Autism Knowledge Matters: Perceptions of an Autistic Employee’s Competency and Attitudes Toward Workplace Social Inclusion

Abstract

Background: Autistic adults continue to have significant challenges obtaining and sustaining employment in a majority non-autistic world. Autistic adult employment challenges are often linked to differences in social behavior in the workplace compared with non-autistic adults. A lack of knowledge of autism and misunderstandings of autistic social behavior may result in negative perceptions of an autistic employee’s competency and their social acceptability as a coworker. Autistic adult employment support planning is informed by identifying factors linked to favorable perceptions of autistic employees. This study examined neurotype (autistic/non-autistic), interpretation of autistic employee behavior (understanding thoughts, feelings, and intentions behind behavior), autism knowledge, and autism experience as factors associated with perceptions of an autistic employee.

Methods: Participants (77 autistic and 152 non-autistic) read a vignette describing a hypothetical autistic employee having a challenging workday. Participants completed measures of autism knowledge, autism experience, interpretation of the employee’s behavior, and perceptions of the employee’s competency and social acceptability as a potential coworker.

Results: Autism knowledge significantly predicted more favorable ratings of the hypothetical autistic employee’s competency and suitability for their job (b = 0.581, p < 0.001) and social acceptability as a potential coworker (b = 0.439, p < 0.001), regardless of participant neurotype, behavior interpretation ability, and autism experience. However, autism knowledge was significantly more influential on competency and social acceptability scale scores when participants scored inaccurately on behavior interpretation (b = −0.243, p = 0.02; b = −0.282, p = 0.01).

Conclusions: This study associated greater knowledge of autism with more favorable perceptions of an autistic employee’s competence and social acceptability in the workplace. Findings point to autism workplace education as a promising support to address employment challenges for autistic adults. More favorable perceptions of autistic employees have the potential to reduce their need to mask autistic characteristics at work, improve their quality of work life, and support autistic adult employment success.

Community Brief

Why is this an important issue?

Autistic adults experience high unemployment. One explanation has been the different ways that autistic people socialize and cope in the workplace compared with non-autistic people. A lack of understanding of autistic social behavior and workplace challenges may lead to them being seen as less competent and being socially excluded at work. Negative perceptions of autistic employees can affect their quality of life and employment success.

What was the purpose of this study?

This study asked if the following factors were related to more favorable perceptions of an autistic employee’s competence, suitability for their job, and social acceptability as a coworker in the workplace: Accurate understanding the thoughts, feelings, and intentions behind an autistic adult’s workplace behavior; participant’s level of autism knowledge; participant being autistic; and participant having experience with autism. Knowing what is related to more favorable perceptions of autistic employees helps plan effective autistic adult employment supports.

What did the researchers do?

We had participants read a story about a fictional autistic employee at work having a difficult workday. We asked participants to rate the employee on how competent and suitable the person seemed to be for their job and their attitudes toward socially including them if they were a coworker. Participants answered other questions about their knowledge and experience with autism. We then examined what might be related to more favorable perceptions of the autistic employee.

What were the results of the study?

Increased knowledge about autism, particularly knowledge autistic people think is important, was related to more favorable perceptions of an autistic employee’s competency and attitudes toward socially including them. Autism knowledge was especially related to favorable perceptions if the participant did not understand the autistic employee’s behavior.

What do these findings add to what was already known?

Autistic adults report working very hard to appear non-autistic in their workplaces to avoid negative attitudes about their competency, being socially excluded and jeopardizing their employment. Trying to hide being autistic in the workplace is highly stressful and exhausting. Rather than expecting autistic people to change to fit in, findings of this study support educating workplaces about autism to increase understanding of autistic employees’ characteristics and challenges.

What are potential weaknesses in the study?

Because this study used social media, it may have left out people who rarely or never use social media, including autistic adults with higher support needs. While the story about the fictional employee was written based on experiences reported by autistic adults, it does not capture all positive and negative autistic employment experiences.

How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future?

Coworkers and supervisors with better understanding of autism and autistic traits may also be more likely to recognize competence in autistic employees and more likely to include them socially at work. Being perceived as competent and being socially included at work can improve autistic employees’ workplace quality of life and help them to survive and thrive in the world of employment.