(Over the past year, the idea of fuller employment of adults with autism and other learning and mental health differences has continued to gain momentum. But as practitioners try to achieve this employment, they are finding how difficult it is to implement. One practitioner explains the obstacles, and what it means for a company to be “All-In”.)

The late columnist William Safire liked to tell the chestnut from the 1950s about Princess Margaret and the matchmaker. As Safire recounted: “A Jewish matchmaker had the idea of matching up poor Sammy—a nebbish and a schlemiel—with Princess Margaret, then the world’s most eligible woman. Sammy’s mother would not hear of it: The Princess could not cook and was not Jewish. After weeks of persuading, with the matchmaker showing how the alliance with British royalty would help Israel, the mother gave her grudging approval. The matchmaker heaved a sigh of relief and said, ‘Now for the hard part’.”

Now for the hard part: one might say the same about the path of neurodiversity employment today. Not too long ago, the idea that adults with autism and other neurodiverse conditions should have jobs, should not be consigned to their homes, attending day programs or living on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), had limited currency. That’s changed over the past two decades, as both autism’s demographics and autism’s role in popular culture have exploded, and ideas on disability have shifted.

But as longtime disability agencies, such as the ARC and Goodwill have ramped up their job placement efforts, and new neurodiversity workforce intermediaries are entering the field, the difficulties in making and sustaining placements (the gaps between theory and practice) are every day becoming clearer. To get a better idea of these difficulties as we move into 2023, we can travel to Sacramento, California and hear from Eric Steward, the director of the Transformative Autism Program (TAP).

TAP is a program of Meristem, a center of autism activity in the Sacramento Valley and Northern California. Funded by the state of California, TAP’s mission is a direct one: outreach to employers in California, partner with them to build structured and intentional employment programs, place and retain adults with autism and related conditions into jobs.

Steward is the program director of TAP. A 1996 graduate of UC Berkeley, Steward started his career in the disability field with Teach for America, as staff of a Transition program for youth with disabilities who had aged out of high school, in one of the nation’s poorest communities outside of New Orleans. “I walked into the Day Program, and it looked and felt like a place you’d go if you wanted to live the life of a zombie. That’s when I decided there needed to be better options.” Returning to California he got a job with Easter Seals directing a Day Program, and went on to help design and operate ten new Day Programs throughout the state. “We tried to incorporate skills development and challenge into them, rather than warehousing.” In 2018 he heard about Meristem, and joined the Work Skills program, rising to the directorship of TAP.

“When we reach out to employers today, we find more and more companies are thinking about neurodiversity employment as part of their DEI efforts, as are state and local governments. So getting in the door, while still a challenge, is getting easier.

“But making a placement stick usually requires overcoming a good number of challenges. For neurodiverse job seekers, workplace etiquette norms as well as time management and personal hygiene can be significant challenges to getting established and comfortable in the workplace. Then there are the cognitive gaps. Even though many of our participants have postsecondary education, and some have college degrees, they may not easily master the specific job skills needed, especially skills related to executive functions.

“That’s why I tell employers that before they embark on any targeted autism hiring, they need to be All-In or it’s not worth doing. And I tell participants and their families and support networks they too need to be All-In.

“For the employers, All-In means an effort with buy-in from the top level of the company or division, and from co-workers. It means an effort that identifies a real need that the Worker fills for the company, and is patient in giving the worker time to acquire skills. It means an effort that is not based on the support of a single supervisor or hiring manager, since that supervisor or hiring manager can leave at any time.

“All-In for participants and their support means that they are held to and hold themselves to performance standards. It means they are upfront about their neurodiversity and what supports they need. It means they are flexible about their work opportunities, and don’t turn down a position because it might not be the perfect position, and aren’t satisfied to remain on SSI or other government benefits.”

Steward goes on to say a little more about several of these elements:

A real need that the worker fills for the company: “I’ve seen situations where the company takes on an adult with autism, but expects no results and gives them no real work. Needless to say, these placements never succeed. Together, the employer and the worker (and their support network) need to find tasks that the worker can do and contribute to the mission of the company or government department .

“We are not achieving any of the outcomes we seek when the autistic/neurodiverse worker is given allowances for behavior and/or actual production that does not meet the agreed upon requirements. If allowances are given – and we see this all too often – the hire becomes nothing better than charity. This is not ok. No one wants this. Proactive, precise, direct and consistent feedback and directions is the key to ensuring you will not go down this road.”

Buy-in from the top level of the company or division, and buy-in from co-workers: “I’m involved in a placement now where the director of the government department told staff from the start, ‘Whatever it takes we want to make this placement succeed; it is part of the mission of our department.’ After a few months, the director brought together the supervisor and a number of co-workers to set out a program of intensive training to assist the participant to master work skills he needed but had been slow to do so. After the meeting, one of the co-workers told me, ‘My young daughter is on the autism spectrum, and I didn’t think she had a future in ever getting a job, and I’m so glad to be part of this.’

“No one needs a doctorate in autism to be able to effectively support and work alongside someone who is neurodiverse. It takes willingness followed by a commitment to learn about someone by engaging with them. It’s about understanding that you “don’t fix autism” but instead you get to enjoy the power and impact of working in alignment with someone who genuinely wants to be an integral part of the bigger picture – in their own way.”

Patience in learning skills, and retention structures beyond a supportive supervisor or hiring manager: “In all work situations, patience in learning skills is usually needed and rewarded. This is especially the case for workers with developmental differences, where the various tasks may need to be broken down and repeatedly undertaken, until mastered. The reward often will be an employee who stays for a long time and is a contributing member of the team.

“A real contribution to the company, buy-in from co-workers, and patience: these elements are especially important given that a supportive supervisor or hiring manager may leave the company at any time. So many times, this leads to the placement ending, when someone without the neurodiversity commitment comes in. Though no job for anyone is secure forever, these elements provide the best chance of some job longevity.”

The investment expected of neurodiverse adults and their support networks: “A company willing to open the doors to autistic/neurodiverse workers is saying, ‘We are ready to be supportive and give you an opportunity to be an integral part of our organization.’ In return the neurodiverse worker must come with a recognition that they are not entitled to the job, and must meet the employer at least half-way. And their support networks, if they have them, of family and/or disability professionals need to invest their time in the effort.”

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“I think from time to time about early in my career, the Transition program in the town outside of New Orleans in 1996, and the bleak future of the participants. There could have been some role in the job world for them, in congregate or mainstream settings, if only the educational and employment officials at the time were able to recognize this. At TAP and the broader disability community, we don’t want to look back twenty-six years from now and regret how much more we could have done.”