Toward Workforce Integration: Enhancements in Adaptive Behaviors and Social Communication Skills Among Autistic Young Adults Following Vocational Training Course

Overview

Journal Front Psychol

Date 2024 Dec 26

PMID 39723396

Authors

Yael Lousky

Efrat Selanikyo

Gila Tubul-Lavy

Esther Ben-Itzchak

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Cognitively able autistic adults demonstrate low rates of employment due to social and vocational challenges. The current study aimed to examine changes in various areas among autistic young adults who participated in the 'Roim Rachok' ('Looking Ahead' in Hebrew) Training Course (RRTC). The course prepares young autistic adults for integration into military service as vocational soldiers.

Methods: The study included 49 autistic participants who completed the RRTC in one of three vocational fields: Digital ( = 19), Technical ( = 9), and Visual ( = 21). Evaluations at the beginning and end of the course included adaptive behavior (Adaptive Behavior Assessment Scale 2 Edition [ABAS-II]), autism symptom severity (Social Responsiveness Scale 2nd Edition [SRS-II]), and communication skills (Faux Pas; Empathy Quotient [EQ]; Friendship Quality Scale; Conversation task based on Yale Pragmatic Protocol [YiPP]).

Results: The results revealed a significant Time effect for the self-reported ABAS-II conceptual, social, and practical subdomains, EQ empathy quotient subdomain, Faux Pas, and SRS-II social communication interaction scores. Accordingly, participants reported increasing their adaptive skills, emotional empathy, and the ability to detect and interpret awkward statements, and decreased in their social communication interaction symptoms, following the RRTC. No significant Time x Group interaction was found for any of the examined measures, meaning similar trends were observed in all three vocational groups.

Conclusion: Following the RRTC, participants reported significant improvements in areas essential for their future integration as soldiers in the military and as employees in the vocational world. Implications of the study findings are discussed.

References

Stroud C, Walker L, Davis M, Irwin Jr C . Investing in the health and well-being of young adults. J Adolesc Health. 2015; 56(2):127-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.11.012. View

Gal E, Selanikyo E, Bar-Haim Erez A, Katz N . Integration in the Vocational World: How Does It Affect Quality of Life and Subjective Well-Being of Young Adults with ASD. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2015; 12(9):10820-32. PMC: 4586645. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph120910820. View

Chiang H, Cheung Y, Li H, Tsai L . Factors associated with participation in employment for high school leavers with autism. J Autism Dev Disord. 2012; 43(8):1832-42. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-012-1734-2. View

Roux A, Shattuck P, Cooper B, Anderson K, Wagner M, Narendorf S . Postsecondary employment experiences among young adults with an autism spectrum disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2013; 52(9):931-9. PMC: 3753691. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2013.05.019. View

Sung C, Connor A, Chen J, Lin C, Kuo H, Chun J . Development, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of an employment-related social skills intervention for young adults with high-functioning autism. Autism. 2018; 23(6):1542-1553. DOI: 10.1177/1362361318801345. View

Holwerda A, van der Klink J, Groothoff J, Brouwer S . Predictors for work participation in individuals with an Autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review. J Occup Rehabil. 2012; 22(3):333-52. DOI: 10.1007/s10926-011-9347-8. View

Wehman P, Schall C, McDonough J, Sima A, Brooke A, Ham W . Competitive Employment for Transition-Aged Youth with Significant Impact from Autism: A Multi-site Randomized Clinical Trial. J Autism Dev Disord. 2019; 50(6):1882-1897. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-03940-2. View

Baker-Ericzen M, Fitch M, Kinnear M, Jenkins M, Twamley E, Smith L . Development of the Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills program for adults on the autism spectrum: Results of initial study. Autism. 2017; 22(1):6-19. PMC: 6008161. DOI: 10.1177/1362361317724294. View

Dean E, Hagiwara M, Shogren K, Wehmeyer M, Shrum J . Promoting Career Design in Youth and Young Adults with ASD: A Feasibility Study. J Autism Dev Disord. 2021; 52(6):2689-2700. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05146-x. View

10.

Connor A, Fabrizi S, Nasamran A, Sung C . Near-Peer Facilitation of a Soft Skills Program for Young Adults With Autism. Am J Occup Ther. 2022; 76(4). DOI: 10.5014/ajot.2022.048207. View

11.

Wei X, Yu J, Shattuck P, McCracken M, Blackorby J . Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) participation among college students with an autism spectrum disorder. J Autism Dev Disord. 2012; 43(7):1539-46. PMC: 3620841. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-012-1700-z. View

12.

Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S . The empathy quotient: an investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism, and normal sex differences. J Autism Dev Disord. 2004; 34(2):163-75. DOI: 10.1023/b:jadd.0000022607.19833.00. View

13.

Zalla T, Sav A, Stopin A, Ahade S, Leboyer M . Faux pas detection and intentional action in Asperger Syndrome. A replication on a French sample. J Autism Dev Disord. 2008; 39(2):373-82. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-008-0634-y. View

14.

Frank F, Jablotschkin M, Arthen T, Riedel A, Fangmeier T, Holzel L . Education and employment status of adults with autism spectrum disorders in Germany - a cross-sectional-survey. BMC Psychiatry. 2018; 18(1):75. PMC: 5870494. DOI: 10.1186/s12888-018-1645-7. View

15.

Farley M, McMahon W, Fombonne E, Jenson W, Miller J, Gardner M . Twenty-year outcome for individuals with autism and average or near-average cognitive abilities. Autism Res. 2009; 2(2):109-18. DOI: 10.1002/aur.69. View

16.

Oswald T, Winder-Patel B, Ruder S, Xing G, Stahmer A, Solomon M . A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the ACCESS Program: A Group Intervention to Improve Social, Adaptive Functioning, Stress Coping, and Self-Determination Outcomes in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord. 2017; 48(5):1742-1760. PMC: 5889958. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3421-9. View

17.

Black M, Mahdi S, Milbourn B, Scott M, Gerber A, Esposito C . Multi-informant International Perspectives on the Facilitators and Barriers to Employment for Autistic Adults. Autism Res. 2020; 13(7):1195-1214. DOI: 10.1002/aur.2288. View

18.

Christensen D, Bilder D, Zahorodny W, Pettygrove S, Durkin M, Fitzgerald R . Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among 4-Year-Old Children in the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2015; 37(1):1-8. DOI: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000235. View

19.

Wehman P, Schall C, Avellone L, McDonough J, Whittenburg H, Dubois T . Effects of a 9-Month Military-Base Internship on the Competitive Integrated Employment of Military Dependent and Connected Youth with ASD. J Autism Dev Disord. 2022; 53(9):3525-3541. PMC: 9218705. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05634-8. View

20.

Gorenstein M, Giserman-Kiss I, Feldman E, Isenstein E, Donnelly L, Wang A . Brief Report: A Job-Based Social Skills Program (JOBSS) for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. J Autism Dev Disord. 2020; 50(12):4527-4534. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04482-8. View