Expanding the typical employment options for high-functioning individuals on the autism spectrum using occupational interest theory and a web-based job search tool

Abstract

Employment is an integral part of individuals’ lives, providing many benefits to workers. Unfortunately, individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face additional barriers to employment, and are often placed into jobs that are poorly matched to their abilities and characteristics. The current study explored the potential use of the O*NET Computerized Interest Profiler (CIP) tool with high-functioning individuals with ASD, utilizing subject matter expert ratings of occupations outputted by the CIP as well as ratings of the potential use of the CIP with this population. Results demonstrated that subject matter experts (SMEs) rated CIP-outputted occupations as appropriate, of interest to, and attainable for high-functioning individuals with ASD, and rated these occupations significantly higher than distracter occupations. SMEs also reported positive reactions to the potential use of the tool itself. These results demonstrate that the CIP may be a viable and useful tool to use in the career exploration of individuals with ASD.