Employment for Individuals with Autism who use AAC

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Employment for Individuals with Autism who use
AAC

• David McNaughton
• Janice Light
• Stephanie Gulla
• The Pennsylvania State University

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What is known

• Very small numbers of people with autism employed
• Traditionally, low expectations for employment
• OVR
• Recently, increasing expectations
• IDEA Individual Transition Plan
• ADA
• Work in a variety of positions
• Most frequently food service

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Who is most likely to have a job?

• Productive (strong work ethic)
• Communication skills
• Communicate basic needs and wants
• Understand simple instructions
• Social behaviors
• Low rate or absence of antisocial behaviors
• Some positive pro-social behaviors

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What kind of jobs work well?

• Good job match
• Clearly defined work task and work area
• Supports in place
• Predictable (not repetitious)
• Receptive employer and coworker

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Positive aspects of work?

• Income and independence for individual with
  autism
• Reduced stress for family members
• Benefit to employer

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Negative aspects of employment

• Increased stress for family
• ongoing support?
• Safety issues for individuals with autism
• Increased demands for employer and co-workers

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Barriers

• Lack of support services
• Transportation
• Workplace training and supervision
• Public attitudes
• Limited education/experiences of individuals with
  autism

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Supports

• Personal characteristics
• Personal support networks
• Identify jobs that match strengths and weaknesses
  of individual with autism
• Receptive co-workers and employers

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DO-IT!
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Peter

• 31, lives at home with father
• Follows 2-3 step commands, some speech understood
  by familiar partners
• Uses a Hip Talk programmed with 6-8 phrases
  (How are you?)
• Strengths attention to detail, enjoys routines
• Challenges Safety issues, lack of assertiveness

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Peter

• Describe goal
• Be out of house for 4 hours per day
• Earn money for social activities

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Peter

• Outline lots of ways to meet goal
• Clean tables at school
• Stock shelves at Store
• Bag groceries

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What would be a good job match?

• Be around other people
• Good receptive vocabulary
• Small expressive vocabulary
• Value meticulous work
• Allowed to work at slow steady pace
• From Goals 4 hours, some

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Peter

• Take action Bagging groceries
• Fast lane - slow lane
• Collect data on other workers
• emphasize on time, attendance
• Programmed HipTalker

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Larry

• 32, lives in his own apartment
• Follows 2-3 step commands, reads
• Use some sign, write messages
• Strengths
• motivated by opinion of others, socially
  appropriate, knows when to ask for assistance
• Weaknesses
• limited expressive communication, can be
  distracted by others

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Jim

• 34, lives at home with his parents
• Good receptive language
• Some speech, good reading and writing skills
• Strengths Very sociable, strong work ethic
• Weaknesses no fear of danger, slow rate of work,
  slow to learn some work-place social skills, some
  compulsive behaviors

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How To Identify Prospective Employers

• Workers with autism can utilize the same methods
  of finding employment as workers without
  disabilities
• (Smith, Belcher, Juhrs, 2000)

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The Job Search

• Networking
• Utilizing contacts / relationships with others to
  connect to potential jobs
• Family
• Friends
• Business acquaintances
• Clubs
• Churches

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The Job Search

• Printed Material
• Local newspapers / want ads
• Yellow Pages
• Trade journals
• Business newsletters

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The Job Search

• Job fairs
• Offer face to face interaction with potential
  employers
• For local job fairs contact
• Chamber of commerce
• Local government agencies

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The Job Search

• Job Canvassing
• A door to door approach targeting local
  businesses
• Face to face interaction offers an opportunity to
  discuss the details and nature of the job and
  company.
• A good chance to assess the actual workplace.

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The Job Search

• Seasonal Opportunities
• Holiday times, summer jobs, companys busy
  season
• Serve as good temporary positions to test out
  employment potential
• Late summer/early fall are ideal times to find
  jobs because many high school college students
  leave positions to return to school.

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The Job Search

• The Initial Contact
• Educate the employer on the value of hiring an
  individual with autism. It can be valuable to
  the company.
• Explain strengths, skills, performance of the
  individual with autism. (e.g., very task
  oriented, very timely, can pick up a skill after
  being shown one time)
• Identify the supports that are available for the
  employers (e.g, job coach, Office of Vocational
  Rehabilitation, family support)

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The Job Search

• The Follow-Up
• Answer any remaining questions the employer may
  have.
• Refocus the employer to the possibility of the
  hire (e.g., reemphasize the positive qualities of
  the individual, the value they would be to the
  company)
• Keep a detailed log of who, what and when
  communication was made to employers

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The Job Search

• Things to Keep In Mind
• Larger companies have been found to have more
  knowledge of the American with Disabilities Act
  as it relates to the workplace.
• The percentage of employers who claim to have
  made an accommodation for an employee with a
  disability increased from 51 in 1993 to 81 in
  1995 (National Organization on Disability).

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Dealing with Challenging Behaviors in the
Workplace

• Possible Challenging Behaviors Include
• Difficulty with change
• Maladaptive behaviors
• Rituals/Compulsions
• Inattention

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Dealing with Challenging Behaviors in the
Workplace

• Possible Solutions
• Conduct a vocational assessment
• Assure a good job match
• Implement behavior management program
• Manage behavior, dont eliminate it.
• Make adjustments to job, as needed

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Dealing with Challenging Behaviors in the
Workplace
Vocational Assessment

• A vocational assessment can include evaluation
  of
• The individuals abilities, strengths,
  weaknesses, interests, social communication
  skills
• Required job tasks
• Workplace atmosphere
• Accessibility of job location
• Overall suitability of job
• Conducted through
• Reviewing past records, observation, interviews,
• Trial error placement

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Dealing with Challenging Behaviors in the
Workplace
Assure a good job match
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Dealing with Challenging Behaviors in the
Workplace
Implement a behavior management program

• Assess meaning /purpose for the behavior (e.g.,
  gain attention, seek help, avoid situation)
• Provide individual with alternative means to
  express that purpose.
• Provide positive reinforcement for positive
  behaviors
• Praise, appropriate reinforcement, verbal
  prompts, written schedules, picture schedules,
  checklists, and self-evaluation of behavior may
  all prove helpful.
• Conducted via
• Job coach
• Employer
• Direct Supervisor
• Co-Worker

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Dealing with Challenging Behaviors in the
Workplace
Manage behaviors, dont eliminate them

• Problem
• Amy scratches her skin as a form of
  self-stimulation.
• Solution
• Amy is provided with hand lotion to rub on her
  arms every 2 hours as an alternate form of
  stimulation.

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Dealing with Challenging Behaviors in the
Workplace
Make Adjustments to Job As Needed

• Problem
• Due to poor communication/social skills, Mark was
  very anxious with customers who approach him
  with questions while he stocked shelves in a
  large department store
• Solution
• Mark wore plain clothes instead of the store
  uniform so customers would be less likely to
  approach him.
• He was taught to direct customers to front desk
  for help.

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TEACCH at University of North Carolina

• Mobile crew
• (all autism, move from site to site)
• Dispersed enclave(2-5 spread out at a worksite)
• Individual placement
• (1 at a worksite)

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What does it take?

• Good job match
• A willing employer and co-workers
• Intensive early support
• Ongoing support (at reduced levels)
• Workplace advocate

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References

• Smith, D.M., Belcher, R., Juhrs, P. (1995). A
  guide to successful employment for individuals
  with autism. Baltimore, MD Paul H. Brooks,
  Publishing Co.
• Burt, D., Fuller, P., Lewis (1991). Brief
  report Competitive employment of adults with
  autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental
  Disorders, 21 (1), 237-241.
• Keel, J., Mesibov, G., Woods, A. (1997).
  TEACCH-Supported employment program. Journal of
  Autism and other Developmental Disorders 27 (1),
  3-9.