Autism Employment Questions We Should Not Have to Ask in 2016?

Written by Steve Thomas, M.Sc.

Lately there has been much interest in autism employment (some suggest as low as 15-35%) and what makes autistics good employees but what many still don’t discuss is why all the positives of autism do not translate into more paid employment. Personally I would argue that we need to consider  disability, accessibility and autism-friendly workplace specific questions again in 2016 to see if answers change or emerge. Potential questions include:

1. If employers are discovering autism employee benefits for themselves*, why are specialist autism recruiters still hiring more autistic people for STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) positions?
2. Assuming that no selection bias is occurring, why are online psychometrics and paper-based applications still being used rather than alternative application mediums (scenario/problem solving tasks, personal projects, skills portfolios or brainstorming presentations etc.)?
3. Is inclusive recruiting really as unbiased as assumed or more synonymous with exclusion and correcting divisions?
4. If employers know what environments disadvantage physically impaired people, why are workplace adjustments not considered for hidden impairments until hiring or interview stages?
5. How do disability and equal opportunity employment laws actually affect autistics seeking employment, based upon the success numbers only?
6. Why are more autism employment pathways (mentors, job trials, alternative assessments, internships etc.) still not exist outside STEM fields, if autistic individuals are such valuable assets?

For once I thought it might more helpful to let others consider how they might answer such questions (either as comments or ponderences) as employers, colleagues, recruiters, managers or as employees.

*Autism positive traits may include: consciousness, attention to detail, unique problem solving abilities, extended memory, inclinations to keep re-training on specialist topics, autonomous working, structured thinking, time management.

As always I welcome comments, personal stories, re-sharing, Tweeting or direct conversations (either by email or social media).

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