People diagnosed with autism are dealing with high unemployment rates.

Autism Diagnoses – how it begins

About half of the people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are diagnosed before they reach 5 years old. Some 20% are diagnosed before they reach the age of 2. Of the remaining 50% most are diagnosed before they reach the age of 10. So it’s rare for an adult to receive a diagnosis of ASD. But it does happen. An article over at the mighty deals with the author’s own adult ASD diagnosis and why anyone would bother seeking such a diagnosis as an adult.

For a long time, I had difficulty answering a question that centered around the fact I received an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis at the age of 30. It’s a question I get on a regular basis: “Why would anyone would seek an ASD diagnosis as an adult? If you’ve made it that far, what’s the point?

Finding the right response has been tough because people asking this can have a wide variety of intentions. Some people are simply curious. Some are skeptical. Other people are asking for themselves; they feel they may be on the spectrum and are sincerely interested in finding out whether or not they should pursue a diagnosis.

The Lack of Empathy Adults With ASD Often Face

The fact that the author finds so many people willing to question his or her motives is a curious thing in and of itself. After all, being supportive would be a much better and more helpful response. Unfortunately, the author’s experience is indicative of a general lack of empathy people with ASD often face from other members of society. In fact, a quick search of the internet reveals just how many people there are who insist ASD in an imaginary disorder. It’s more than a little disturbing.

Why Autism Is Not “Imaginary” for Adults Living With ASD

For adults living with ASD there is nothing imaginary about their situation. Even if they’ve developed coping mechanisms that enabled them to reach adulthood before getting a proper diagnosis chances are those coping mechanisms did just as much harm as good. An overwhelming majority are unable to find employment and those that do, even if they have a high degree of specialized training, often find themselves forced to accept menial jobs. For families that have a child with ASD the picture is no brighter:

• ASD behavioral intervention alone can run as much as $100,000 per year per child.
• Average medical costs for those same children exceed $10,000 per year.
• When those children grow up there is little chance they’ll be able to contribute significantly to their own support.

The Financial Reality of Autism for Individuals and Families

It is estimated that the lifetime cost of dealing with ASD, even for those without a significant intellectual disability, is well over $1 million. And you can double that amount if there is an intellectual disability involved. When you consider that average person who works until they’re 65 will make something like $1.5 million in their lifetime you can see why so many with ASD depend on the often life-saving financial relief provided by the Disability Tax Credit.

Employment Challenges for People Diagnosed With Autism

People suffering from autism are finding it more and more difficult to find jobs after finishing their education. Despite applying to hundreds of job adverts, it is not only difficult to get calls but also difficult to pass the interview process. Sometimes, just sharing the fact that one is diagnosed with autism can reduce the chances of getting employment despite being qualified for the job.

A recent article in the Washington Post by Abigail Abrams shines a light on how difficult is it for people with autism to get jobs and how some programs by the big corporations can help deal with this issue. Take a read of this excerpt from the article which looks at the issues faced by Gloria Mendoza, who despite having a college degree finds it hard to get a full-time job.

Gloria Mendoza is a typical 24-year-old. She has a college degree in computer science and music, she enjoys going to baseball games and movie nights, and she wants to find a fulfilling career. But after finishing school in 2014, Mendoza spent more than a year applying for jobs, with little success.

She lived with her parents and worked in temporary positions while sending out résumés, but she rarely heard back. When she did, Mendoza said, her autism made it difficult to make it past an interview. Like many people with autism, she might answer questions slowly, share a blunt observation that other applicants would temper, or miss social cues. Traditional job-interview questions such as asking for strengths and weaknesses left her feeling overwhelmed.

Moving people with autism into the workforce

Big corporations such as SAP have created programs to help get people with autism onto their workforce. One such program is SAP’s Autism at Work where lessons are taught on technical skills as well as social skills. These types of programs are helping people with autism get into the workforce and also get the social skills needed to succeed.

However, the unfortunate thing is that it only helps a small percentage of people suffering from autism. The main issue is the lack of support offered after someone passes through the education system. There is a set expectation that if you can pass the education system, you should be good enough to go out and get a job. However, it’s not always as easy as it seems for people suffering from autism. Take a read at this excerpt from the article to understand the issue further.

“When people hit 21, they call it a cliff. The services really do fall off, particularly for individuals who have gone to college, because I think the expectation is that, ‘Well you’ve made it through college, getting a job should be the easy part,’ ” said Marcia Scheiner, who runs a program based in New York to help adults with Asperger’s syndrome — a mild kind of autism — find competitive jobs.

The 2014 report found that two-thirds of young people with autism did not move on to employment or other education in the first two years after leaving high school, and for more than a third, this continued into their 20s. Young adults with autism were also more likely to be unemployed than their peers with other disabilities. Employment data is scarce for autistic individuals, but researchers have estimated that between 70 and 90 percent of autistic people are unemployed or underemployed nationally.

Why Post-Education Support Matters for Autistic Adults

As you can see, for people diagnosed with autism, after they pass through the education system, the amount of support offered is drastically reduced. This leads to people not being able to find a steady job despite being educated and qualified.

Why Helping Autistic People Enter the Workforce Benefits Everyone

According to recent research, autism costs the United States as much as $367 billion in productivity and medical expenses. The best way to reduce this cost is to help move people with autism from the education system into the workforce. Programs from SAP are a step in the right direction. However, this needs to be done on a larger scale. There is a lot of talent and dedication out there in people diagnosed with autism, it is now up to the companies to realize this and give them a chance to show them their talents. This will eventually lead to a change in perspective in our society and educated and qualified people diagnosed with autism will not have to deal with unemployment.

How Disability Credit Canada Helps With the Disability Tax Credit

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