Program Evaluation of a Community Organization Supporting Employment for Adults with ASD

Background: Action main-d’oeuvre (AMO), a community organization in Montreal (Canada), offers services for adults with ASD looking for employment. To receive services, clients must have a documented diagnosis of ASD, be motivated to work, be independent for transportation and have the potential to enter the competitive labour market. Counsellors support their client’s job search and may assess potential jobs and workplaces. AMO offers direct support in the workplace for training, for developing adaptations, and for raising awareness of supervisors and colleagues about ASD, as needed. They can also be called upon to resolve issues in the workplace.

Objectives: The main objective of our study is to assess the characteristics of AMO’s clients as well as the impact of their services on job integration.

Methods: All new clients between January 2017 and October 2018 were invited to participate in our study. Participants filled out questionnaires about their symptoms of autism, their adaptive skills, their work self-efficacy and their anxiety. AMO’s database provided socio-demographic data, information on services, and employment status. After 6 to 9 months of unsuccessful job search, or after 6 weeks of employment (whichever came first), participants repeated the self-efficacy and anxiety measures, as well as questionnaires to assess their satisfaction.

Results: Participants were 28 males and 5 females whose ages ranged from 19 to 49 years. Twenty-eight percent had a high school degree, 30% a college degree and 24% went to university. Half of the participants lived independently (55%). Most were single (79%) and 9% were parents. Half of participants (55%) had no work experience or less than six months. Thirty percent had an SRS-2 global score in the mild range, 27% in the moderate range and 21% in the severe range. Adaptive scores were normal or above average for 67% of participants. Sixty percent of participants had a 2nd diagnosis, the most common of which were ADHD, depression, general anxiety disorder, unspecified mental health disorder, physical or sensory impairments. Anxiety scores were significantly higher than working population (p=0.001). Work self-efficacy score was low (63%) and negatively correlated with work situational anxiety (–0.538; p=0.001). Data collection for employment status is ongoing. Of 28 participants, 45% found competitive employment, 9% competitive employment with a partial salary subsidy, 6% a paid internship to develop job skills, 9% went back to school, 6% were still looking for a job 6 months after starting services. Sixteen participants filled up follow-up questionnaires (7 are lost to follow-up) and were satisfied with services. Those employed (12) were somewhat satisfied with their job, positive about their supervisor, but less with colleagues.

Conclusions: Participants showed strengths regarding adaptive skills, a high proportion of participants have a normal score, and regarding education, 54% have post-secondary education. Half of the participants never had a job or did not have more than 6 months of work experience, showing a need for employment support. Preliminary results indicate that participants were satisfied with services and 54% found employment. Job duration is a concern and will be investigated.