Abstract
This study examined the experiences of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the US Vocational Rehabilitation System (VRS). Subjects included all 382,221 adults ages 18–65 served by this system whose cases were closed in 2005; 1,707 were diagnosed with ASD. Adults with ASD were more likely than adults with other impairments to be denied services because they were considered too severely disabled. Among those served, adults with ASD received the most expensive set of services. They and adults with MR were most likely to be competitively employed at case closure. Post hoc analyses suggest that their employment was highly associated with on-the-job supports. The results suggest the importance of the VRS in serving adults with ASD.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Text Revision.
Croen, L., Najjar, D., Ray, T., Lotspeich, L., & Bernal, P. (2006). A comparison of health care utilization and costs of children with and without autism spectrum disorders in a large group-model health plan. Pediatrics, 118(4), e1203–e1211. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-0127.
Fombonne, E., Heavey, L., Smeeth, L., Rodrigues, L., Cook, C., Smith, P., et al. (2004). Validation of the diagnosis of autism in general practitioner records. BMC Public Health, 4(5), 1–9.
Garcia-Villamisar, D., & Hughes, C. (2007). Supported employment improves cognitive performance in adults with autism. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 51(2), 142–150. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2006.00854.x.
Garcia-Villamisar, D., Wehman, P., & Navarro, M. (2002). Changes in the quality of autistic people’s life that work in support and sheltered employment. A 5-year follow-up study. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 17(4), 309–312.
Government Accountability Office. (2005). Special education: Children with autism. Washington, DC: United States Government Accountability Office.
Hillier, A., Campbell, H., Mastriana, K., Izzo, M., Kool-Tucker, A., Cherry, L., et al. (2007). Two-year evaluation of a vocational support program for adults on the autism spectrum. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 30(1), 35–47. doi:10.1177/08857288070300010501.
Howlin, P., Alcock, J., & Burkin, C. (2005). An 8 year follow-up of a specialist supported employment service for high-ability adults with autism or Asperger syndrome. Autism, 9(5), 533–549. doi:10.1177/1362361305057871.
Howlin, P., Goode, S., Hutton, J., & Rutter, M. (2004). Adult outcome for children with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 45(2), 212–237. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00215.x.
Keel, J., Mesibov, G., & Woods, A. (1997). TEACCH-supported employment program. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 27(1), 3–9. doi:10.1023/A:1025813020229.
Liptak, G., Stuart, T., & Auinger, P. (2006). Health care utilization and expenditures for children with autism: Data from US national samples. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36, 871–879. doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0119-9.
Mandell, D., Cao, J., Ittenbach, R., & Pinto-Martin, J. (2006). Medicaid expenditures for children with autistic spectrum disorders: 1994 to 1999. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(4), 475–485. doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0088-z.
Mawhood, L., & Howlin, P. (1999). The outcome of a supported employment scheme for high-functioning adults with autism or Asperger syndrome. Autism, 3(3), 229–254. doi:10.1177/1362361399003003003.
Moore, C., Feist-Price, S., & Alston, R. (2002). Competitive employment and mental retardation: Interplay among gender, race, secondary psychiatric disability, and rehabilitation services. Journal of Rehabilitation, 68(1), 14–19.
Müller, E., Schuler, A., Burton, B., & Yates, G. (2003). Meeting the vocational support needs of individuals with Asperger syndrome and other autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 18, 163–175.
Schaller, J., & Yang, N. (2005). Competitive employment for people with autism: Correlates of successful closure in competitive and supported employment. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 49(1), 4–16. doi:10.1177/00343552050490010201.
Seltzer, M., Krauss, M., Shattuck, P., Orsmond, G., Swe, A., & Lord, C. (2003). The symptoms of autism spectrum disorders in adolescence and adulthood. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33(6), 565–581. doi:10.1023/B:JADD.0000005995.02453.0b.
Shattuck, P., Seltzer, M., Greenberg, J., Orsmond, G., Bolt, D., Kring, S., et al. (2007). Change in autism symptoms and maladaptive behaviors in adolescents and adults with an autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37, 1735–1747. doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0307-7.
van Bourgondien, M., Reichle, N., & Schopler, E. (2003). Effects of a model treatment approach on adults with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33(2), 131–140. doi:10.1023/A:1022931224934.
Yeargin-Allsopp, M., Rice, C., Karapurkar, T., Doernberg, N., Boyle, C., & Murphy, C. (2003). Prevalence of autism in a US metropolitan area. Journal of the American Medical Association, 289(1), 49–55. doi:10.1001/jama.289.1.49.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lawer, L., Brusilovskiy, E., Salzer, M.S. et al. Use of Vocational Rehabilitative Services Among Adults with Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 39, 487–494 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-008-0649-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-008-0649-4