Hickey Emily J, DaWalt Leann Smith, Hong Jinkuk, Taylor Julie Lounds, Mailick Marsha R
University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705, USA.
Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53705, USA.
Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Jan 20;12(2):265. doi: 10.3390/healthcare12020265.
Autistic adults experience challenges in maintaining employment; however, little is known about patterns of competitive employment through late midlife. This longitudinal study examined the change in hours of competitive employment for a cohort of autistic adults over a 22-year period. The study's aims were to provide a fine-grained analysis of competitive employment patterns, to determine whether there was age-related change, and to test whether trajectories differed between those with and without intellectual disability (ID). Using an accelerated longitudinal design, trajectories of hours of competitive employment were estimated from young adulthood through late midlife in a community-based cohort ( = 341; 1327 observations). Results indicated a significant curvilinear trajectory of age-related change in hours of competitive employment, with differences between those with and without ID. For those without ID, the number of competitive employment hours increased from young adulthood until early midlife, then leveled off and decreased into late midlife. For those with ID, engagement in competitive employment was low throughout. Although competitive employment is just one option for vocational engagement, it is a goal often articulated by autistic adults who seek entry into the general workforce. The present research reveals their degree of engagement in the competitive workforce across the decades of adulthood.
成年自闭症患者在维持就业方面面临挑战；然而，对于他们在中年后期的竞争性就业模式却知之甚少。这项纵向研究考察了一组成年自闭症患者在22年期间竞争性就业时长的变化。该研究的目的是对竞争性就业模式进行细致分析，确定是否存在与年龄相关的变化，并检验有智力障碍（ID）和无智力障碍的患者之间的就业轨迹是否存在差异。采用加速纵向设计，在一个基于社区的队列（n = 341；1327次观察）中，估计了从青年期到中年后期的竞争性就业时长轨迹。结果表明，竞争性就业时长与年龄相关的变化呈显著的曲线轨迹，有智力障碍和无智力障碍的患者之间存在差异。对于无智力障碍的患者，竞争性就业时长从青年期到中年早期增加，然后趋于平稳，到中年后期减少。对于有智力障碍的患者，其参与竞争性就业的程度一直较低。尽管竞争性就业只是职业参与的一种选择，但它是寻求进入普通劳动力市场的成年自闭症患者经常提到的一个目标。本研究揭示了他们在成年后的几十年里参与竞争性劳动力市场的程度。
