VOLUME 01
ISSUE 10
Job Seeking and Employment
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ON THE SPECTRUM IN
ADULTHOOD
June 25, 2020
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A NEWSLETTER PROVIDING RESOURCES FOR THE
ADULT AUTISM COMMUNITY
Brought to you by the
Autism Services (RCAAS)
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A MESSAGE FROM
THE SCALE DIRECTOR
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According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate for Americans is currently 13.3%, the highest since the Great Depression. This number; however, is all too familiar for adults on the autism spectrum seeking employment. Recent statistics estimate overall unemployment rates for adults on the autism spectrum being between 25-50%. Further, by age 25, 50% of adults on the autism spectrum have never held a paying job. This disparity is one that not only negatively affects adults on the autism spectrum, but the overall workforce.
So why is this number so high? One possible reason may be a result of potential deficits in social and communication skills amongst some on the autism spectrum. Difficulty with communication and/or navigating social nuances required during the job search and at the job site (e.g., networking, interviewing skills, social interactions, etc.) may pose a significant barrier. Also, employers may hold misconceptions about the abilities of individuals on the autism spectrum specifically related to their ability to be productive and perform without added supports (Procknow & Rocco, 2016).
One company that is trying to change this trend is Bettaway Supply Chain Services. We are thrilled to offer the perspective of the President of this company, John Vaccaro. Mr. Vaccaro is the father of an adult on the autism spectrum and an employer who wants to break down these barriers for autistic adults through his company's hiring initiative. We hope this issue can serve as a catalyst for better understanding pathways to employment as an adult on the autism spectrum and offer resources and strategies for finding the right job for you.
Stay well,
James Maraventano, EdD, BCBA-D
Director, RCAAS-SCALE Program
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AUTISM IN THE WORKPLACE:
AN EMPLOYER & PARENTAL PERSPECTIVE
John Vaccaro, President
Bettaway Supply Chain Services
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Like many parents of a child on the spectrum, my wife and I spent countless hours discussing what daily life would be like for our son after turning 21. We recognized that the programs available to adults with special needs were very limited in both availability and scope of services. Further, the programs our family was exposed to were not specifically focused to the needs of our son in that the services offered were not individually tailored to him. Rather, services were delivered very generally to encompass a broad range of individuals with diverse support requirements across all ages in adulthood. Our family felt that programs such as these would not be able to foster our son's continuous growth, while recognizing his greater potential and his strong desire to grow and be challenged.
As a business owner, I have the ability to drive change. Further, I believe it is important to act on this drive and lead by example. Even if in limited scope, it was more about opening our doors, leaning in, and doing what we could. We decided to reach out to the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center to discuss our autism employment goals and, subsequently, opened our doors to job sampling for a small group of participants. It didn't take long to realize the result was not just a benefit for the program participants, but for our entire organization and staff. Our staff at Bettaway Supply Chain Services grew as well. They gained a better understanding of autism via daily interactions with program participants. In addition, our workplace benefited by enthusiastic workers who quickly melded into our culture.
We believe in an inclusive workplace; our workplace culture is about community and building something special to help others at the same time as helping our business. Further, as a parent of an adult on the autism spectrum, I see no limits to the value
any person can offer to my company. Individuals on the autism spectrum offer tremendous value to the workforce. They want nothing more than to wake up each day, go to a meaningful job, put in a hard day’s work, and be part of the community. As a business, we want the same - good workers that are reliable, care about their job, and are happy to be a part of our community. All a business needs to do is open closed doors. The rest will occur naturally.
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ADDRESSING UNEMPLOYMENT
Courtney Butler, MS, BCBA
Program Coordinator, RCAAS-CSP
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With the current pandemic still at the forefront of our minds, job security and employment may be a sore subject for many adults. The U.S. Department of Labor shows that there has been a drastic
increase in unemployment
in April and May of this year. Although this is not surprising for the current state of the world, there are many people that have experienced this concern before the pandemic occurred. Unemployment rates for individuals on the autism spectrum are higher than other disability categories (i.e., learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, speech impairment) and by the age of 25, about 50% of adults with ASD have never held a paying job (Shattuck et al., 2012).
Although some of these statistics may be alarming, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests there is only about 1% of autism research funding used to study and support the improvement of success in employment settings. It is important to understand the factors that influence these rates, counter the potential misconceptions of individuals with autism in the workplace, and determine methods to support those individuals when it comes to preparing for and entering the workforce.
There are many considerations that may influence the rates of unemployment among individuals on the autism spectrum. Although there are many individual deficits, it is likely a combination of factors that influence unemployment rates. In 2012, Holwerda and colleagues conducted a systematic review of predictors for work participation in individuals on the autism spectrum. They found that some predictors of unemployment may be the severity of the disorder, comorbidity, potential language deficits, the presence of maladaptive behavior, or the presence of social impairments. Although these are some indicators of unemployment, there are so many
positive contributions
adults on the autism spectrum
provide to a place of employment. Many of the individuals hired are able to provide skills that others may lack - meticulous work ethic, high levels of concentration on a given task, reliability to schedules, and therefore, dependability. It seems obvious to say that everyone is unique in their own way, but hiring individuals on the autism spectrum can add great value to any company. Many companies are creating autism initiatives to support individuals on the autism spectrum, but we must continue to support and aim to counter the unemployment rates that continue to be so prevalent.
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FINDING THE PERFECT MATCH
Jacqueline Shinall, MS
Clinical PsyD Student, GSAPP
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Finding and maintaining gainful employment has been consistently difficult for adults on the autism spectrum, who are often under- or unemployed. Understandably, the employment process can feel overwhelming and difficult to navigate. However, we have some suggestions and free resources that may help initiate this process and make it feel a little less overwhelming. In
Issue 6
of
On the Spectrum in Adulthood
, we discussed some of the important social skills needed in the workplace. Here, we will expand on work-readiness and help you identify specific skills and employment interests. There are three areas to think about as you approach employment: work skills (both current skills and skills needed for particular job tasks), job related interests, and amount/type of support (e.g., job coach, visual supports, schedule, breaks, etc.). It is important to identify strengths and continue building on those skills.
This
Community Based Skills Assessment
provides information about navigating the various steps of the employment process. There is also a Functional Skills Assessment to help identify areas of strength and other skills you may not have realized would be important for work (e.g., leaving a voicemail, attending during group meetings, tells time or sets timer, etc.).
For people who have not worked or have only limited work experience, identifying interests and jobs they enjoy can be difficult. Fortunately, there are a couple free resources to help you find which areas are most interesting. For nonreaders,
Truity
offers a
Photo Career Quiz
that provides 30 side-by-side picture comparisons of two jobs from which the individual is told to pick one. The results give the most preferred areas of interest (i.e., building, helping, creating, organizing, etc.) with potential jobs that fall under those categories.
The
Self-Directed Search
is more in-depth and asks a variety of questions about specific job tasks, which allows for more detailed results. Results are personalized, so when the “Occupational List” is provided, occupations are only those that meet the individual’s education level and interests. Results from interest quizzes and skills assessment can formulate a comprehensive list of the potential jobs and the skills particular to those jobs.
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INTERVIEW SKILLS
Faris Kronfli, PhD, BCBA-D
Behavior Analyst, RCAAS-SCALE Program
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Preparing for an interview is incredibly important, yet we are rarely taught how to do it. There are many things that, while might be appropriate in everyday life, are considered faux pas in the context of an interview. For example, you are unlikely to be judged when speaking with a friend or coworker and simultaneously responding to a text on your phone or while telling a joke. However, these actions may be considered inappropriate, and possibly detrimental, if they occur during an interview. Furthermore, there are many behaviors that are important for an interview, including how to ask and answer appropriate questions, making eye contact, and small talk surrounding the interview.
Although these might seem obvious to some, we should not assume they are obvious to everyone. This might be especially important to those with potential skill deficits, such as individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The best way to teach these skills, to anybody who might be struggling, is behavioral skills training (BST). BST includes instruction, role play, and feedback, and has been used to teach a variety of behaviors such as gun safety, abduction prevention, and compliance with lock-down procedures. Most recently, research has evaluated teaching interview skills using a variety of procedures including BST (Roberts et al., 2020; Stocco et al., 2017) in conjunction with JobTIPS (Stickland & Southern, 2013) and InterviewStream (Rosales & Whitlow, 2019). These studies suggest appropriate interview skills are something we should be actively teaching, and not something we should assume people know how to do.
Overall, we must be careful that we are not only preparing students for the work associated with a potential career, but teach them how to nail that interview.
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FINDING INCLUSIVE EMPLOYERS
Christeen Z. Scarpa, MS
Behavior Technician, RCAAS-SCALE Program
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Now that we have spoken about ways to prepare yourself for the workforce, it’s important to understand what opportunities are waiting for you or the individual on the autism spectrum in your life. Through the years, companies have evolved, with many more now providing an inclusive environment for employees with disabilities to thrive and exercise their talents. According to
FastCompany
,
a 2018 study
showed that companies that fostered inclusive working opportunities for individuals with disabilities, reached an average of 28% higher revenue, 30% greater financial profit margins, and doubled the net income of their competitors between 2015-2018.
There are many companies that have adopted the use of Employee Resource Groups (ERG), which are volunteer employee-led groups, designed to promote diversity, inclusion, and acceptance. ERG’s are commonly structured with a mission that aligns itself with the business goals and community objectives of the company.
Fidelity Investments
, which is a leading firm in the financial services industry, currently employs the use of a wide variety of ERG’s. One of those is called
Enable -
its mission statement is to inspire and empower individuals with disabilities to reach their goals through support and job coaching programs.
When searching for employment, try to familiarize yourself with the company’s ERG. This will help you understand their mission, inclusion workplace program, and determine if it’s fitting for you or the person on the autism spectrum in your life.
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This website
has some quick tips on job hunting for adults on the autism spectrum. There are details about choosing the right job based on strengths, drafting a resume, preparing for the interview, and how to use support networks to help with job hunting stress.
This article
provides important information about keeping an open mind when considering different employment opportunities as an adult on the autism spectrum. It mentions that every autistic adult has an individual skill set, so the perfect job depends on their skills and not their diagnosis.
Here is a
story graphic
provided by
The Arc’s Center for Future Planning
that provides descriptions of how to start the process of attaining a career. It gives explicit steps you can take to find a job and steps you may take to build your career.
Finding work
by the
National Autistic Society
is a free downloadable workbook that includes a series of worksheets, information sheets, and templates for autistic job seekers. It can be used by professionals who provide employment support, the individual, or by anyone supporting the autistic job seeker, including parents, relatives, and caregivers. Modules within the workbook address choosing a suitable role, finding work experience, and more.
Check out this
free webinar:
Expanding Career Pathways for Youth and Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum:
Employment as a Social Determinant of Health.
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Worried about working with others during the COVID-19 pandemic? No problem,
Daivergent is an information technology and services company that
hires individuals with autism to perform a variety of remote data and web-based tasks.
For more, check out this
list of companies that are enthusiastic in hiring people with autism.
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Autism NJ
published an
article
that provides information about how to prepare an adult with autism to join the workforce. The guide has details on what to do before graduation, national resources for employment, and New Jersey-specific resources for preparing for employment.
Also, find on the
Autism NJ
website
information
about using the time from teenage to adult years to optimize the transitioning process. Included are details about different services that provide transitioning assistance.
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Call 800.4.AUTISM, an
Autism NJ helpline
that is free of charge, to gather more information about resources in NJ regarding transition and employment. A caregiver or an adult with autism can also gain access to referrals for employment programs through their online database.
If you need accommodations at your workplace as an autistic adult but are not sure what to ask for or where to begin to ask, this is a
comprehensive list
of different accommodations. They are listed by limitations (e.g., photosensitivity or time management) and work-related function (e.g., environments that are noisy and require interpersonal communication). There may be an accommodation that can make your workplace more efficient for you.
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Nic Laughter, an autistic advocate, details his experiences starting in the workforce through
this interview
. He answers questions about how he prepared and some challenges he had. He also discussed how his symptoms, characteristic of ASD, acted as strengths for him.
Disclaimer: any one person with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder can have varying symptoms. This perspective is not meant to be one which is generalizable to all people on the spectrum.
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Further exemplifying the value of individuals on the autism spectrum in the workforce, we would like to highlight SCALE participant Jordan Hines. Jordan was recently recognized as
"Employee of the Semester."
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“Every experience in your life is being orchestrated to teach you something you need to know to move forward.”
– Brian Tracy
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The NJ
Partners in Policymaking program
is accepting applications through June 30th. This program is a leadership development and advocacy education program for adults with developmental disabilities (over age 21) and family members of young children and transition-age youth.
The goal of this program is to prepare the next generation of disability advocates to work toward meaningful change in our state.
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NEWSLETTER TEAM
Dr. James Maraventano, Editor-in-Chief
Rugved Deshpande, Circulation Manager
Kim Spinelli, Senior Copy Editor
Jennifer Santos, Layout & Design
Norna Jules, Resources
Contributor
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WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS ISSUE OF THE RCAAS E-NEWSLETTER
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