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Ageing and autism

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Ageing and autism

Over the last decade, we have seen an increasing number of mature adults seeking confirmation of autism in their developmental history and profile of abilities. This has provided an opportunity to explore ageing and autism using a cross-sectional approach, that is the expression of autism within specific decades and a longitudinal approach by regularly seeing some autistic adults over several decades. Research has also recently been conducted on ageing and autism using semi-structured interviews. A study by Wake, Endlich and Lagos (2021) included 150 research participants with an age range from 50 to 80 years. Tony has been an associate advisor to a PhD study that used a detailed analysis of ten autistic adults aged from 53 to 74 years (Ommensen et al). In this blog, we examine autism and ageing based on both research and our extensive clinical experience.

Autistic adults over the age of 50, colloquially known as the Baby Boomers, were unable to benefit during their childhood and adolescence from our current range of support programmes at school and home that improve social understanding and friendships skills, as well as develop a positive sense of self.  They have also not had access in their early adult years to therapy specifically designed to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression in autistic adults and they missed out on the environmental and attitude adaptations that we now have to support autistic adults at work. It is interesting that despite a lack of understanding and support throughout their life, some mature autistic adults have achieved a successful and enjoyable quality of life and well-being that will be valuable information for those designing interventions and support for future generations.

Recognition of autism late in life

Our clinical experience is that recognition of autism later in life is a positive experience, with research confirming that nearly 80% of participants feel a sense of relief and being liberated, as illustrated in the following quotations from Wake, Endlich and Lagos (2021) study.

“I felt I didn’t have to blame myself any more for being me … at least not so much.”

“It was so nice to have a name for it!  And it allowed me to join a support group and start learning more about myself, as well as being clearer about which aspects of being on the spectrum I could work on and which I would just have to live with.”

Most research participants in the study felt relieved and better about themselves following confirmation of being autistic but upset that they had lived such a great part of their lives without knowing. The overwhelming majority recognized they were different to their peers during early childhood (95%) but without knowing why. They were often intellectually able students but had miserable experiences at school. It seems that the greatest distress came from not just being different, but from not having words or concepts to express their autism or someone to confirm the pattern of autistic characteristics. All research participants regretted not having their autism confirmed earlier in life.

After the recognition of autism in their mature years, there were changes in terms of feeling better about themselves (67%) and making sense of who they are. There was a reduction in self-blame, restructuring their lives based on strengths and abilities and finding support communities. There was also less inclined to engage in camouflaging autism (Bradley et al 2021).  There were also beneficial effects on mental health as expressed by one research participant who said:

“My depression lifted without medication”.

Coping reactions over time

Attwood (2007) described two internalizing and two externalizing reactions to autism that can be recognised in childhood that can extend into the adult years. The two internalizing reactions can be depression and escape into imagination or academics. The two externalizing reactions are denial of being different and suppressing autistic characteristics and creating a social mask (camouflaging). Wake, Endlich and Lagos (2021) found that these coping strategies were more common in adolescence and early adulthood, but gradually reduced in midlife. This was probably due to using other coping strategies such as self-acceptance and a positive perception of autism. There were also improvements in understanding social situations, less need for rigid routines and time alone and being bullied and teased less often. Our clinical experience confirms the change in coping reactions over time.

Social abilities

Our clients have described having a gradual improvement in social abilities and number of friendships, which included having autistic friends after confirmation of their autism. There is a desire to connect with others intellectually and in the later years, a desire to help other autistic adults. However, socializing remains effortful and energy draining and a lifelong problem.

Ommensen and colleagues found that four out of five autistic adults described experiencing an improvement in social abilities in their mature years, but for one in five, these abilities declined. We speculate that improvement of social abilities may have been due to autistic adults using cognitive rather than intuitive abilities to process social information. A characteristic of ageing in later life is a reduced functioning of the frontal lobes which may explain their reported experience of a deterioration in social abilities.

Employment and relationships

Nearly 60% of the research participants in the Wake, Endlich and Lagos study (2021) indicated that autism had made employment difficult but 26% indicated that autism had helped them in their chosen careers. Our recent self-guided workbook Autism Working provides advice, strategies and activities to manage the difficulties that can arise at work for autistic adults (Garnett and Attwood 2022). We wrote the book with the knowledge that many autistic adults struggle to find and maintain work, despite having many qualities and abilities that are advantageous in the workplace.

A source of stress in the mature years was relationship difficulties, especially a perceived failure to meet the emotional needs of their partners. The Wake, Endlich and Lagos (2021) study found that 26% of participants described how they have never really been close to anyone. The study also found more diversity in sexual orientation for both genders than in the general population. This is consistent with our clinical experience.

Quality of life

There have been several research studies on the quality of life for autistic adults. McConachie et al (2009) confirmed that quality of life was associated with a positive autistic identity and other people’s understanding and acceptance of autism. Other factors affecting the quality of life included mental health issues, the nature of friendships and external support and services. Mason et al (2018) found that the quality of life was lower for autistic adults compared to the general population and that the positive predictors for quality of life were being employed, in a relationship, and receiving support. Negative predictors were mental health conditions and the severity of autistic characteristics.

Maja Toudal is a clinical psychologist and autistic colleague in Denmark. She conducted an internet survey asking autistic adults to describe their concept of quality of life and wellbeing. Their responses included:

To not be disturbed

Not having to act a certain way just because it is supposedly normal or appropriate

Having my own place to hide

Being able to express and be understood

Being able to excel in what you love to do

Space to pursue interests/hobbies

Daily engagement with special interests

Freedom from excess sensory pain/disturbance

Having a purpose in life

Accepting my autism and working with it to create harmony in my life instead of difficulties

It is interesting to note that a sense of wellbeing and quality of life was associated with reduced aversive sensory experiences and being able to engage in a special interest. This is important information when supporting an autistic adult.

The study of Wake, Endlich and Lagos (2021) found that there was an overall improvement in the quality of life for autistic adults after age 50, both in terms of effective coping strategies and improved mental health.

Mental health

Many research participants experienced mental health problems in their teenage years, but not understanding what they were going through at the time and not being able to effectively explain their thoughts and feelings to family and professionals. In the above study, over the age of 50, high levels of anxiety were reported by 74% of research participants and depression by 72%. In the same age range, suicidal thoughts were reported for 38% of participants. One in three of the research participants reported having post-traumatic stress disorder with a history of experiencing abuse in childhood and adolescence.

According to both the Ommensen et al study and that of Wake, Endlich and Lagos (2021) there was distrust and disdain for most forms of conventional treatment and health professionals, especially medical doctors. They felt they were not listened to or understood and unfairly judged and misrepresented, as illustrated in the following quotation.

“They were not interested in me. They’re interested in the drugs they can sell”.

An aversion to drugs was a common theme. Some participants had been prescribed medication for anxiety or depression but found them either unhelpful or the side effects off-putting.  There was also the issue of compliance in taking the medication as illustrated in the following quotation:

“She sent me off to see a psychiatrist and he told me … give me anti-depressants and I … said well, a. I don’t think I’m depressed, b. I’m still breastfeeding and c. you know, can we not talk about this? And he said if I wouldn’t take the antidepressants there was no point me seeing him. So that was the end of our visits. I didn’t take the antidepressants”.

Recovery from depression was slow and lengthy but the majority of participants reported that as they had grown older, they had experienced an improvement in their mental health. This was often due to discovering strategies themselves through identifying patterns in their experiences and emotional reactions and reading and experimentation rather than advice or therapy from health professionals. Several participants in the Ommensen et al study were of the view that psychological treatment was not worthwhile unless it was tailored to an autistic individual’s unique needs and circumstances. Since for most research participants professional help was not seen as a therapeutic option, alternative self-regulatory strategies were actively discovered and employed to regulate emotions. Some of these were maladaptive practices such as the use of alcohol, but most were positive.

Mindfulness, meditation, and spiritual and physical activities, such as gardening, were consistently mentioned as successful techniques for emotional self-regulation. These activities, and sometimes a combination of them, were typically enjoyed as calming solitary pursuits that had developed over the life span and were cited by several participants as important to helping them to achieve a sense of peace and emotional stability without the negative side-effects of medication.

Some conventional cognitive techniques were successful, such as positive self-talk

“I used to try and sort of gee myself up and say, “oh come on for goodness sake” you know you can manage this” and all that sort of thing.”

According to Ommensen et al, with time and life experience, participants had developed greater self-awareness and, ultimately, self-acceptance and self-forgiveness. Their positive appraisal of life left less room for negative emotions such as regret and guilt. The sub-theme of resilience was prevalent throughout the two studies. The participants conveyed stoicism and a lack of self-pity as they each described how they managed, with persistence and determination, a lifetime of mental health issues, relationship and employment difficulties, and feelings of difference and failure. This suggests that acceptance-based therapies would be particularly beneficial for autistic adults.

Medical issues

Research and clinical experience indicate that menopause can be a difficult time for autistic women with an increase in autistic characteristics and more meltdowns as illustrated in this quote: “During menopause I was on 3 meltdowns per week” (Mosely, Druce and Turner-Cobb 2020). Throughout life, there were concerns regarding insomnia or other sleep disorders, allergies and obesity.

There is ongoing research exploring whether there is an association between autism and early onset dementia (Vivanti et al 2021) and Parkinson’s disease (Croen et al 2015). Preliminary research indicates that there may be significantly increased rates of these two medical conditions in autistic adults.

Factors contributing to a positive outcome

Our clinical experience and research suggest that factors contributing to a positive outcome tend to be personal and interpersonal. Personal factors are self-acceptance and a lack of self-pity, such as the comment “I can look back now and cut myself a bit of slack” celebrating the qualities associated with autism and a positive outlook. This includes having a sense of humour, positive reframing, and less self-blame such as the comment:

“I used to think I could make people like me if I tried hard enough. Therefore if they didn’t like me, it was my fault”.

Another factor was discovering new enjoyable activities such as volunteer work and community groups and feeling there was less pressure to conform to society’s standards and focus on activities that brought pleasure and a sense of fulfilment. For many, life experience engendered resilience and, in later life, increased self-awareness and acceptance. Interpersonal factors include connecting with other autistic adults and development of autistic friendships and a sense of belonging.

As explained by Ommensen et al, relative to earlier life stages, later life in the typically developing population generally brings emotional stability and improved emotional wellbeing, reductions in mental health problems, contentment, and a positive outlook. It seems that this pattern is also reflected in the developmental trajectory of autistic adults. There is the potential for positive change in the mature years.

Where to from here?

On September 7 and 8 later this year, we will be conducting a live two-day Masterclass in Sydney: Diagnosis and Therapy for Autistic Adults. Day one will focus on assessing and confirming autism using a range of instruments based on research studies and our extensive clinical experience. The Masterclass will assist clinicians to recognise autism in a variety of presentations, assessing co-morbidity and differential diagnoses and will review the range of screening instruments and standardised assessments or scales. The second day will take the themes of this blog further, increasing the clinician’s knowledge of autism and how to modify therapy for a range of autistic clients.

Professionals can choose to attend live in Sydney, Australia, or via live webcast. The recorded training will be available for participants to view for 60 days after the event. The webcast will also eventually be posted in our library of webcasts that can be accessed for several months after the original date of webcasting.

References

Attwood T. (2007) The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome, London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Bradley et al (2021) Autism in Adulthood 3 320-329

Croen et al (2015) autism 19 814-823

Garnett and Attwood (2022) Autism Working: A Seven-Stage Plan to Thriving at Work London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Mason et al 2018 Autism Research 11, 1138-1147

McConachie et al 2020 Autism in Adulthood 2  4-12

Mosely, Druce and Turner-Cobb (2020) Autism 24 1423-1437

Ommensen, B. University of Queensland PhD thesis to be submitted

Vivanti et al (2021) Autism Research 1-11

Wake, Endlich and Lagos (2021) Older Autistic Adults in Their Own Words: The Lost Generation AAPC Publishing, Shawnee, KS.

How to address social challenges at work as an autistic adult

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How to address social challenges at work as an autistic adult

Introduction

The characteristics of autism include difficulty achieving social reciprocity, reading non-verbal communication and teamwork skills. This can lead to problems at work with social communication. Further difficulties can arise because autistic people tend to be primarily motivated to achieve work goals, for example, getting the job done to a high standard and finalizing the details, whereas typical people often focus to a greater extent on social goals, for example, relating to someone, being liked, receiving compliments, pleasing others etc. Both sets of goals are important and valid in a work setting, but these goals need to be balanced and appropriate for the work environment.

Problems can arise when an autistic person in the workplace does not realize their own role and contribution to social communication breakdowns, and when the work culture does not understand or embrace the characteristics and motivations of the autistic person. It is important at work to recognize that it takes two to make a social interaction successful and that successful social communication requires all participants in a social interaction to understand each other’s perspective, motivation, and social abilities. If you are autistic, or that person’s colleague or line manager, take a moment to consider any social communication difficulties at work. These are some potential social challenges.

What are the social challenges at work that autistic employees face

It is important for an autistic employee to identify their social difficulties at work. They can do this from both their own perspective and from feedback from work performance interviews and comments from colleagues. Social challenges commonly experienced by autistic adults include:

being able to ask for help when needed.

being able to offer strategies for repair of the interaction when communication breaks down.

being able to assertively manage workplace bullying.

understanding another person’s point of view or objectives.

taking a literal interpretation when this was not intended.

responding with conventional empathy.

recognising personal space.

knowing when to initiate and end a conversation.

understanding office politics, interpersonal dynamics, and social hierarchy.

recognising a ‘hidden agenda’ and someone intending to take credit for the autistic person’s work.

Autistic employees may also find other people at work socially challenging when:

they expect socialising beyond the capacity or endurance of the autistic person, e.g., more eye contact, social chit chat, talking about popular topics, self-disclosure etc.

they do not seem to appreciate an honest answer and being corrected.

they interrupt the autistic person’s concentration.

they do not seek to understand the autistic person’s point of view.

How to manage social challenges at work

Once the challenges are identified, the next stage is to create a social support network that may include a trusted colleague, appointed work mentor, line or HR manager, or family member to help see the social communication problem from another perspective and to suggest strategies to acquire specific social abilities.

It is important to decide what to tell each person in the support circle about any social communication difficulties depending on the person’s role in the circle, remembering that a person in the support circle can be invaluable in facilitating seeing the problem from another point of view, which then has good potential to lead to a solution.

Seeking support, advice and knowledge

The first strategy is to seek support. It can be stressful and challenging to experience social challenges at work, and the support and understanding of others can relieve the stress of having to cope alone.

Members of the social support circle may also be able to provide guidance, advice and knowledge. For example, it may help to acquire knowledge on social communication abilities such as learning how to improve the ability to read body language and being a member of a team.

Someone from the support circle may help identify the relevant social cues and context for a situation associated with social confusion or criticism. They may be able to see different perspectives and potential social communication breakdowns that can be repaired or avoided using their social advice. They are social mentors, and it is wise to seek their advice.

Another strategy is to acquire knowledge on social communication skills using the literature and Apps on reading body language. There is also literature on how to be a successful team member. It is not only autistic employees that benefit from improving social communication.

A member of the support team may be able to translate the perspective of the autistic employee to other team members. Autism is a case of double-theory of mind difficulty. Autistic employees may struggle to understand another person’s perspective, and equally the other person struggles to read and understand the autistic person. A translator who understands both perspectives can help.

Social scripts explaining autism

With an insight into problems with social communication and motivation to repair any problems, we have found that it is possible to use social scripts to manage a breakdown in social communication. Social scripts can be useful for most of the social communication difficulties associated with autism.

Consider the following questions based on potential difficulties in social situations, and with a social mentor, creating a script for each situation. It is important to consider how to communicate specific social communication difficulties to different people at work, for example, line manager or work colleagues. A social mentor may be able to provide some insight and advice.

Question 1: How could you communicate to your line manage that you prefer to be alone during lunch breaks and do not want to talk to your colleagues?

Potential script: To improve my work performance, I need to be refreshed by solitude during the lunch break. Socialising is not refreshing for me.

Question2: How could you communicate to your colleagues that you sometimes interrupt others during their conversation, but you do not mean to be rude or disrespectful?

Potential script: Sometimes I annoy people by interrupting them. It is because I have difficulty recognising the ‘not now’ signals. Please give me a hand signal to wait until you are ready to listen to what I have to say.

It will be worthwhile creating and rehearsing the social script for a specific social situation. This can clarify the intention of the communication so that it is clear and succinct and to consider appropriate facial expressions, tone of voice and body posture. It is also important after using a social script to debrief with a social mentor.

Sometimes using a script does not have the desired effect, and the social communication problem continues, we highly recommend using someone in the social support circle to determine further strategies. Sometimes someone outside the problem may be able to help develop further self-insight or insight into the problem, as well as develop a new idea about what to do. In other cases, a mediation process at work may be helpful.

In summary

A core characteristic of autism is difficulties with social communication which can affect aspects of successful employment. It is important to identify the specific social challenges at work and to create a social support network. The social support network can provide support, knowledge and advice. One member of the team may assist by serving as a translator between autistic and neurotypical cultures at work. With clarification of points of misunderstanding, scripts can be developed and rehearsed to avoid future misunderstandings.

Employment resources for autism

We have applied our extensive experience of autistic adults to create a seven stage plan to facilitate successful employment in our new book:

Garnett, M.S. & Attwood, T. (2021). Autism Working: A Seven-Stage Plan to Thriving at Work. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. www.jkp.com

With our colleague Barb Cook, we have created a presentation on autism and employment to be webcast on the 4th of March with more information at www.attwoodandgarnettevents.com This webcast will include aspects of social communication and be of great interest to:

Employers

HR Managers

Line Managers

Team Members

Mentors and employment agency staff

Autistic employees, and

Autistic adults looking for and maintaining employment.

Partner, parents and carers of an autistic adult

Autism working

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Autism working

Introduction

Achieving and maintaining employment can be difficult and stressful for autistic adults. Parents and partners also have their concerns, as they often provide employment support and employers, line managers and co-workers need guidance in how to work successfully with an autistic employee.

Unfortunately, many autistic adults who have a job are under-employed, that is, their job does not match their abilities, qualifications, and aspirations or their duration of employment is less than anticipated. This is despite autism being associated with qualities that are sought by employers such as:

ReliabilityAccuracy and precision
PersistenceAttention to detail and a perfectionist
Liking routines and proceduresCreativity and innovative thinking
Problem solvingFactual and technical knowledge
Sense of social justice and compassionNot letting socializing be a distraction
Talent in identifying patterns and systemsIdentifying and correcting errors
Enjoy cataloguing and recalling informationHonest and loyal
Working logically and systematicallyPassion for their chosen career

Having a successful career will significantly improve self-worth and self-identity, provide structure and purpose to the day, an opportunity to make friends, increase income and greater financial independence, and be an effective antidote to low self-esteem and depression.

Career choice

From our extensive clinical experience, we consider that no job or career would automatically be viewed as impossible due to autism. This can include the expected careers in engineering, information technology, science and accountancy but also a career in the arts in terms of being a fine artist, musician, actor or author. We have also known autistic adults who have been successful in the caring professions, from nursing to psychology and caring for animals such as being a vet or zookeeper. There is no automatic restriction on choice of career.

How to choose that career? The first option may be to see if there are employment prospects related to a special interest or talent that is associated with the person’s profile of autism and personality. A childhood talent with LEGO® that develops during adolescence into an intense interest in the design of machines could become the basis of a successful career in mechanical engineering. A determination to understand people may develop into a career in psychology and the caring profession, and a difficulty expressing inner thoughts and feelings using speech may lead to a talent in self-expression and perception in the arts.

We highly recommend that autistic adolescents have a detailed assessment of vocational abilities during the high school years to identify whether a talent or interest could be the foundation of a potential career. There will also need to be an assessment of vocational abilities that need improvement, such as teamwork abilities and coping with changes in job expectations. This information is then included in the high school curriculum. Autistic adults will need similar assessments, careers guidance and improvement of employment skills which could be provided by an employment agency.

When there is a history of failed employment experiences, this can provide valuable information on what skills or employment accommodations are needed and which jobs or workplaces to avoid. It may take several employment experiences before finding the right job with the right employer.

When searching for a job that matches abilities, interests, qualifications, and personality, it is important to find as much information as possible about the social and sensory aspects of the job. This can include personal space such as an open plan or single person office space, working independently or in a team, and sensory aspects such as sounds, lighting, clothing, and scents. It is also important to consider the understanding of autism of the line manager and colleagues and their willingness to learn about autism. Autistic people can sometimes have a ‘sixth sense’ to quickly appraise the social atmosphere of a new situation, and a positive or negative attitude can become apparent on meeting the staff prior to or during the interview. We recommend trusting that intuition.

Job interview

There will probably be a need for guidance in completing the job application form and, deciding whether to disclose the diagnosis. There are no clear rules on disclosure when applying for a job, and it is sometimes a personal decision based on whether disclosure would facilitate or inhibit achieving an interview or being employed. It is also important to decide what to wear for the interview and to rehearse how to answer the anticipated questions during the interview. If autism has been disclosed in the application, it may be an advantage to prepare a brief brochure on autism and associated qualities in relation to the position. The brochure can be attached to the application or given to those conducting the interview.

A job interview is a complex social ordeal. There is an expectation of accurately reading the body language of those conducting the interview, and succinctly and honestly answering their questions. An autistic candidate may have difficulty knowing the non-verbal signals and social conventions in an interview. We highly recommend practice and rehearsal in interviewing techniques and having an informative portfolio of relevant work experience that can be the focus of the interview. If those conducting the interview know that the person has autism, it will help to describe some of the difficulties associated with autism, but that these are significantly less than the qualities required for the position, and that there are strategies to facilitate successful employment.

Starting the job

There are potential employment issues associated with autism that will probably become apparent when starting a new job. These include the social aspects of the work, executive functioning abilities, sensory sensitivity, changes to job expectations and stress management. We have described these issues in some detail and provide strategies to overcome them in our recent publication Autism Working (Garnett and Attwood 2021) These are some of the issues and strategies.

Social aspects

The characteristics of autism include difficulty achieving social and conversational reciprocity, reading non-verbal communication, understanding different perspectives, developing teamwork skills, and following conversational rules. Workplace social communication challenges can also include discussing confidential and personal topics at work and respecting co-worker/employee boundaries. There can be difficulties knowing the social expectations and engagement in social events such as a celebration party and a vulnerability to being bullied and teased.

Strategies to reduce social communication difficulties include having a work mentor to explain the workplace social dynamics and protocols and developing social scripts to explain autism and seek support. Examples include how to communicate a preference for solitude during breaks, end a social conversation and return to work and reading the signals when a colleague or line manager does not want to be interrupted.

Executive functioning

This can include a propensity to be distracted by detail, organizational and planning difficulties, time management, prioritizing, and self-monitoring. We have also noted difficulties regarding unorthodox work routines and coping with errors, both personal and colleague’s errors. The autistic employee may need more supervision and guidance regarding executive functioning abilities than other employees. It is important that the line manager discuss strategies to minimize such difficulties and to have regularly schedules meetings to provide feedback on performance, workplace accommodations and areas for personal improvement.

Sensory sensitivity

The most common sensory sensitivity associated with autism is to specific sounds, but there can also be sensitivity to tactile experiences, light intensity, and aromas. Autistic adults often describe some sensory experiences as painful; the anticipation of such experiences creates anxiety and becoming hypervigilant. There is also the potential for sensory overload which is extremely distressing.

Coping mechanisms include explaining the sensory sensitivity to colleagues and line manager and requesting accommodations such as working some distance from the sound of the hand dryer or fridge and if possible, having natural rather than fluorescent lighting.

Changes to job expectations

A characteristic of autism is a difficulty coping with change and the unexpected. It is inevitable that there will be changes in the work environment, but it is important that the autistic person is given as much warning as possible and provided with an explanation of why there is a change of plan and expectations. This will enable the autistic person to create a new mind set.

It is also important to be aware that while promotion is considered a reward for the quality of work, there can be difficulties if the new role requires greater social and teamwork skills. It is important to consider social communication challenges in career and promotion planning.

Stress management

When work demands exceed an autistic individual’s resources and abilities, stress is the inevitable result. It is important that the autistic employee knows their personal signs of work-related stress, which work situations create significant stress, and that stress levels are communicated to the line manager.

High levels of stress will affect work performance and could lead the autistic person to resign. There may be strategies to reduce stress at work such as having a quiet retreat area to reduce stress and restore energy, using relaxation strategies and an opportunity to de-brief at work or home.

In summary

Autistic adults often have difficulties getting and keeping a job, despite having many qualities that employers seek. We need to assess an autistic person’s employment attributes and challenges, enhance their employment qualities, and address their employment issues. We also need to educate the workforce in how to accommodate and benefit from an autistic employee or colleague.

Employment resources for autism

We have applied our extensive experience of autistic adults to create a seven stage plan to facilitate successful employment in our new book Autism Working and with our colleague Barb Cook, created a presentation on autism and employment to be webcast on the 4th of March with more information at www.attwoodandgarnettevents.com This webcast will be of great interest to:

Employers

HR Managers

Line Managers

Team Members

Mentors and employment agency staff

Autistic employees, and

Autistic adults looking for and maintaining employment.

Parents and carers of autistic adults

Reference

Garnett M. and Attwood T. (2021) Autism Working: A Seven-Stage plan to Thriving at Work Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London.