Good practice in employment

This article was originally published in 2009 in a report by Ben Higgins, which was commissioned by the South West Valuing People Board and entitled Good practice in supporting adults with autism: guidance for commissioners and statutory services. Read the full report here.

People with autism are an undiscovered workforce. They have skills that are keenly sought after and, with the right support, they can make a valuable contribution in the workplace. For example, people with autism are generally honest, conscientious and reliable, with excellent rote memory and attention to detail. Many are highly competent at repetitive and logical tasks, including data entry and IT support. Furthermore, people with autism may have special interests that can easily be developed into an employable skill. Employment helps people with autism feel valued by society and results in significant psychological and social benefits.

However, only 15 per cent of adults with autism are in paid employment compared to 48 per cent of people with general disabilities. A much greater number of people with autism want to work and could do so if able to access appropriate support. Autism-specialist supported employment schemes result in significantly higher rates of employment, as well as employer and employee satisfaction, compared to generic disability employment services. There are clear benefits of working collaboratively with neighbouring authorities to develop a sub-regional autism coordinator, working in a similar way to mental health coordinators, within Jobcentre Plus.

Although support to find and sustain work should be available to all people who require it, some people with disabilities are not able to access appropriate support. For example, very few government-funded schemes benefit people with autism seeking employment. Government priority PSA 16 aims to increase the proportion of socially excluded adults in employment, including those with learning disabilities or mental health conditions. Although people with autism are often both socially excluded and keen to secure employment, there is a risk that such strategies will again neglect them. Local multi-agency employment strategies, linked to PSA 16, must start to be more inclusive of people with autism.

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) protects people with disabilities from discrimination in employment. It requires employers to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate the disadvantages suffered by people with disabilities. The recruitment process, however, often discriminates against people with autism. It is important for both employers and disability employment advisors (DEAs) at Jobcentre Plus to know that people with autism would benefit from being offered an alternative to a traditional interview, such as a work trial. DEAs unfortunately have rarely received sufficient training to know how to support adults with autism. It is vital that government supported employment programmes aimed at helping disabled people to overcome the barriers to gaining and maintaining employment, have the expertise to support people with autism.

Supported employment often involves not only supporting the individual, but also supporting the employer to make reasonable adjustments in recruitment and in the workplace, as well as raising awareness among work colleagues. A better understanding of autism will help employers to recognise how people with autism can make a valuable contribution in the workplace and challenge the traditional perspective based on individual limitations. This helps raise the profile of people with autism within local businesses as well as match individuals to suitable roles. Job descriptions too can be customised to match parts of different jobs to suit the skills of a person with autism and in order to provide a cost effective solution for the employer. Ultimately, this would improve access to employment and enable many individuals with autism to become more economically independent.