People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty finding and keeping a job with their interpersonal difficulties, problems with communication and sensory processing. In the US, only 15% of adults with ASD get paid for their work. New research says technology can help: people with ASD are able to work more efficiently with the task management and organizational support from personal digital assistants (PDA).
People with ASD have valuable skills
Vocational supports from Apple iPod are proving to help. “Strategies that provide enlightened workplace supports are clearly needed in order to help people with ASD find useful work and perform successfully on the job. Adults with ASD often have valuable assets and strengths that are sought after in the workplace, such as logical and mathematical ability, exceptional computer skills, or photographic memory,” said Tony Gentry, PhD, of the Department of Occupational Therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA.
Specific prompts customized to help workers
Research followed study participants over a four year period as they used iPod touch PDAs as job coaching aids at their work. For instance, Jeffrey, a daytime custodian at a fast-food chain struggled with moving from one task to another. He couldn’t remember the steps needed to achieve a task. He would become stressed and rock to calm himself. His therapist set alarms on his PDA to remind him what to do. Checklists were also created to help him sequence and stay on task.
Just the beginning of assistive tech
“This is an exciting time for anyone in the fields of education, physical rehabilitation and vocational support, where we are seeing a long-awaited merging of consumer products and assistive technologies for all,” explained Gentry.
Source: MedicalNewsToday, Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation
