Up to 85% of autistic individuals with a college degree are unemployed or underemployed (Autism Society). This often is attributed to a variety of factors, including differences in communication and challenges in reading social cues and making eye contact, all of which are an integral part of the traditional job application and hiring process. A factor that also affects this number is the lack of awareness or knowledge that many organizations possess to successfully support autistic individuals. Even with that knowledge comes bias and hesitation to discuss accommodations and resources that pose an obstacle for this talent pool. What many companies don’t realize is that the strategies used to support autistic candidates do not require a significant number of resources. Additionally, these are practices that all supervisors should be using to effectively manage a team despite their neurodivergence.
Regardless of the reasoning behind the underemployment numbers, it is often more convenient to attribute this as the fault of the individual and the challenges they face because of their diagnosis. People generally do not as easily identify strengths associated with having an autism diagnosis. However, there are business, financial, and societal benefits that employers need to be educated on to shift this mindset.
Benefits of Using a Strengths-Based Approach
Hammond (2010) emphasizes the benefits of utilizing a strengths-based approach:
“Clients learn how to set goals and expectations, confront rather than avoid challenges, and build self-esteem and competence. Most importantly, clients learn effective interpersonal skills in order to look for assistance and support when needed” (Principles of Strength-Based Practice | Resiliency Initiatives).
One of the most effective places in which this can be facilitated is in a college setting. College is a pivotal time for autistic students to develop these self-advocacy skills because, for most of their adult lives, they have had the guidance of their parents/caregivers along with supports within the education system. Entering the workforce post-graduation is often the first time they will have to independently move on to the next phase in their lives. Therefore, it is important that tools and strategies are taught to them during their college experience so that they can self-advocate effectively as they make this transition.
Self-Advocacy Strategies
There are several components that make up self-advocacy, including understanding one’s own needs, knowing what kind of support is available, and communicating needs to others (Understanding Self-Advocacy | LDA of America). There are a few key strategies that can be utilized to equip autistic students with the tools to become confident in this process.
Self-reflection is critical for students to develop a good understanding of their own needs. In a college setting, as it relates to job readiness, reflection requires the student to think about what skills they possess as well as those that they need to develop. Additionally, they should be creating concrete goals and steps they can take to work on these skills during their remaining time in school through coursework, internship experiences, networking events, or other extracurricular activities. For example, if the student feels they are lacking in leadership skills, they could choose to join a club or organization or run for Student Government. If they feel they need to develop their professional communication skills further, they can create goals around attending the college’s career fair or other networking events.
Strengths-based assessments, like CliftonStrengths Finder, can also be a useful reflection tool in guiding students to discover their unique talents, ways to manage challenges, and how to thrive in their future careers (How the CliftonStrengths Assessment Works | EN – Gallup). Focusing the reflection on career readiness skills gives the student a clearer understanding of their own strengths and areas of improvement. These are tools that they can carry with them into the future and continually reassess their progress.
Secondly, identifying resources is an essential part of the self-advocacy process. This can be done by teaching strategies on how to research companies, including how to identify diversity and inclusion initiatives on company websites, reading online company reviews, and connecting with employees through informational interviews. Questions they can use to guide their research process are: Is this company a place whose mission aligns with my values? Does the company walk the walk and not just talk the talk? As someone who is autistic, would I feel supported working here? What additional resource groups are available at this company? Additionally, during their college experience, various resources should be provided around disclosure guidance, requesting accommodations, and knowing legal rights under the ADA. The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is an excellent resource as the leading source of free, expert, confidential guidance on these topics. The organization helps individuals navigate the process of whether to disclose, how to go about doing so, when is the best time to do so, and to whom.
The last aspect of self-advocacy is ensuring that the student can communicate their needs effectively. At this stage, they have completed some initial reflection and identified resources. Students can practice communication in the classroom or in a workshop setting through role play, observation, writing assignments, extracurricular activities, internships, or on-campus work experiences. The more practice that they have in a structured environment, the more confident they will be as they begin to take initiative and hold these conversations independently in the workplace.
How This Translates Into the Workplace
Providing autistic college students with space to reflect, tools to identify resources, and ways to practice effective communication are all critical in helping them self-advocate and ultimately thrive in a workplace setting. Supporting students in self-advocacy teaches them to focus on what unique strengths they possess and how to be confident with their respective future employers. Specifically, students will be better prepared to successfully advocate for themselves by focusing on strengths and skill sets as they relate to preparing job application materials, navigating the disclosure process, and communicating their needs.
Through self-reflection and communication practice, students can be well-equipped to complete effective job application materials demonstrating the skills that they have previously identified. This can be in written materials such as a cover letter or resume and can also be demonstrated through the interview process. For example, they could highlight that as an autistic individual, they have excellent attention to detail and the ability to work with numbers, which they then could connect to the specific requirements of the job description. The self-reflection experiences and communication exercises they have had thus far will also help their confidence during the interview process and make stronger connections to the roles and to the companies they are seeking to work for.
Being aware of resources available to students once they enter the workforce will be beneficial in navigating the disclosure process, should they choose to do so. During their time in school, these resources were oftentimes provided or facilitated for them by a parent/caregiver. In the workplace setting, they will need to be the ones to initiate the communication and find the appropriate people to reach out to. Equipping them with knowledge about how and when they should disclose and having them practice requesting accommodations in the various examples discussed above will make them more likely to be confident and advocate for themselves in these situations.
As it relates to the workplace or professional setting, communication needs can be executed in a variety of different contexts – supervisor check-in, meetings with Human Resources, team meetings and projects, etc. Possessing a strong self-awareness will encourage students to be more confident in taking on projects that closely align with their skill set or even stepping up in a leadership role if working on a group project where they feel they can excel. On the other hand, in areas that they have previously identified as weaker, students might be more apt to seek out coursework or training to help them develop that skill. Similarly, they will be better prepared to advocate for themselves by asking their employer about professional development opportunities or projects they can work on that will help them develop skills in those areas.
These are just a few examples of how a student’s self-advocacy skills can be applied to a professional work setting and how this can be mutually beneficial to both the student and the employer.
Looking Forward
Frequently, the focus of conversations around helping autistic students is on how to navigate challenges and overcome barriers. Using a strengths-based approach still acknowledges that challenges exist. However, it shifts the focus to the unique skill set that autistic students bring to the workplace and the ways that we can help students articulate this.
This approach is simultaneously beneficial to both the student and employers. A team of experts led by Don Clifton conducted decades of data research from polls and interviews asking what makes a great leader. They found that one of the things that the most influential leaders do is invest in strengths. Focusing on and developing an individual’s strengths boosts engagement from 9% to an incredible 73% and leads to substantial gains for both employees and the organization (Rath & Conchie, 2009).
As providers, clinicians, support organizations, colleges, and employers, we all have a responsibility to make employment more equal. We can begin to do this by helping autistic students leverage their strengths and providing them with the self-advocacy tools to thrive in the workplace.
Liz Gallardo is the Candidate Success Advisor with Integrate Autism Employment Advisors. Integrate works with employers to help them launch and scale neurodiversity hiring initiatives by providing assessment, training & education, recruiting, and employment support services. For more information, visit Integrate’s website at www.integrateadvisors.org
Reference
Rath, T., & Conchie, B. (2009). Strengths-based leadership: Great leaders, teams, and why people follow. Gallup Press.
