Creating and Maintaining a Rewarding Career

"The best practices for employers to utilize for employees on the spectrum are good practices for all employees."  

"Since I have been working with employees on the spectrum, my skills as a supervisor have greatly improved.....and it's not just me who think that but those I supervise have also told me that."

These two quotes come from individuals who work for major international companies that have become committed to neurodiversity and are involved in working with employees who are diagnosed on the spectrum.

We know, from the folks at AJ Drexel Autism Institute

that less than 60% of people diagnosed with spectrum disorders, nationally, will have a job six years after graduating from high school.

• What is it that prevents more folks on the spectrum from being gainfully employed?
• What can prospective employers learn to make a difference?
• What can folks on the spectrum do to increase the likelihood that they will find a rewarding job and then keep it?

First, let's remember that autism affects both sides of the employment process (those that hire and those that get hired).  ASD affects every area of an individual's life in every minute of every day.  It is not the type of learning difference that gets better or easier when school is over.  After school those issues that are frustrating for those in the world of autism are still there. Anxiety, struggles with social interactions, difficulties connecting with others through language, lack of flexibility, environmental sensitivities are just a few of the factors that can create struggles for those that get hired and those who do the hiring.

In her book, Asperger Syndrome and Employment, What People with Asperger Syndrome Really Really Want, Sarah Hendrickx describes in clear, readable language the issues that those on the high end of the autism spectrum truly struggle with when looking for or trying to stay in a job.  To make her points in the book, she provides countless quotes from many different individuals between the ages of 20 and 60, who are on the spectrum that she worked with in the UK as she was writing this book.  Her observations are just as valid today as they were when she wrote the book 9 years ago.

Throughout the book, she makes reference to the impact of anxiety on adults on the spectrum.  She referenced Tony Attwood's suggestion that research tells us that as many as half of adolescents with what was referred to back then as Asperger's Syndrome were also diagnosed with secondary mood or affective disorders such as depression or anxiety.  While often managed with medication and/therapy, just imagine how these disorders can affect those in a workplace if not handled properly.

Besides mood disorders there can be other traits of autism that play into difficulties in the work environment.

1. Social interactions with each other, with customers, with fellow employees, with your supervisor all play a major role in success....or lack of success.
   
   Weak skills with social interactions can create stress in the workplace for everyone and that increases the possibility of higher anxiety levels which then continue the spiral from stress into more self-doubt, then reduced confidence and then finally less self-advocating and virtually no communication.  Unchecked or unsupported, this situation can even lead to loss of employment.


2. Ms. Hendrickx also found from many of the folks she spoke with that transportation to and from work...something we all usually don't think about and take for granted, created many difficulties.  Whether driving oneself or relying on public transportation there is much that we all need to process.  Some things are easier for you than for me.  Some things are so easy we don't even think about them.  But these things can be very difficult for many on the spectrum.The noise of traffic, noise on trains or buses, the smells of diesel exhaust or other human beings, people talking to each other or even worse having to sit next to different people you don't know and in different seats on each trip can be very difficult.
   
   Or, think of the need to buy tickets or to ask for directions, to pay for tickets. These are even more things that can cause heightened anxiety or frustration.
   
   Given the recent winter weather we have experienced, think of the changes in traffic patterns, delays in, changes of or elimination of train and bus schedules, or the need for alternative transportation all together can all be hard for folks on the spectrum.  And any of these things can take place even before the work day has begun.


3. Our physical and sensory environment can cause difficulties beyond the transportation to and from the workplace.  Let's look at the workplace itself.  Consider the lighting of the office - how bright or even the type of lights can cause difficulties for some.  Our Hill Top friend, Stephen Shore has shared with us that he almost always wears a baseball cap to help him with the lighting in many places he is working.
   
   Now, let's think about the temperature of the workspace or the noises in the workplace.  There might be construction noises or just keyboards and quiet banter among fellow workers.  One of those interviewed by Ms. Hendrickx indicated that sitting next to someone who was merely crumpling paper to throw in the wastebasket or turning pages seemed like fingernails on a blackboard to him.  And while we are talking about noises and smells, let's talk about using the cafeteria in a large corporate environment and the bathrooms.
      
   And in talking about those two spaces, think about having to use either with so many more people than you are used to in either space.
   
   Lastly, let's think about the people we work with in any workspace.  Think about the handshakes, the small talk about... "the kids," "those Phillies," "the weekend activities," "how you are feeling after being out sick,
   
   or the dreaded hug or kiss on the cheek greetings.  And worst of all, how about that strong aftershave, shower gel or perfume that something thinks is amazing.  There are so many sights, sounds, and smells that can be very difficult to process for folks on the spectrum.


4. While there are many more things to consider, the final category for this post is the issue of stress.  Stress can come from so many different directions.  We can feel stress when we are due to be late or early, when we need to ask for clarification or directions, when we are engaged in confrontation, in confusing social situations, when we are tired from working a full day or several consecutive days, when we are processing a great deal of the external sensory stimulation like that listed above, or when we are working to get the job done in the time period that is required.  This type of stress can lead to heightened levels of anxiety.  When we are anxious we can pull back into ourselves, be less likely to advocate, communicate or facilitate.

So, are there things that can help those of us on the spectrum be more successful in the workplace and those around them better prepared to help them?  While it won't make the job process perfect some suggestions from the folks I have been meeting with can be helpful.  I have offered them below.

1. At the top of the list from almost everyone I have met with over the past two months is SELF-AWARENESS.  Knowing how you best learn and being able to explain what you need from others around to be successful in the workplace seems to be the most important factor.  Know who you are and help others to understand you.  The more you can tell them the better they can do their job to understand and support you.
   
   And this is connected with a very sensitive issue; self-disclosure.  You need to decide whether you will let those who supervise and work with you that you have a diagnosis that can make you struggle with certain things in the office or that you may need help with certain aspects of the job.  You not only need to decide IF you are going to tell them but WHEN you might tell them.  There are many strong reasons to disclose your challenges before you sign the contract.  But there are thoughts that you may not want to mention it in the first 10 minutes of the first interview.  It is a personal decision about how private or public you can be with this information.


2. Another important consideration is to start with part-time positions.  A resume that has several jobs that are not full-time do not work against you as an applicant.  It shows that you are industrious.  Part-time jobs can be much less stressful for folks on the spectrum.  They expand the knowledge of the world of work because hopefully your resume has different types of work experience listed.  Lastly, several part-time jobs can allow you to "practice" the skills listed above, reduce the "learning curve" for the next job and increase the likelihood of success in that first full-time job.  Even volunteer experiences can help expand the work experiences you would list on your resume.  Absent a salaried position, it is a good starting place and far better than sitting at home.  When you want to get better at something; practice, practice and practice some more.


3. Another helpful suggestion is to understand your motivation for wanting a particular job.  Is it purely money? For most folks on the spectrum, money is not always the first thing on the list.  Motivation can also come from actually doing the particular job itself.  Being able to tell friends and family that you are employed also helps to raise your sense of self-worth.  When
   
   you understand those motivations you then understand the loss that comes with losing that job.  When you understand the loss you are more motivated to put up with those things at work that frustrate you.  We all know that no job is perfect and we will need to tolerate those things that make the job less than perfect.


4. Create a list of things that you know about yourself and what can help make you successful in that position.  Here is a suggested list of considerations:

• Indoors/Outdoors work?
• What are the physical or sensory factors?
• How much do you need to earn?
• Will you be interacting with lots of people in person, on the computer, or on the phone?
• With what do you need support?  Writing the resume, setting appointments, filling out applications, etc.
• Do you need flexibility in the work conditions?  Adjusted schedule, reduced hours, longer or more frequent breaks, job coach, etc.

There is a great deal to consider when working with autism in the workplace.  At Hill Top Prep, as our knowledge deepens, we add more and more to the programs for our upper school students.

Hill Top students are involved with internships during the academic year and assisted with securing summer employment.  They learn to deal with supervision feedback, work on applications for OVR benefits, how to make presentations on a wide variety of topics and, meet with corporate managers to learn about their work and what they look for in employees.  They not only receive help with college applications and interviews, but practice those skills with many college visits that are scheduled and supported by Hill Top staff.  This ensure that our students get to learn how the admission process runs and to learn from the experts what an admission committee wants to see from a candidate.
This has all been added to our program over just the past few years and seem to be helping our graduates as they head off to college or directly into the workforce.