Trajectories of Competitive Employment of Autistic Adults through Late Midlife

Autor: Emily J. Hickey, Leann Smith DaWalt, Jinkuk Hong, Julie Lounds Taylor, Marsha R. Mailick
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Healthcare, Vol 12, Iss 2, p 265 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 12020265
2227-9032
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12020265
Popis: Autistic adults experience challenges in maintaining employment; however, little is known about patterns of competitive employment through late midlife. This longitudinal study examined the change in hours of competitive employment for a cohort of autistic adults over a 22-year period. The study’s aims were to provide a fine-grained analysis of competitive employment patterns, to determine whether there was age-related change, and to test whether trajectories differed between those with and without intellectual disability (ID). Using an accelerated longitudinal design, trajectories of hours of competitive employment were estimated from young adulthood through late midlife in a community-based cohort (n = 341; 1327 observations). Results indicated a significant curvilinear trajectory of age-related change in hours of competitive employment, with differences between those with and without ID. For those without ID, the number of competitive employment hours increased from young adulthood until early midlife, then leveled off and decreased into late midlife. For those with ID, engagement in competitive employment was low throughout. Although competitive employment is just one option for vocational engagement, it is a goal often articulated by autistic adults who seek entry into the general workforce. The present research reveals their degree of engagement in the competitive workforce across the decades of adulthood.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals