Disclosure and workplace accommodations for people with autism: a systematic review

Purpose: The objective of this systematic review was to describe the prevalence and processes of disability disclosure for persons with autism spectrum disorder. Methods: Systematic searches of seven international databases revealed 26 studies meeting our inclusion criteria. We analyzed these studies with respect to participant demographics, methodology, results and quality of the evidence. Results: Among the 26 studies, 7006 participants (aged 13–75, mean 28.1 years) were represented across seven countries. Our findings showed that rates of disclosure and receiving workplace accommodations varied considerably. Benefits of disclosing in the workplace included greater acceptance and inclusion, receiving accommodations, and increasing awareness about autism. Limitations of disclosing to employers involved experiencing stigma and discrimination. Factors affecting decisions to disclose included age at diagnosis, social demands of the job, and workplace policies. Types of accommodations that were received or desired included adjustments to the job interview process, schedules (i.e., flexibility, working from home), job content or working conditions, environment (i.e., lighting, quiet space); support with communication and social skills; and disability awareness training for their workplace colleagues. Conclusions: Our findings highlight that disclosing a condition of autism in the workplace and requesting accommodations is complex. More research is needed to explore processes of disclosing and accommodation and how these processes vary by autism sub-type, gender, and industry type.Implications for rehabilitationClinicians and vocational Counselors should support people with autism to advocate for their needs in the workplace, including the potential benefits of disclosing their conditions so they can access accommodations that allow them to keep healthy and productive in workplace.Clinicians should recognize that people with autism spectrum disorder may have different workplace accommodation needs than those with other types of disabilities, in particular support with social and communication skills.Clinicians should aid people with autism to access resources and supports that are available to them to access workplace accommodations. Clinicians and vocational Counselors should support people with autism to advocate for their needs in the workplace, including the potential benefits of disclosing their conditions so they can access accommodations that allow them to keep healthy and productive in workplace. Clinicians should recognize that people with autism spectrum disorder may have different workplace accommodation needs than those with other types of disabilities, in particular support with social and communication skills. Clinicians should aid people with autism to access resources and supports that are available to them to access workplace accommodations.

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PID https://www.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.9913118
PID https://www.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.9913118.v1
PID https://www.doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2019.1635658
URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2019.1635658
URL https://academic.microsoft.com/#/detail/2953880694
URL https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09638288.2019.1635658
URL http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.9913118
URL http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.9913118.v1
URL https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31282214
URL https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09638288.2019.1635658
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Access Right Open Access
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Author Lindsay, Sally, 0000-0002-5903-290X
Author Osten, Victoria
Author Rezai, Mana
Author Bui, Sunny
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Collected From Datacite; figshare; Crossref; Microsoft Academic Graph
Hosted By Disability and Rehabilitation; figshare
Publication Date 2019-07-07
Publisher Taylor & Francis
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Language UNKNOWN
Resource Type Other literature type; Article
keyword FOS: Health sciences
system:type publication
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Source https://science-innovation-policy.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=dedup_wf_001::3601c3178163d5c6338c29ad37b182ef
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Last Updated 26 December 2020, 02:20 (CET)
Created 26 December 2020, 02:20 (CET)