A training program helps young people with autism spectrum disorder build soft skills for the workplace, research shows.
Ninety percent of those with disabilities lose their jobs due to the lack of soft skills, cites Connie Sung, associate professor of rehabilitation counseling at Michigan State University’s College of Education in a paper in the journal Autism.
This is because most training focuses on teaching young children with ASD to interact with school peers and family. But that training doesn’t translate to the workplace, which is why Sung developed the Assistive Soft Skills and Employment Training program, or ASSET.
It is the first empirical-based, work-related social skills training program for youth and young adults with ASD.
Six core skills
ASSET teaches young adults with ASD the skills needed to get and keep jobs as they transition from high school and college to adulthood. Every year approximately 50,000 of these “transition youth” become ready to enter the workplace and gain independence and self-esteem that comes from successfully holding down a job.
“Young adults with autism deserve the opportunity to be taught work-related social skills so they can be successful and live fulfilling, happy lives,” Sung says. “Helping these people become employed and independent becomes increasingly important since the CDC reports the prevalence of ASD affects 1 in 59 people.”
ASSET training covers six core work-related soft skills: communication, attitude and enthusiasm, teamwork, networking, problem solving and critical thinking, and professionalism.
It’s a ‘toolbox’
Sung’s research proves the training helps considerably. For the second study, published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, participants had eight weeks of ASSET training. At the end of the period, the young adults with ASD showed significant improvements in social cognition, social function, and social confidence.
Sung also found that the participants’ confidence increased significantly while levels of anxiety and depression decreased, all of which can influence job success.
“ASSET gives these young adults a toolbox that boosts their confidence and significantly increases their chances of success,” Sung says. “They learn to focus on what they are good at, which helps their overall psychological wellness. These people have been underserved and neglected when it comes to training and support so I’m glad we’re finally working to help them.”
‘Now I’m more social”
Anthony Capriglione, a former Michigan State student, can attest to that. Since graduating, he has been working as an automation analyst at Ally Financial.
He had a difficult time adjusting to the new environment, working in groups, and communicating with peers and teachers due to autism spectrum disorder. Consequently, he believed finding and holding a job in his major, computer science, would be very challenging.
“I knew I’d be expected to communicate frequently,” Capriglione says. “But I was afraid of embarrassing myself because I knew I didn’t have the soft skills to do my job.
“Before going through Dr. Sung’s ASSET program, I’d just be silent,” Capriglione says. “Now I’m more social and professional in the workplace. I act calmer and contribute more in conversations and in finding solutions to problems.”
With funding from the US Department of Defense’s Autism Research Program, Sung and her colleagues plan to expand ASSET.
“Based upon these positive improvements, we believe ASSET can help others with intellectual and developmental disabilities and those transitioning from the criminal justice system back into society,” Sung says. “Each of these groups can benefit from increased social confidence and psychological wellness, which will help them live more fulfilled and happy lives.”
Source: Michigan State University
