on the autism spectrum [24,25].”
BackgroundSelf-citationHillman, C. B., Lerman, D. C., & Kosel, M. L. (2021) · Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis · doi:10.1002/jaba.755 · Cited by 16
Canadian mapping of autism-specific supports for postsecondary students
Ames, M. E., Coombs, C. E. M., Duerksen, K. N., Vincent, J., & McMorris, C. A. (2021) · Research in Autism · doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2021.101899 · Cited by 12
Tomas, V., Kingsnorth, S., Kirsh, B. H., Anagnostou, E. A., & Lindsay, S. (2022) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-022-05766-x · Cited by 12
“Persons on the autism spectrum experience a kaleido-scopic manifestation of symptoms that can impact their ability to obtain and maintain employment (e.g., communication, sensory, and executive functioning challenges; Bury et al., 2021; Scott et al., 2019).”
BackgroundHunt, J. H., Taub, M., Marino, M. T., Duarte, A., Bentley, B., Holman, K., & Kuhlman, A. (2023) · Education Sciences · doi:10.3390/educsci13070646 · Cited by 14
A scoping review of supports on college and university campuses for autistic post-secondary students
Nelson, H., Switalsky, D., Ciesielski, J., Brown, H. M., Ryan, J., Stothers, M. E., Coombs, E. C., Crerear, A., Devlin, C., Bendevis, C., et al. (2023) · Frontiers in Education · doi:10.3389/feduc.2023.1179865 · Cited by 28
Woodhouse, E., Hollingdale, J., Davies, L., Al‐Attar, Z., Young, S., Vinter, L. P., Agyemang, K., Bartlett, C., Berryessa, C. M., Chaplin, E., et al. (2024) · BMC Medicine · doi:10.1186/s12916-024-03320-3 · Cited by 20
Review of employment and disability: bibliographic analysis
Palacios, C. M., Márquez, Ó. C., & Lohan, R. P. (2021) · Journal of Enterprising Communities People and Places in the Global Economy · doi:10.1108/jec-05-2021-0074 · Cited by 13
Sharpe, M., Hutchinson, C. L., & Alexander, J. (2022) · Disabilities · doi:10.3390/disabilities2020013 · Cited by 12
“Secondly, most of the studies focused on gaining employment, with only eight included studies focused on maintenance of employment [8].”
BackgroundInfluentialStratton, E., Glozier, N., Woolard, A. J., Gibbs, V., Demetriou, E. A., Boulton, K., Hickie, I. B., Pellicano, E., & Guastella, A. J. (2022) · Disability and Rehabilitation · doi:10.1080/09638288.2022.2066207 · Cited by 11
“There is, however, limited evidence examining the workplace impact of common mental health conditions in autistic employees [32].”
BackgroundNeurodiversity at Work: Challenges and Opportunities for Human Resource Management
Volpone, S. D., & Hennekam, S. (2025) · Human Resource Management · doi:10.1002/hrm.70032 · Cited by 24
Bölte, S. (2021) · Autism · doi:10.1177/1362361321990325 · Cited by 9
“…of Autism Research (INSAR) policy brief,4 which is based on a systematic review, and a qualitative and quantitative study (Black et al., 2019, 2020; Scott et al., 2019), as well as other neighboring issues such as mentoring programs at universities and the “We believe in good jobs, fair jobs,…”
BackgroundSelf-citationUsing Applied Behavior Analysis to Teach Adaptive Skills
Hansen, S. G., Drew, C. M., Etchison, H. M., & DeMarco, J. (2022) · Autism and child psychopathology series · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-88538-0_36 · Cited by 11
Brouwers, E. P. M., Bergijk, M., van Weeghel, J., Detaille, S., Kerkhof, H., & Dewinter, J. (2024) · Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation · doi:10.1007/s10926-024-10181-3 · Cited by 10
“A scoping review showed that interventions so far have mainly been individual and impairment-focused, trying to ‘fix’ the autistic adult [9], and overlooking the role of the work environment, as well as strengths, talents, and preferences.”
Improving autistic experiences in the workplace: key factors and actionable steps
Nishith, S., O’Brien, A. M., Li, C., Bungert, L., Oddis, K., Riddle, J., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2025) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-025-07036-y · Cited by 9
Metadata
- Authors
- Scott, M., Milbourn, B., Falkmer, M., Black, M., Bӧlte, S., Halladay, A., Lerner, M., Taylor, J. L., & Girdler, S.
- Affiliations
- Curtin University (AU)
- Curtin University, Australia
- Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- Stony Brook University (US)
- Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital (US)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Autism
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2018-08-03
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 869-901
- ISSN
- 1362-3613 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7005
- OpenAlex
- W2887381641
- Cited by
- 278
- References
- 183
- Citations by year
- 2026: 28 · 2025: 56 · 2024: 48 · 2023: 38 · 2022: 46 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 9
- FWCI
- 30.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Locations
- Autism (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eSpace (Curtin University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism
- International Society for Autism Research
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Disability Education and Employment
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Employment and Welfare Studies
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, employment, supported employment, sheltered employment, competitive employment, employment interventions, International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, contextual factors, work participation
- MeSH terms
- Work Performance, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Employment, Humans, Rehabilitation, Vocational, Sheltered Workshops, Social Environment, Employment, Supported, Workplace, International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health
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