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Virtual Interview Training Among BIPOC Autistic Transition-Age Youth: A Secondary Analysis of an Initial Effectiveness RCT

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Abstract

Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) autistic transition-aged youth (TAY) report lower rates of competitive employment compared to White autistic TAY and even greater deficits with social skills associated with positive job interviewing. A virtual job interviewing program was adapted to support and improve the job interviewing skills of autistic TAY. The current study evaluates the effectiveness of an efficacious virtual interview training program on the job interview skills, interview anxiety, and likeliness to be hired, for a subsample of 32 BIPOC autistic TAY, ages 17–26 years old from a previous randomized control trial of the program. Bivariate analyses were used to evaluate between-group differences at pre-test related to background characteristics, and whether Virtual Interview Training for Transition-Age Youth (VIT-TAY) was associated with changes between pre-test and post-test measures of job interview skills. Additionally, a Firth logistic regression was conducted to examine the relationship between VIT-TAY and competitive integrative employment at 6 months, covarying for fluid cognition, having ever had a job interview, and baseline employment status. Participants receiving pre-employment services (Pre-ETS) and virtual interview training had better job interview skills (F = 12.7, \(\uprho\) < .01; \({\upeta }_{\uprho }^{2}\) = .32), lower job interview anxiety (F = .3.96, \(\uprho\) < .05; \({\upeta }_{\uprho }^{2}\) = .12), and a higher likeliness of receiving employment (F = 4.34, \(\uprho\) < .05; \({\upeta }_{\uprho }^{2}\) = .13 at the 6-month follow up compared to participants that only had Pre-ETS. Findings from this study suggest that virtual interview training for TAY is effective for BIPOC autistic TAY in improving their interview skills to gain competitive employment and lower their job interview anxiety.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge that this study was supported by a grant to Dr. Matthew J. Smith from the National Institute of Mental Health (R34 MH111531). We would like to acknowledge our participants for their time completing the study and our school partners for allowing us onsite to work with their students and teachers, including the following: Ann Arbor Academy, Plainfield, MI; Autism Model School, Toledo, OH; Lincoln Park High School, Lincoln Park, MI; South Field High School, South Field, MI; Troy High School, Troy, MI. 

Funding

This study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Grant No. R34 MH111531).

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  1. School of Social Work, University of Michigan, 1080 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Ed-Dee G. Williams & Matthew J. Smith

  2. Boston College School of Social Work, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA

    Ed-Dee G. Williams

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Correspondence to Ed-Dee G. Williams.

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The University of Michigan will receive royalties from SIMmersion LLC on the sales of the virtual interview training tool that was the focus of the parent randomized controlled trial. These royalties will be shared with Dr. Matthew Smith and the University Of Michigan School Of Social Work. Dr. Smith adhered to the University of Michigan’s Conflict Management Plan that was reviewed and approved by a University of Michigan Conflict of Interest Committee. No other authors have a conflict of interest. Both authors equally contributed to the development, analysis, and completion of this study. 

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Williams, ED.G., Smith, M.J. Virtual Interview Training Among BIPOC Autistic Transition-Age Youth: A Secondary Analysis of an Initial Effectiveness RCT. J Autism Dev Disord 54, 2789–2801 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-023-06022-6

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