Changes in the quality of autistic people's life that work in supported and sheltered employment. A 5-year follow-up study | Knowledge Translation for Employment Research Center

Authors:	Gates, L. B., Klein, S. W., Akabas, S. H., Myers, R., Schawager, M., & Kaelin-Kee, J.
Year Published	2002
Publication	Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation
Volume	17
Number	4
Pages	309-312
Publisher	IOS Press
Background	There is growing consensus that quality of life should dominate policies and services for individuals with autism. Supported employment is one service that enables individuals with autism with obtaining and maintaining meaningful community employment. It is important for professionals to understand how individuals with autism enjoy and benefit from various experiences.
Purpose	The study evaluated the changes in the quality of life of adults with autism who worked in the community via supported employment versus those who were in sheltered work.
Setting	Individuals in the supported employment group worked in a variety of community jobs that were primarily in the service sector.
Sample	Fifty five adults with autism, who live in Spain and Germany, participated in the study. Twenty six individuals in sheltered work (18 males and 8 females) were matched to 25 individuals (21 males and 4 females) in a supported work. The mean age for both groups was around 21 years. The average IQ for members in both groups was about equal at about 53.
Data Collection	Data was collected through interviews with individuals with autism and their family, caretakers, and therapists using the Quality of Life Survey. The survey included 18 questions that were grouped in three categories: a) Environmental Control (EC), b) Community Involvement (CI), and Perception of Personal Change (PC). Each person with autism was interviewed in 1996 and again in 2000. If the individual with autism was not able to verbally communicate, the job coach was interviewed.
Control	A group individuals with autism who participated in sheltered work was compared with supported employment group.
Findings	In 1996, at the start of the study, there was no difference between the sheltered and the supported work groups on total Quality of Life scores. In 2000, the sheltered work group showed less quality of life than the supported work group in total score. The sheltered work group did not change its quality of life level between 1996 and 2000. The supported employment group improved its global quality of life.
Conclusions	There is a positive relationship between supported employment and quality of life. Supported employment seems to improve the quality of life for individuals with autism. Sheltered work does not seem to improve quality of life for individuals with autism.
URL	http://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-vocational-rehabilitation/jvr00170
Disabilities	Autism Spectrum Disorder
Populations	Male & Female
Outcomes	Employment acquisition \| Return to work
NIDILRR Funded	No
Research Design	Case reports
Peer Reviewed	Yes

Year Published

2002

Publication

Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation

Volume

17

Number

4

Pages

309-312

Publisher

IOS Press

Background

There is growing consensus that quality of life should dominate policies and services for individuals with autism. Supported employment is one service that enables individuals with autism with obtaining and maintaining meaningful community employment. It is important for professionals to understand how individuals with autism enjoy and benefit from various experiences.

Purpose

The study evaluated the changes in the quality of life of adults with autism who worked in the community via supported employment versus those who were in sheltered work.

Setting

Individuals in the supported employment group worked in a variety of community jobs that were primarily in the service sector.

Sample

Fifty five adults with autism, who live in Spain and Germany, participated in the study. Twenty six individuals in sheltered work (18 males and 8 females) were matched to 25 individuals (21 males and 4 females) in a supported work. The mean age for both groups was around 21 years. The average IQ for members in both groups was about equal at about 53.

Data Collection

Data was collected through interviews with individuals with autism and their family, caretakers, and therapists using the Quality of Life Survey. The survey included 18 questions that were grouped in three categories: a) Environmental Control (EC), b) Community Involvement (CI), and Perception of Personal Change (PC). Each person with autism was interviewed in 1996 and again in 2000. If the individual with autism was not able to verbally communicate, the job coach was interviewed.

Control

A group individuals with autism who participated in sheltered work was compared with supported employment group.

Findings

In 1996, at the start of the study, there was no difference between the sheltered and the supported work groups on total Quality of Life scores.
In 2000, the sheltered work group showed less quality of life than the supported work group in total score. The sheltered work group did not change its quality of life level between 1996 and 2000. The supported employment group improved its global quality of life.

Conclusions

There is a positive relationship between supported employment and quality of life. Supported employment seems to improve the quality of life for individuals with autism. Sheltered work does not seem to improve quality of life for individuals with autism.

URL

http://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-vocational-rehabilitation/jvr00170

Disabilities

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Populations

Male & Female

Outcomes

Employment acquisition | Return to work

NIDILRR Funded

No

Research Design

Case reports

Peer Reviewed

Yes