News and Knowledge

Understanding (and leveraging) the factors that impact work performance is crucial for any adult, but it can be especially important for adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). These individuals often have sensitivities to things that don’t bother other workers, such as fluorescent lighting or having to shake hands. At the same time, they tend to have special interests that can make them vastly more productive than the average worker in certain jobs.

Two researchers at the Freie Universität-Berlin in Germany, Jennifer Christina Kirchner and former OAR-funded researcher Isabel Dziobek, set out determine how these sensory issues and special interests impact work performance for adults on the spectrum. In an article in the Scandinavian Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, they shared what they have found so far. Results indicated that the major factors negatively impacting work performance for adults with ASD are social difficulties and sensory issues. A lack of a mental challenge was also noted as a significant factor while excessive work demands was not. Employer awareness of an ASD diagnosis was listed as a major factor positively impacting work performance.

For the study, researchers recruited 108 adults with ASD to complete an online survey consisting of questions about their current employment situation, special interests, and factors impacting work performance. Of these, only 64 possessed enough work experience to give relevant answers, and of those, only 54 indicated their special interests. Those participants were then asked questions about the approach they took at work towards fulfilling their special interests. Thirty-one participants responded.

Researchers classified respondents’ approaches into four categories: systematizing, the creative approach, gathering knowledge, and other approaches. More than half (55%) of the participants fulfill their special interests through systematizing, which is the act of analyzing, constructing, or controlling a system. A complex example of systematizing is analyzing financial data; a simpler example is sorting books on library shelves, for example. Only 28 percent of the participants used a creative approach, which is exemplified by processes like developing a new method to address an existing problem or inventing a tool. Gathering knowledge, such as what we do when we research a topic, was used by 14 percent of participants.

While these findings should be taken with a grain of salt due to the relatively small sample size and the lack of a control group, they do confirm that sensory issues and social problems continue to be major obstacles to success for individuals on the spectrum in the workplace. In light of this, the authors suggest that adults with autism should be open with supervisors about any social problems or sensory issues that stem from being on the spectrum, especially since employer awareness of an ASD diagnosis was noted as a positive factor.

Because the study found that systematizing is a good fit for most workers on the spectrum, the researchers suggested that jobs in a technology field, such as software testing, may be an ideal starting point for individuals on the spectrum looking for employment.

Source: Kirchner, C. K., & Dziobek, I. (2014). Toward the Successful Employment of Adults with Autism: A First Analysis of Special Interests and Factors Deemed Important for Vocational Performance. Scandinavian Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, 2(2), 77-85.