Neurodiversity and client centered occupational therapy to support meaningful employment for autistic persons

Wheeler, S., Acord-Vira, A., Woods, S., & Nesley, C. (2022). Neurodiversity and client centered occupational therapy to support meaningful employment for autistic persons. SIS Quarterly Practice Connections, 7(3).

Work holds tremendous importance in American culture. In addition to being associated with economic self-sufficiency, health, and overall quality of life, people’s livelihood, sense of worth, and conception of self often coalesce in the workplace (Datson et al., 2012; Hendrick, 2010). For many autistic people, the sense of belonging and socially desirable benefits of the workplace remain elusive. Factors associated with poor employment outcomes are both personal and environmental in nature (Goldfarb et al,, 2021).