One in Three Autistic Adults Can't Find a Job

Navigating this stupid broken job market is tough enough for your average high school or college graduate, but what about those who fall on the autism spectrum? Despite what the Big Bang Theory and Rainman tell us, autistic people aren't all hilariously kooky magic engineers from space (Special Skills: Knowing when you dropped 17 matches). Difficulty communicating and an inability to read social cues makes sucking up in job interviews practically impossible—and what is a job interview, really, besides a delicately choreographed social-cue jamboree?

A new study has found that, seven years after high school graduation, 35% of autistic young adults still have no paid employment experience or higher education. That's higher than adults with developmental disabilities, speech problems, and learning disabilities.

The data is troubling:




Specialized job training programs and rigorous instruction in social cues can ease the transition into adulthood and independence for autistic teenagers. So, we'll see how that goes. Because there's nothing this country loves more than funding public programs for disadvantaged adults to whom we cannot relate.

Photo credit (C) ilona75 / Stockfresh.