Creating a Vocational Training Site for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Individuals with disabilities often have difficulties transitioning to employment after the completion of high school. This is especially true for individuals with autism spectrum disorder, as many of the soft skills needed for employment (e.g. communication, flexibility, teamwork) are characteristically difficult. Employment training in community-based vocational instruction sites at the secondary level can ease this transition, as well as serve as an environment that teaches technical and soft employability skills. In addition, community-based vocational instruction sites contribute to success in obtaining and maintaining integrated and inclusive employment. This column outlines a seven-step process for educators to successfully create community-based vocational partnerships, meeting the transition needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

Keywords

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)community-based vocational instruction (CBVI)transition employment soft skills technical skills

Inclusion is the multidimensional act of including individuals with disabilities into general education settings and is relevant in many schools today in a variety of applications (Qvortrup & Qvortrup, 2018). Inclusive educational applications remove barriers (Carter & Abawi, 2018), such as full inclusion of all academic contents, partial inclusion within electives, and inclusion opportunities within sporting and club events (Idol, 2006). While this concept of inclusion is very important in schools, it is equally important in workplace settings (Wehman, 2003). Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulty transitioning to work after school (Curtiss et al., 2021; Nicholas et al., 2017). This is due to difficulties with social interactions, communications skills, and difficulties altering routines (Eastman et al., 2021). Individuals with disabilities have higher unemployment rates than their typical peers. From a U.S. nationwide lens, 20.8% of individuals with disabilities above the age of 16 were employed, while 63.1% of individuals without a disability were employed (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020; Rooney-Kron & Dymond, 2021). In addition, integrated, lifetime employment rates are consistently lower for individuals with ASD than their peers with other disabilities, and their typical peers (Nicholas et al., 2017; Smith et al., 2021).

This column includes seven steps for educators to utilize when creating inclusive, collaborative community worksite learning programs for individuals with ASD, which strengthens transitional outcomes. These steps include (a) how to gain permission, (b) identifying what work-based skills individuals with autism need, (c) interagency collaboration, (d) identifying potential community sites, (e) establishing communication, (f) training, and (g) evaluation. The need for employment training opportunities is vital, based upon the low employment statistics for individuals with ASD (Nicholas et al., 2017; Smith et al., 2021). Employment training leads to higher rates of employment skills acquisition, heightened social skills, and more concrete employability skills for individuals with ASD, which adds transitional supports when preparing for future planning (Choiseul-Praslin & McConnell, 2020). Finally, strong collaboration within transition-based opportunities is beneficial for individuals with ASD (Curtiss et al., 2021). It is important to welcome the support and collaboration of community worksite employees and mentors, families, and employment-focused agencies (Nicholas et al., 2017).

Federal Policies on Transition

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, 2004), individuals with ASD and other exceptionalities can be served in academic school settings until they reach the age of 22 (U.S. Department of Education, 2017). Consequently, schools must provide transition services for individuals receiving special educational services starting at age 16 (U.S. Department of Education, 2017). Specifically, transition plans must address the needs and interests of the individual with an exceptionality, instructional supports, related services, community exposure and experiences, employment and post-school outcomes, and daily living skills, if applicable.

For individuals with ASD specifically, it is important to relate the goals and objectives in the transition plans to address their individual transition needs. Individuals with ASD often exhibit characteristics that make transition and employment planning more difficult (Hatfield et al., 2017). Some of these characteristics include anxiety, struggles coping with change and uncertainty, socialization challenges, sensory concerns, and difficulties with communication skills (Eastman et al., 2021; Hatfield et al., 2017). These difficulties are important to consider when dually organizing for vocational training and transition planning (Eastman et al., 2021).

There are many interagency supports available through federal laws and funding. Funding is provided by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA, 2014), which provides vocational rehabilitation (VR) services, including resources and employability training for young adults with exceptionalities. While VR services vary by state, all state programs provide individuals with varying level of exceptionalities differentiated resources, to train, obtain, and maintain employment (Choiseul-Praslin & McConnell, 2020; Rehabilitation Services Administration, n.d.).

Importance of Community-Based Vocational Instruction

Inclusive, collaborative community worksite learning programs are needed to aid in the transition to adulthood process (Rooney-Kron & Dymond, 2021). Community-based vocational instruction (CBVI) allows individuals with disabilities to participate in job shadowing and training opportunities within community, employer settings, working alongside typical peer employees (Crane et al., 2021; Project SEARCH, n.d.). Practicing these employability skills outside of the academic classroom provides more opportunity for generalization and relationship building, which are both needed skills in postsecondary employment (Barczak, 2019). Students with disabilities benefit from the opportunity to practice vocational skills in employment settings (Morningstar et al., 2017), and students who participate in employment-based vocational training are 13 times more likely to maintain employment (Carlos & Dwyer, 2018).

This column provides educators with a seven-step guide to create a successful CBVI opportunity for their students with disabilities within their school and program. This information is applicable for special educators serving high school individuals with disabilities, specifically those individuals with ASD. By implementing these steps and developing a successful CBVI program, individuals with ASD and other disabilities will graduate high school better prepared for successful employment outcomes after high school (Nicholas et al., 2017).

Steps for Creating a Program

Creating a CBVI worksite can seem daunting, however, the following seven steps help break down and simplify the process. While different regions, states, and districts will have varying protocols, the following steps provide a foundational starting point for creating a successful CBVI program for individuals with ASD.

Step 1: Gather all Appropriate Permissions

Prior to starting the creation of a collaborative CBVI program, it is important to communicate with proper leadership and gain appropriate permission for students to participate. In school settings, this might include school level administration, district level leadership, or a combination of both. There are certain legalities present when taking students off school campuses, and it is important to understand and address all the necessary components (Pickens & Dymond, 2014). In addition, funding for community trips varies by states, counties, and districts. Some districts may provide financial support for this type of community trip, while others do not have available funding (Pickens & Dymond, 2014). This is an important factor to consider, as a fundraising aspect might be required.

In addition, parental permission or acknowledgment should be obtained. This is needed regardless of age, program, or ability level. An individual permission form may be required for each trip, or a school district may allow a blanket permission form for the entire school year. After initial parent approval per district’s requirements, it is important to remind parents when and where their student will be off campus. This can be implemented in a variety of ways. The teacher or faculty member can send home a monthly calendar or utilize resources such as email, text messages, or virtual reminder services.

Step 2: Identify the Strengths, Needs, and Interests of the Individuals

The next step involves identifying the varied strengths, needs, and interests of the individuals in the group (Barczak, 2019). It is important not to omit this step, because the learned vocational skills should provide growth for the student’s abilities (Cannella-Malone et al., 2020). Collaborative community worksites appeal to individuals with varying disabilities and abilities; therefore, it is important to identify which proficient vocational skills the individual has and then build scaffolding work readiness opportunities (Malik & Wiseman, 2017; Ruder et al., 2018).

A simple way to identify the strengths and needs of individuals with ASD is to complete a skills assessment. A skills assessment is a way that individuals can demonstrate their abilities to complete vocational skills and can be modified to the abilities of the individuals (Career One Stop, 2022). In these assessments, it is important to create opportunities to assess specific, individual skills that would occur in a vocational setting. Assessments should include a mixture of technical and soft skills (Career One Stop, 2022), identifying specific skills sets and employability skills to maintain employment. Technical skills are work-focused, specific skill sets that are teachable and trainable (Choiseul-Praslin & McConnell, 2020; Fernandes et al., 2021). For example, technical skills could include building or preparing a model, reading a passage, using a computer program, or drawing a specific image (Career One Stop, 2022). Conversely, soft skills are personality-based skills that are needed to successfully maintain employment, including empathy, teamwork, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication that is effective and appropriate (Career One Stop, 2022; Fernandes et al., 2021).

These skills can be differentiated for various levels of individuals with ASD. Differentiated instruction can be applied to content, process, product, and affect/learning environment, in accordance with an individual’s interests, readiness, and preferred approaches to learning (Tomlinson, 2014). Differentiated skills in the skills assessment process allow educators to fully determine the abilities of individuals with ASD (Career One Stop, 2022; Tomlinson, 2014), prior to entering vocational settings. Table 1 shows how both technical and soft skills within a skills assessment could be differentiated to meet the varied strengths and needs of the individual with ASD.

Table 1

Examples of How to Differentiate Skills Assessments.

Skills	Content	Process	Product	Affect/Environment
Technical skills (Example—building a model, reading a passage, or drawing a specific image)	Interest-based Ability-based Language proficiency–based	Visual aids Kinesthetic movement Manipulatives Extended time Scaffolded supports	Rubric varying by ability level Student choice of final product (focus on learning preferences)	Individual or small grouping Quiet spaces Collaborative opportunities Culturally responsive materials
Soft skills (Example—communication, problem-solving, teamwork)	Interest-based Ability-based Language proficiency–based	Modeling (teacher and peer) Visual and verbal prompting Kinesthetic movement Extended time	Rubric varying by ability level Student choice of final product (focus on learning preferences) Ability to work individually or as part of a team	Generalizability to community settings Individual or small grouping Collaborative opportunities Culturally responsive materials

Once an appropriate skills assessment is created, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of the skills assessment. This can be implemented in a variety of ways. One of the easiest ways is using a rubric, identifying an individual’s independent abilities on individual skills. The rubric shown in Figure 1 can be recreated to assess the skills most applicable to each educator’s program. Figure 1 shows generic skills assessments, highlighting technical and soft skills.

Figure 1

Skills Assessment Rubric.

It is also important to consider student’s interests in this stage of planning. Students are naturally more motivated to work when they are interested in the task or outcome (Harackiewicz et al., 2016). For example, you might have a student who simply does not like the idea of cooking or food preparation. This could be due to a lack of interest or sensory processing difficulties. In this case, a food assembly skills assessment may not show their fullest abilities. However, if they are interested in art, they could demonstrate their abilities to assemble art supplies. In the end result, they are demonstrating the same ability to assemble, which could then be replicated in a vocational community setting.

Step 3: Interagency Support and Collaboration

Through the WIOA, funding is provided for VR services, including resources and employability training for young adults with disabilities (WIOA, 2014). Vocational rehabilitation services vary by state; however, all state programs provide individuals with ASD and other disabilities differentiated resources to train for, obtain, and maintain employment (Choiseul-Praslin & McConnell, 2020; Rehabilitation Services Administration, n.d.). The WIOA and partnering service providers offer five components to preparing young adults with exceptionalities for employment (WIOA, 2014). One of these components includes employability skills training through Pre-employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS; Rooney-Kron & Dymond, 2021; WIOA, 2014). Pre-ETS offers employability training at the secondary level for individuals with qualifying exceptionalities (Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center, n.d.). It is recommended for teachers to reach out to their local employment support providers to determine what opportunities and trainings are available in specific locations (Taylor et al., 2021). Specific information pertaining to Pre-ETS is available at the following link: http://www.wintac.org/topic-areas/pre-employment-transition-services.

Step 4: Identify Potential Community Partners

The next step includes identifying potential collaborative community worksites. The strengths, needs, and interests of the individual should be a top priority when identifying potential businesses to partner with in a collaborative community worksite environment. This vocational setting needs to provide the individuals with the potential to grow their educational and vocational skills, leading to improved outcomes of gainful employment (Pickens & Dymond, 2014). The information gained from Step 2 of skills assessment heavily guides this phase. For example, if a student lacks organizational skills, a vocational site offering skills such as display setups, filing paperwork in a specific order, or following precise directions offers the individual the ability to improve in that area (Rooney-Kron & Dymond, 2021). Vocational sites that offer consistency and routines should be listed, as this allows individuals with ASD an easier transition and access to the new expectations (Nicholas et al., 2017).

Identifying multiple potential sites allows for heightened possibilities and potential, as each site has differing values, including employee’s perceptions and willingness to work with individuals with ASD (Nicholas et al., 2017). After identifying potential sites, they can be placed in a hierarchical order of which site best meets the needs and interests of the individuals (Rooney-Kron & Dymond, 2021). DisabilityIn.org provides a list of more than 400 companies that promote inclusion of individuals with disabilities through employment. Some examples of these employers that offer nationwide franchising include Best Buy, Hilton, Home Depot, JCPenney, Kohl’s, Kroger, Lowe’s, Marriott, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Target, UPS, and Walgreens (Disability IN, n.d.). This resource would be a great starting point for identifying potential community partners. In addition, neighborhood networking can be a valuable resource for building a list of potential community partners, especially in smaller demographic regions.

Step 5: Establish Communication

The next step is establishing communication with the potential vocational sites. This can be done in several ways, including emails, phone calls, social media outlets, and in-person visits. Different vocational sites will vary in who to contact, and the best way to contact the designated person(s). For some companies, you may initially reach out to human resources, while for others you may reach out to management.

When establishing communication with potential vocational sites, the educator or group leader should be adequately prepared. It is like preparing for a job interview. You are highlighting the abilities of your individuals, what the vocational site can do for your individuals, and reciprocally, what your individuals can do for the vocational site. This is a partnership after all. It is important to know what opportunities are present within the vocational site, and how these opportunities would be appropriate for your individuals (Rooney-Kron & Dymond, 2021). In addition, it is essential to communicate the various pieces that will be needed for successful partnership, including but not limited to transportation, availability, legality, and responsibility.

Step 6: Training and Establishing Expectations

Having clear expectations and training is valuable in vocational settings and is needed for all parties involved (Choiseul-Praslin & McConnell, 2020). It is important to establish clear expectations, encompassing all expected factors of the partnership. This includes logistical and outcome-based expectations, such as the days and times individuals will participate, tasks completed by individuals, chain of command (who to report to and communicate with), and the roles that each member plays.

When possible, it is best for the leaders of the group (e.g., teachers, paraprofessionals, job coaches) to attend the vocational site for training prior to bringing students (Choiseul-Praslin & McConnell, 2020). This allows the leaders to understand the varying expectations of the vocational site, thus being able to best prepare and teach their students in a hands-on manner. Training can be differentiated to meet the needs of the individuals with ASD, offering visual aids, repetitive directions, extended time, and social cues (Smith et al., 2021; Tomlinson, 2014). In addition, employees and management within the host business may benefit from a teacher led training or guide on how to effectively communicate, collaborate, and work alongside individuals with ASD, ensuring that all parties are prepared to provide the best opportunities for employment growth (Nicholas et al., 2017).

Step 7: Evaluation and Reflection

The final step is the creation of a collaborative community worksite which is to be able to effectively assess an individual’s progress (Choiseul-Praslin & McConnell, 2020). The group leaders should develop a criterion for evaluation that is specific for the community worksite. This can be a rubric, like the skills assessment rubric, or an individual’s portfolio of abilities learned. In addition, there should be reflection on the effectiveness of the partnership with the host business (Nicholas et al., 2017). This reflection process should address aspects such as job training potential, inclusive collaboration potential, and individual growth. Multiple perspectives should be included in the reflection process, as each perspective adds value and determination.

Conclusion

Research indicates that individual with ASD often have struggles in the transition to employment after high school (Curtiss et al., 2021; Nicholas et al., 2017). Research also indicates that vocational curriculum and training at the secondary level improves employment outcomes for individuals with ASD, as well as individuals with other disabilities, improving post-school outcomes (Carlos & Dwyer, 2018; Choiseul-Praslin, & McConnell, 2020; Morningstar et al., 2017). While preparing individuals with disabilities for successful postschool outcomes is a required aspect of the IDEIA (2004), many educators feel they are inadequately prepared to implement meaningful instruction in relation to postschool success (Rooney-Kron & Dymond, 2021).

In conclusion, preparing individuals with ASD for postschool employment is an important need in our modern-day society, due to the unproportionable, successful employment outcomes (Nicholas et al., 2017; Smith et al., 2021). This column outlined seven steps to creating a successful vocational training site for individuals with ASD. In these vocational sites, individuals with ASD can learn and implement technical and soft skills, which consequently will help aid in their transition to adulthood and with greater employment outcomes (Curtiss et al., 2021; Nicholas et al., 2017).

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iD

Alexandria Cordell

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