Barriers and facilitators to achieving employment in mainstream settings in adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual developmental disorders: A scoping review

Abstract

Autistic people without Intellectual Developmental Disorders (IDD) have a significantly lower employment rate compared to the general population even though employment favors social integration and quality of life. AimsTo examine the barriers and facilitators to employability in mainstream settings for autistic adults without intellectual disability. MethodsFollowing the scoping review guidelines, we searched the Cochrane, PubMed and PsycINFO databases for references published between 01/01/2000 to 01/08/2023. ResultsA review of the 44 identified articles suggests the existence of multiple individual and environmental factors influencing job access and retention. ConclusionsThis is the first review to assess the facilitators and barriers to employment support for autistic people without intellectual disability. The results underline the need for studying strategies to promote access to employment and job retention for autistic people. Future research should explore the mediating and moderating factors leading to the improvement of employability of autistic people WIDD.