Competitive Employment for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Early Results from a Randomized Clinical Trial

• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-013-1892-x
• Publication Date: 2013-07-26T11:50:55Z
• Authors: Paul H. Wehman; Carol M. Schall; Jennifer McDonough; John Kregel; Valerie Brooke; Alissa Molinelli; Whitney Ham; Carolyn W. Graham; J. Erin Riehle; Holly T. Collins; Weston Thiss
• Keywords: Employment; Male; Competitive Behavior; Schools; Adolescent; 4. Education; 05 social sciences; 1. No poverty; 3. Good health; Young Adult; 03 medical and health sciences; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Education, Special; 8. Economic growth; Humans; Female; 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences; 0305 other medical science; 10. No inequality

For most youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), employment upon graduation from high school or college is elusive. Employment rates are reported in many studies to be very low despite many years of intensive special education services. This paper presented the preliminary results of a randomized clinical trial of Project SEARCH plus ASD Supports on the employment outcomes for youth with ASD between the ages of 18-21 years of age. This model provides very promising results in that the employment outcomes for youth in the treatment group were much higher in non-traditional jobs with higher than minimum wage incomes than for youth in the control condition. Specifically, 21 out of 24 (87.5 %) treatment group participants acquired employment while 1 of 16 (6.25 %) of control group participants acquired employment.