An Employer's Guide to Managing Professionals on the Autism Spectrum

An Employer's Guide to Managing Professionals on the Autism Spectrum
Author: Integrate
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2017-08-21
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1784505137

Employees with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may be hugely beneficial to a workforce, but it can be difficult for individuals with no formal training to manage these employees successfully. This definitive guide will help managers and colleagues successfully interact with and support these professionals on the autism spectrum so as to ensure mutual success. Integrate Autism Employment Advisors use their experience advising employers on how to successfully employ professionals on the autism spectrum to identify the everyday challenges faced by employees with ASD in the workplace and sets out reasonable, practical solutions for their managers and colleagues. Barriers to productivity are highlighted, such as the sensory environment, miscommunication, and inadequate training of colleagues. Easy-to-implement strategies to adapt the working environment are provided, such as agreeing on non-verbal cues to signal ending a conversation or establishing parameters for appropriate email length. This book is an essential resource for anyone who works with professionals on the autism spectrum. It will allow them to engage with and support their colleagues on the autism spectrum in a respectful way and help them achieve a greater level of working success.

The Neurodivergent Job Candidate

The Neurodivergent Job Candidate
Author: Marcia Scheiner
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 144
Release: 2021-11-10
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1000473031

This book provides guidance on recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding practices that will allow employers to successfully hire neurodivergent professionals into inclusive, competitive employment. Today, 35% of 18-year-olds with an autism spectrum diagnosis attend college, yet they have a 75–85% under-employment and unemployment rate after graduation. While organizations are looking to expand their diversity and inclusion hiring efforts to include neurodivergent professionals, current recruiting and interviewing practices in general are not well-suited to this. With over one-third of the US population identifying as neurodivergent, employers need to address how to attract this talent pool to take advantage of a meaningful segment of the workforce. Readers of this book will gain an understanding of how to guide their organizations through the creation of recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding processes tailored to neurodivergent professionals in any field. Written by authors with extensive experience working in the corporate world and consulting with Fortune 1000 companies on autism hiring efforts, this book is targeted at employers, acknowledging their perspective. Structured as a reference guide for busy recruiters, hiring managers, and supervisors, this book can be read in its entirety, in relevant sections as needed, or used as a refresher whenever necessary. This book also provides a background on the thinking styles of autistic individuals, giving the reader a deeper understanding of how to best support neurodivergent jobseekers.

Asperger's Syndrome Workplace Survival Guide

Asperger's Syndrome Workplace Survival Guide
Author: Barbara Bissonnette
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2013-04-28
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0857008072

The workplace can be a difficult environment for people with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) and this often impedes their ability to make use of particular skills and sustain meaningful and fulfilling employment. This is the definitive guide to surviving and thriving in the workplace for people with AS. It includes everything from realistic strategies for meeting employer expectations, to how to get along with your colleagues and work as part of a team, multitask and manage projects, and handle anxiety and effectively resolve problems. Common employment challenges are illustrated through examples from the author's extensive experience coaching individuals with AS at all job levels, from entry-level to manager and professional positions. The pragmatic recommendations in the book will benefit anyone with AS who is entering the workforce, as well as those who struggle to maintain employment, or who want to improve their performance and advance their careers.

The Complete Guide to Getting a Job for People with Asperger's Syndrome

The Complete Guide to Getting a Job for People with Asperger's Syndrome
Author: Barbara Bissonnette
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2012-11-15
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0857006924

Finding a job is a confusing and anxiety-provoking process for many individuals with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) who may not know what they are qualified to do and may struggle to communicate their value to employers. In this book, Asperger's employment expert Barbara Bissonnette describes exactly what it takes to get hired in the neurotypical workplace. Every aspect of finding employment is covered, from defining strengths and researching occupations, to marketing oneself and projecting confidence and enthusiasm in interviews. Job-hunters are taught how to develop a personal profile of their talents and skills, their ideal work environment, and important work criteria. They are then shown how to set realistic goals and develop an effective job search plan. There is detailed instruction on networking, including how to find contacts and what to say. A wealth of checklists, templates, sample scripts and written communications accompany the text. Upfront, engaging and highly practical, this will be an essential guide for individuals with AS entering the workforce for the first time, as well as experienced workers who have lost jobs or wish to change careers but are uncertain about how to find the best match for their abilities.

The Autism Full Employment Act

The Autism Full Employment Act
Author: Michael Bernick
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2021-06-08
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1510767339

Impactful and integral to our economic recovery after the pandemic, The Autism Full Employment Act will rebuild and improve autism employment programs. Employment remains the issue today for many adults with autism. During the pandemic of 2020, authors Michael Bernick and Dr. Lou Vismara, along with other adults with autism, practitioners, and advocates, set out to develop an Autism Full Employment Act. At the time, the national economy was decimated, and it was clear that it would need to be rebuilt, starting in 2021 and beyond. The Act is an attempt not only to rebuild autism employment programs, but also to address the limitations and short­comings of the current system. The Autism Full Employment Act shows how there can be a place in the job world for the wide range of adults with autism, ADHD, and other learning and mental health differ­ences—many of whom are not employed today. Bernick and Dr. Vismara review the autism employment initiatives in recent years among major employers, state and local governments, autism-focused businesses, and autism transi­tion programs, and present strategies to build on these initiatives. They set out more fully the meanings of “autism talent advantage,” “autism friendly workplace,” and “employment for the more severely impacted.” Six broad strategy areas are explored. Interspersed with these six strategy areas are notes on related issues of “professionalizing the direct support workforce,” “transitions,” and “comorbidities.” Bernick and Dr. Vismara end by considering why no government action or pro­gram can replace the employment journey of each adult with autism, but how instead the Act can hasten these journeys.

Autism Works

Autism Works
Author: Adam Feinstein
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 481
Release: 2018-07-17
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1351252321

People with autism are being left behind today, with only 16 per cent in full-time employment. This inspiring book addresses the lack of understanding of the wonderful contributions people across the autism spectrum can make to the workplace, drawing attention to this vast untapped human resource. Employers who create supportive workplaces can enhance their companies by making use of the talents of people with autism while also helping to produce a more inclusive and tolerant society, and people with autism can themselves benefit materially and emotionally from improved employment opportunities. Packed with real-life case studies examining the day-to-day working lives of people across the autism spectrum in a wide variety of careers, this book provides constructive solutions for both employers seeking to improve their workplaces and for individuals with autism considering their employment options. It dispels popular myths about autism, such as that everyone is good at IT, and crucially tackles the potential job opportunities available across the spectrum, including for those who have no language at all. It also highlights the neglected area of gender differences in the workplace and the costs of autistic females’ ability to 'camouflage' their condition. This book is a must-read for parents, employers and adults with autism, and for anyone interested in the present and future of people with autism in the workplace who will benefit from the positive message that employing autistic people is not an act of charity but one that makes sound economic sense.

Autism in the Workplace

Autism in the Workplace
Author: Amy E. Hurley-Hanson
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 278
Release: 2019-11-15
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 3030290492

This book explores the career experiences of Generation A, the half-million individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who will reach adulthood in the next decade. With Generation A eligible to enter the workforce in unprecedented numbers, research is needed to help individuals, organizations, and educational institutions to work together to create successful work experiences and career outcomes for individuals with ASD. Issues surrounding ASD in the workplace are discussed from individual, organizational, and societal perspectives. This book also examines the stigma of autism and how it may affect the employment and career experiences of individuals with ASD. This timely book provides researchers, practitioners, and employers with empirical data that examines the work and career experiences of individuals with ASD. It offers a framework for organizations committed to hiring individuals with ASD and enhancing their work experiences and career outcomes now and in the future.

The Neurodiverse Workplace

The Neurodiverse Workplace
Author: Victoria Honeybourne
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2019-12-19
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1787750345

Estimates suggest that up to 20% of employees, customers and clients might have a neurodivergent condition - such as dyslexia, autism, Asperger's, ADHD or dyspraxia - yet these individuals often struggle to gain and maintain employment, despite being very capable. This practical, authoritative business guide will help managers and employers support neurodiverse staff, and gives advice on how to ensure workplaces are neuro-friendly. The book demonstrates that neurodiversity is a natural aspect of human variation to be expected and accepted, rather than a deficit to be accommodated. Employer responsibilities are highlighted, including the 2010 Equality Act, and a range of strategies and policies are provided, including recruitment advice and the benefits of neurodiverse employees, along with advice on physical environments, interaction and communication, and working with clients and customers. This book is an ideal resource for all employers wanting to support and empower people with specific needs to help create a more inclusive workplace, benefiting both neurodiverse individuals and the companies employing them.

Autism Equality in the Workplace

Autism Equality in the Workplace
Author: Janine Booth
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2016-04-21
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1784501972

Neurodiversity in the workplace can be a gift. Yet only 15% of adults with an autism spectrum condition (ASC) are in full-time employment. This book examines how the working environment can embrace autistic people in a positive way. The author highlights common challenges in the workplace for people with ASC, such as discrimination and lack of communication or the right kind of support from managers and colleagues, and provides strategies for changing them. Setting out practical, reasonable adjustments such as a quiet room or avoiding disruption to work schedules, this book demonstrates how day to day changes in the workplace can make it more inclusive and productive for all employees. Autism in the Workplace is intended for any person with an interest in changing working culture to ensure equality for autistic people. It is an essential resource for employers, managers, trade unionists, people with ASCs and their workmates and supporters.