Disclosure and workplace accommodations for people with autism: a systematic review

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this systematic review was to describe the prevalence and processes of disability disclosure for persons with autism spectrum disorder.

Methods

Systematic searches of seven international databases revealed 26 studies meeting our inclusion criteria. We analyzed these studies with respect to participant demographics, methodology, results and quality of the evidence.

Results

Among the 26 studies, 7006 participants (aged 13–75, mean 28.1 years) were represented across seven countries. Our findings showed that rates of disclosure and receiving workplace accommodations varied considerably. Benefits of disclosing in the workplace included greater acceptance and inclusion, receiving accommodations, and increasing awareness about autism. Limitations of disclosing to employers involved experiencing stigma and discrimination. Factors affecting decisions to disclose included age at diagnosis, social demands of the job, and workplace policies. Types of accommodations that were received or desired included adjustments to the job interview process, schedules (i.e., flexibility, working from home), job content or working conditions, environment (i.e., lighting, quiet space); support with communication and social skills; and disability awareness training for their workplace colleagues.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight that disclosing a condition of autism in the workplace and requesting accommodations is complex. More research is needed to explore processes of disclosing and accommodation and how these processes vary by autism sub-type, gender, and industry type.

Implications for rehabilitation

• Clinicians and vocational Counselors should support people with autism to advocate for their needs in the workplace, including the potential benefits of disclosing their conditions so they can access accommodations that allow them to keep healthy and productive in workplace.

• Clinicians should recognize that people with autism spectrum disorder may have different workplace accommodation needs than those with other types of disabilities, in particular support with social and communication skills.

• Clinicians should aid people with autism to access resources and supports that are available to them to access workplace accommodations.

Keywords:

• Autism
• review
• disability disclosure
• workplace accommodations
• discrimination

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the staff, students and volunteers in the TRAIL lab for their support with this research.

Disclosure statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by a CIHR-SSHRC partnership grant and the Kimmel Family Fund.