Achieving Steady Work Among Adults With Autism Through Specialized Employment Program

NCT04107064 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 50268
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 80
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have significantly higher levels of unemployment and underemployment compared to their typically developing peers and all other groups with neurodevelopmental disorders, even though major companies that have employed and trained young people with ASD acclaim their significant innovations in their companies. The investigators hope to examine the effects of specialized employment support programs, over current traditional vocational rehabilitation approaches, for adults with ASD on their ability to maintain steady employment and overall benefit to the organizations at which they will be employed. The investigators predict that Stanford University's Neurodiversity at Work (NaW) Program will improve employment outcomes and positively impact the overall quality of life of individuals with ASD in this program. The investigators hope that the findings of the study will lead to the advancement of programs aimed to support individuals with ASD.

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder; Autism

Keywords

Neurodiversity; ASD; Employment; Neurodiverse

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Job Retention Rates

  Compare job retention rates resulting from NaW starting before onboarding and NaW starting 6 months after onboarding (NaW-DS). The investigators predict that the NaW program will result in a higher rate of sustained employment in adults with ASD 15 months after onboarding when compared to NaW-DS.

  Before onboarding for NaW arm; 6 months after onboarding for NaW-DS arm; 15 months after onboarding for both arms.

• Duration of Sustained Employment

  Compare duration of sustained employment for NaW and NaW-DS. The investigators predict that the NaW program will result in a longer duration of sustained employment as compared to NaW-DS.

  15 months after onboarding.

• Costs of Employee Turnover

  Determine the costs of employee turnover achieved from the NaW and NaW-DS.

  15 months after onboarding.

• Rates of Job Offers

  Compare rates of job offers between internship programs and pre-employment training programs.

  15 months after onboarding.

• World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment [WHOQOL-100]

  Measures individuals' perceptions of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns. Purpose of measure: compare the change in Quality of Life (QoL) between NaW and NaW-DS for adults with ASD at month 15 post-onboarding; compare the trajectories of change in QoL between NaW and NaW-DS for adults with ASD over time. This scale consists of four domains: physical health, psychological, social relationships, and environment. A higher score indicates a better quality of life, while a lower score indicates a lower quality of life. There is a total of 100 items in this scale. The minimum score is 100, with the highest score being 500. The five point scale ranges from "Not at all" to " Extremely" (or "Completely" or "Very satisfied"). Subscales are combined to produce a total score.

  At screening, 3 months after onboarding at job position, 6 months after onboarding, 12 months after onboarding, 15 months after onboarding, 18 months after onboarding.

Secondary Outcomes (8)

• Maslach's Burnout Measure

  Baseline, 6 months after onboarding, 12 months after onboarding, and 18 months after onboarding.

• Meyer and Allen's Affective Commitment Measure

  Baseline, 6 months after onboarding, 12 months after onboarding, and 18 months after onboarding.

• Eisenberger's Perceived Organizational Support

  Baseline, 6 months after onboarding, 12 months after onboarding, and 18 months after onboarding.

• Morgensen and Humphrey's Job Characteristics (WDQ)

  Baseline, 6 months after onboarding, 12 months after onboarding, and 18 months after onboarding.

• Judge's Global Job Satisfaction

  Baseline, 6 months after onboarding, 12 months after onboarding, and 18 months after onboarding.

Other Outcomes (5)

• Rosenberg Scale of Self-Esteem

  Baseline, 6 months after onboarding, 12 months after onboarding, and 18 months after onboarding.

• Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory

  Baseline, 6 months after onboarding, 12 months after onboarding, and 18 months after onboarding.

• Test of Young Adult Social Skills Knowledge

  Baseline, 6 months after onboarding, 12 months after onboarding, and 18 months after onboarding.

Study Arms (2)

Neurodiversity at Work (NaW) Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Individuals in this group will receive a 6-week Autism at Work pre-employment training. Upon onboarding, each individual will be supported by a team manager, a team buddy, a peer mentor, a job/life skills coach, a vocational rehabilitation counselor, and a personal counselor. Ongoing support for members of support circles will be provided during the 12 weeks immediately after onboarding.

Behavioral: NaW

Neurodiversity at Work - Delayed Start (NaW-DS)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group will receive typical orientation for neurotypical employees after onboarding. The support of peer mentor, job/life skills coach, vocational rehabilitation counselor, and a personal counselor will start 6 months after onboarding. Managers, co-workers, team buddies and mentors for all recruited and hired employees in both groups will receive the same specialized training to enhance their abilities to work with individuals with ASD.

Behavioral: NaW-DS

Interventions

NaW BEHAVIORAL

Participants will receive assistance with finding employment, onboarding, training, and so on.

Neurodiversity at Work (NaW) Group

NaW-DS BEHAVIORAL

Participants will receive assistance with onboarding and training 6 months after the initiation of their employment.

Neurodiversity at Work - Delayed Start (NaW-DS)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 55 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Moderately functioning group of participants:
• Males and females with ASD
• Between the ages of 18-55
• No significant current psychosocial stressors per history
• Able to travel to work independently
• Attended either an internship program, pre-employment training, or both
• Possess an IQ between 60 and 90
• High functioning group of participants:
• Males and females with ASD
• Between the ages of 18-55
• No significant current psychosocial stressors per history
• Able to travel to work independently
• Attended either an internship program, pre-employment training, or both
• Possess a college degree
• Possess an IQ of 90 or above

You may not qualify if:

• DSM-5 diagnosis of other severe psychiatric disorder such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Lawrence Fung: lead

Study Sites (1)

Stanford University School of Medicine

Palo Alto, California, 94304, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder; Autistic Disorder

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Lawrence Fung, MD, PhD

  Stanford University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Lawrence K Fung, MD, PhD

CONTACT

6504989392; lkfung@stanford.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 24, 2019
• First Posted: September 27, 2019
• Study Start: September 30, 2019
• Primary Completion: December 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Last Updated: November 28, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-11

Locations

US (1)