Storying transition-to-work for/and youth on the autism spectrum in the United States: a critical construct synthesis of academic literature

Abstract

We explored how academic literature constructs the ‘worker with autism.’ Drawing on a systematic review of transition to work for youth with disabilities, we analyzed how 17 articles constructed ‘autism,’ ‘work,’ and the ‘worker with autism.’ We identified two argumentative approaches: the intervention story and the complex story. Intervention stories centered autism as a problem in need of treatment and work as a simple, positive endeavor. Complex stories offered various and more positive accounts of autism alongside broader notions of work. We recommend that academics experiment with writing which expands work (and career) possibilities for youth situated on the autism spectrum.

Keywords:

• Autism
• work
• social construction
• systematic review
• transition

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to acknowledge Deann Trevathan for her editorial assistance.

Notes

1. For example, educational research exerts its influence through the US Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) whose goal is, although synthesizing studies it deems credible and reliable, to be ‘a central and trusted source of scientific evidence for what works in education to improve student outcomes’ (Institute of Education Sciences 2016, para. 2).

2. Articles that discussed work in the context of post-secondary education, for example, were not included in our review (see, for example, VanBergeijk, Klin, and Volkmar 2008).

3. See CCS Summary Table: http://www.coedu.usf.edu/main/departments/me/documents/WolgemuthCCS_Summary_Table_Webpage.pdf

4. See pro-forma: http://www.coedu.usf.edu/main/departments/me/documents/Wolgemuth_CCS_ProForma_Webpage.pdf

5. Review articles in the references and CCS Study Code Table online: http://www.coedu.usf.edu/main/departments/me/documents/Wolgemuth_CCS_Study_Code_Webpage.pdf

6. Note that this is a strengths-based description of autism. We categorized articles that predominantly depicted autism in terms of its strengths as portraying autism as an ‘asset.’ In Burke and colleagues’ (2010) article, this asset depiction stood out among the majority deficit-based descriptions of autism. We note this here to point to the complexity of academic writing and the limitations of categorizing whole articles.