Workplace Social Challenges Experienced by Employees on the Autism Spectrum: An International Exploratory Study Examining Employee and Supervisor Perspectives

• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04662-6
• Publication Date: 2020-08-18T05:02:56Z
• Authors: Simon M. Bury; Rebecca L. Flower; Rosslynn Zulla; David B. Nicholas; Darren Hedley
• Keywords: Adult; Employment; Male; Internationality; Autism Spectrum Disorder; 05 social sciences; 170199 Psychology not elsewhere classified; Middle Aged; Social psychology; Social Skills; FOS: Psychology; Forensic psychology; Personality and individual differences; Other psychology not elsewhere classified; 8. Economic growth; Humans; Female; 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences; Workplace; Personality, Social and Criminal Psychology

Social challenges represent a significantly under-researched area when it comes to the poor employment outcomes in autism. In this exploratory study employees on the autism spectrum (N = 29) and supervisors (N = 15), representing seven continents, provided 128 written examples of workplace-based social challenges, their interpretation, consequences and resolution. Content analysis revealed that types of social challenges were individually oriented or associated with the work-environment. Social challenges were frequently attributed to internal or personal factors with direct consequences for the employee. Resolutions were more frequently targeted toward the individual than the workplace, and hindered employees’ experience of work. This international study represents a first look at the types of social challenges that impact equitable work participation of autistic people.