The primary goal of this training is to identify things that you can do to help your employees or co-workers with autism become successful at your work site.

Objectives include: Understanding the benefits of employing

individuals with autism, Understanding the characteristics of autism,

and Being familiar with strategies that help

successful employment

Note: the word autism will be used throughout this training as a general term for all autism spectrum disorders including Asperger Syndrome

Tax incentivesSupported employment

Many individuals with autism are eligible to receive support in the form of job coaching until they learn the job responsibilities.

This support, which can be provided directly at the work site, is at no cost to the employer.

Job coaches can teach new employees the specific job tasks as well as work rules and routines.

General traits that make individuals with autism good employees include: Individuals with autism frequently follow

rules and are often very reliable. They often enjoy tasks that may demand

extra concentration or attention to detail. When there is a good fit, these employees

tend to stay and do not change jobs frequently.

They try very hard to fit in (although social skills can be a challenge).

Last, it’s the right thing to do.

What causes autism? Although the specific reason is still

unknown, we know it is biologically caused Genetics also play a strong role Individuals with autism have higher rates of

such things as premature birth, problems before and during birth, infections, allergies and gastrointestinal problems

Scientists believe that there are differences in the parts of the brain that control social and emotional behavior

Autism is not caused by emotional trauma

How common is autism? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

estimates that 1 out of every 88 children will be identified as having autism

The boy to girl ratio is about 5 to 1 Autism is seen in 1 of every 54 births in boys Autism is seen in 1 of every 252 births in girls

Autism is seen across all races, ethnic groups, and income levels

According to the Pennsylvania Census Report, there will be approximately 20,000 adults living with autism in Pennsylvania by the year 2020.

How does autism impact all of us?

Because of its increased rates, almost all of us have been touched by knowing someone with autism

Increasing rates of adults with autism will lead to more of these individuals in the work force.

Autism is a “Spectrum” Disorder The characteristics of autism vary greatly

from individual to individual. For example:

Some individuals are able to hold an extended conversation; some are unable to talk

Some individuals greatly enjoy the company of others; some will actively avoid interacting with others

Some can learn new tasks very quickly; some will need extra practice and guidance with new tasks

Some individuals have earned Ph.D.s and other types of advanced degrees; some do not know how to read

Next, we are going to review specific characteristics related to: Communication, Social interaction, and Sensory input

An individual with autism will have differences in these areas, but these differences will vary greatly.

Additionally, each individual will have some but not all of the following characteristics.

Expressive Communication Challenges communicating thoughts or needs

to others, including: Tending to only want to talk about topics that interests

them; having trouble commenting or asking questions Difficulty expressing their emotions or discomfort Using “echoic” speech; immediately or delayed Not using gestures, facial expressions or body language in

the right ways Not being able to talk, but using other forms of

communication Only communicating when they need something

Just because someone can talk doesn’t mean they can communicate everything they need to express

Receptive Communication Challenges in understanding the

communication of others, such as: Abstract concepts and/or humor,

sarcasm Gestures, body language, facial

expressions Written forms of communication

(memos, directions, emails, texts) Spoken directions, questions, and/or

comments

Social interaction and related issues, including challenges in:

Feeling very nervous in social situations

Understanding others’ perspectives and feelings

Understanding social rules and how to use manners

Establishing and/or maintaining eye contact with others

Social interaction and related issues, including challenges in: Initiating interactions with others Responding to others’ social

behaviors (greetings, answering questions, having a conversation)

Avoiding interactions with others whenever possible (mostly preferring to be alone)

Sensory input challenges, including: Difficulty with loud and/or chaotic environments Difficulty with certain types of lighting, sounds,

textures, room temperatures, and/or smells An under- or over-reaction to touch and/or pain Engaging in repetitive behavior (like strange

hand gestures, tapping on an object, facial grimaces, or repeating a phrase over and over)

Let’s look at a few brief video vignettes

When watching, look for some of the characteristics that we have discussed.

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/BwpqdEPAiPI

So what did you see?Capable workersDiversity in skills and

characteristicsAbility to communicate through

ways other than speechSome limited eye contactSome repetitive and unusual

behaviors

The remainder of the training will be discussing strategies that help workers with autism be successful at work

These tips will be broken down into three areas: Communication Social Sensory and environmental

Strategies to help with communication: Break down tasks into smaller steps

Avoid long verbal directions; use the following instead: Short and concrete directions Written or picture instructions Live or video models (i.e., “Show me

what I need to do.”)

Strategies to help with communication: Help with organization of the day:

Create predictable and stable routines Use written or picture schedules and task

sequences Let the individual know about changes in

routines in advance Provide visual reminders of expectations and

job duties (post-its; To Do Lists) Make sure that your employee can ask for the

following: help; a break; clarification about the tasks

Consider using technology to achieve the above goals

Strategies to help with socialization:

Frequent feedback, praise, and guidance

Know your employee’s (or co-worker’s) preferences and interests

For some, avoid jobs that require frequent and/or complex interactions with others

Strategies to help with socialization:

Provide a short list of work place rules that includes social expectations

Provide reminders about social behaviors, especially right before they are needed

Consider assigning a co-worker as a mentor; ask other co-workers to help as well

Environmental and sensory strategies: Avoid work environments that are chaotic, loud,

and/or have a lot of visual “clutter”

If an employee is bothered by sounds, consider letting them use white noise (like a fan), music with ear buds, or noise-reducing headphones

Use office dividers to cut down on visual stimulation

If lighting is a problem, consider alternative lighting

Let’s watch Jonathan’s Video- provided by the ASA’s Oakland County

Chapter

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/1UaYq9Y5wHk

What supports did we see?

Initial job coaching (that was faded over time)

Stable and predictable routinesAdvance warnings regarding

changes in routinesVisual aids (e.g., signs with stock

numbers)Reduced need for social

interactions

Addressing behaviors that interfere with success at work Using the strategies previously discussed will help a

great deal, but sometimes interfering behaviors will still occur

Common causes of these types of behaviors can include: Frustration caused by not fully understanding

expectations or how to do a task Frustration caused by not being able to communicate

needs A need for more or less stimulation in the environment

(social interactions, noise levels, visual clutter, and so on) Finding certain tasks very unpleasant Not feeling well

Understanding why a behavior occurs: questions to ask What is happening in the

environment before a behavior occurs?

Does a behavior occur more at certain times? During certain tasks? In specific locations?

When does the behavior rarely occur? What happens immediately after the

behavior occurs?

Once you understand why a behavior is occurring, you can make changes that will help:

Provide a better way to teach the task and to understand expectations (using visual supports; break the task down even more)

Provide a way to better communicate needs and/or discomfort

Once you understand why a behavior is occurring, you can make changes that will help:

Change the work environment: provide more praise, reduce noise levels, reduce visual clutter or contact with others, and so on

Change the work schedule or assigned tasks; provide some choices in work tasks when possible; provide additional breaks; create stable routines

Let’s look at some success stories

in Pennsylvaniahttp://youtube.go

ogleapis.com/v/QEvLA5ktiys

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/-1oNcLu7Rgs

As time goes on, you will see many more individuals with autism in community work sites

With your support, these individuals will become excellent employees

While you’ll have much to offer these individuals, you’ll also find that they will bring qualities to your work site that can be enriching and inspiring

How can you get some help at your work site if needed? If you are not a manager or business owner, first

discuss your concerns with your supervisor If you are supervisor or business owner, additional

help can be obtained by visiting the paautism.org website and clicking on the “Email us” link

Thanks so much for participating in our training and for your continued support

To finish the training, please take a few minutes to complete the trainee survey and post-training test