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# JAN’S ACCOMMODATION FACT SHEET SERIES

**Job Accommodations for People**

**with Autism Spectrum Disorders**

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), also referred to as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs), are brain-based developmental disabilities that affect a person’s ability to communicate, understand language, and relate to others. Estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that 1.5 million Americans have ASD (Kennedy Kreiger Institute, 2005).

Adults with ASD, especially those with high-functioning Autism or with Asperger Syndrome, are able to work successfully in mainstream jobs (NIMH, 2009). Workplace limitations include: difficulties with social interaction, understanding social conventions, and social use of language (Kennedy Kreiger Institute, 2009). 

This publication is a quick overview of some job accommodations that might be useful for employees with ASD. For more in-depth information, access JAN's publications at http://askjan.org/media/atoz.htm.  To discuss an accommodation situation, contact JAN directly.

**Exhibiting Acceptable Workplace Social Skills:**

· Encourage all employees to model acceptable social skills 

· Provide a job coach to help understand different social cues 

· Recognize and reward acceptable behavior to reinforce such behaviors

· Review conduct policy with employee to reduce incidents of unacceptable behavior 

· Provide concrete examples to explain unacceptable behavior 

· Provide concrete examples to explain consequences 

· Use training videos to demonstrate acceptable behavior in workplace 

· Use role-play scenarios to demonstrate acceptable behavior in workplace 

**Interacting with Coworkers:**

· Provide workplace sensitivity training to promote disability awareness 

· Help employee "learn the ropes" by providing a mentor 

· Make employee attendance at social functions optional 

· Allow employee to transfer to another workgroup, shift, or department 

· Encourage employees to minimize personal conversation, or move personal conversation away from work areas

· Provide telework, or work-at-home, as a job accommodation

· Allow alternative forms of communication between coworkers, such as email, instant messaging, or text messaging

**Communicating Effectively with Supervisors:**

· Provide detailed day-to-day guidance and feedback 

· Identify areas of improvement for employee in a fair and consistent manner 

· Provide clear expectations and the consequences of not meeting expectations 

· Establish long term and short term goals for employee 

· Assist employee in assigning priority to assignments

· Assign projects in a systematic and predictable manner

· Adjust supervisory method by modifying the manner in which conversations take place, meetings are conducted, or discipline is addressed

**Communicating in the Workplace:**

· Provide advance notice of meetings, particularly when employee is required to provide information to attendees

· Allow employee to provide written response in lieu of verbal response 

· Provide advance notice of meeting topics, particularly when employee is required to participate verbally

· Allow employee to bring an advocate to performance reviews and disciplinary meetings

**Resources**

**Job Accommodation Network**West Virginia UniversityPO Box 6080 Morgantown, WV 26506-6080Toll Free: (800)526-7234TTY: (877)781-9403jan@askjan.orghttp://askjan.org

**Office of Disability Employment Policy**

200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room S-1303Washington, DC 20210Toll Free: (866)633-7635TTY: (877)889-5627http://www.dol.gov/odep

**Autism Society of America**7910 Woodmont AvenueSuite 300Bethesda, MD 20814-3067Toll Free: (800)3AU-TISMhttp://www.autism-society.org

**National Autism Association**1330 W. Schatz LaneNixa, MO 65714Direct: (877)622-2884http://www.nationalautismassociation.org

**Organization for Autism Research**2000 North 14th Street, Suite 710Arlington, VA 22201Direct: (703)243-9710http://www.researchautism.org

**References**

Kennedy Kreiger Institute. (2005). *Autism spectrum disorders and pervasive developmental disorders,* Retrieved April 7, 2009, from http://www.kennedykrieger.org/kki_diag.jsp?pid=1072

National Institute of Mental Health. (2009). *Adults with an autism spectrum disorder.*  Retrieved April 7, 2009, from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/autism/adults-with-an-autism-spectrum-disorder.shtml

Updated 3/25/10. 

This document was developed by the Job Accommodation Network, funded by a contract agreement from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (DOL079RP20426). The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Department of Labor. Nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Fact Sheet Series

Job Accommodations for People with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)