Abstract This state-of-the-art inductive review with systematic elements, whose results are themed, to discover what the employment prospects and ‘quality of life’ are for students with autism spectrum condition (ASC) at university (Pesonen et al 2020). It will look at the employment rates, the types of employment and their relevance to the degree, whilst considering dropout rates and non-completions (Vincent 2020). In addition, the review will look at their ‘quality of life’, and consider wellbeing and access to welfare, whilst accounting for disclosure or non-disclosure of their condition to employers. In addition the review will evaluate the qualitative themes in the literature and the secondary quantitative employment data collected from external agencies. Therefore, this will be an inductive process to develop empirical generalisations and identify preliminary relationships combining qualitative themes from research literature with the secondary quantitative employment data. The background to the review centres on the increasing numbers of autistic students transitioning to university who benefit from the equality, inclusion, and widening participation in higher education, coupled with the transition programs into university.

The results of the literature review indicate that only a minority of autistic students graduate and many drop out as they are unable to cope with the demands of academia and the social aspects of university (Cage and Howes 2020). Moreover, those who graduate remain unemployed or do not find suitable gainful employment to match their degree status attained, so they take low-skilled employment (Allen and Coney 2021). This indicates that support, adaptations and accommodations to alleviate the traits of ASC with a better transition into employment scheme whilst at university are needed (Cashin 2018).       

Introduction to the Employment Prospects of University Students with Autism.

This paper is a brief systematic, inductive and themed review of the literature over the last five years to support answering the interventionist research question “WHAT ARE THE EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WITH AUTISM?”, due to the increasing number of autistic students attending university (Chown et al., 2018; Pesonen et al., 2020; Vincent and Fabri, 2020). This literature review will guide the researcher to become familiar with the topic, find recent research and emerging trends and issues; in addition to gaining a ‘cognitive map’ to form a basis for further research where gaps emerge, as indicated by Hart, (2018:32).  The review will uncover if this research has been conducted previously, so will extend prior research or determine if there is a gap in the research to explore an intervention for these students. In order to provide best outcomes for this student demographic at university and possibly enhanced a good ‘quality of life’ (Albright, Kulok, and Scarpa 2020, Bölte 2021, Lei et al 2018).

The methodology is to search for the literature on students with autistic spectrum condition (ASC) at university their outcomes and employment prospects. This will be desk-based research for literature on these topics, via several electronic databases, the internet, in addition to searching societies and charities concerned with autism. This review will include legislation and government interventions, but the review will not consider the specific clinical aspects of how ASC is diagnosed. The terms used will be that of ‘neurodivergent’ in a singular sense, as opposed to a student that is neurodiverse and student with ASC, as ‘disorder is stigmatising, whereas ASC is compatible with the presence of both the strengths and difficulties of people on the spectrum, as indicated by Cooper, Hewlett and Kelly, (2020:2) and Hull et al., (2017:2519).

To understand the perspectives of these students with ASC a brief definition of ASC will be given to elucidate why these students may find ‘transition planning’, even if it is online, into employment after university and have a good ‘quality of life’ more challenging than their peers as indicated by Hatfield et al., (2016:2) and Lei et al (2018:2408). Non-completions and dropouts will also be factored into the review (Cage and Howe 2020, Leggett 2018).  Hence, discovering why they may require accommodations, at university and throughout their life course to improve ‘quality of life’ and work (Bölte, 2021; Lindsay et al., 2021; Konnovs and Vine, 2019; Sarrett, 2018; Vincent, 2020).

The literature review will then determine the qualitative themes in the literature under the broad terms of outcomes from university; employment and employability; transition into employment whilst considering preparedness, accommodations or support and the skills needed for the student ASC graduate and those that dropout, in a predominantly neurotypical workforce (Konnovs and Vine, 2019; Ward and Webster, 2018). In addition, the disclosure and stigma for an ASC student will be discussed accounting for their neurodiverse condition and the possible co-occurring conditions, such as anxiety and depression or other physical impairments such as dyspraxia (Anderson, Butt and Sarsony, 2021; Lei et al., 2018; Vincent, 2020). This alludes to why employers may evade employing them and cause discrimination, as indicated by Lindsay et al., (2021:578). Furthermore, quantitative data on the themes will be drawn upon to support the points made in the literature (Putz, Sparkes and Foubert, 2021).

Concluding with a review of the literature summary for the research question which set out to discover the prospects for the increasing numbers of ASC students entering university study, their preparation for employment and a good ‘quality of life’ (Albright, Kulok and Scarpa, 2020). This is whilst taking into consideration their autistic traits and encumbrances from co-occurring conditions and hindrances affecting completion or dropout from their degree and hence their prospects for employment. Whilst accounting for the perspectives of employers of potential students with ASC, the disclosure and nondisclosure of the condition and the accommodations required (Sarrett 2018). This will then determine if the time spent at university and the course undertaken has prepared them for the world of work resulting in a better ‘quality of life’, economic independence and an enhanced sense of wellbeing (Cage, De Andres and Mahoney, 2020).

Methodology and Method of literature review

The methodology to search for autistic students’ employment and outcomes will be to search several electronic databases via the university portal and the internet with keywords and phrases with Boolean operators and semantics (Punch and Oancea, 2014). The methods of the desk-based research will use ‘Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (PICO)’ to aid the formulation of the question and ‘Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type (SPIDER)’ to advance the semantic review of the terms in the question as suggested by Cooke, Smith and Booth (2012:1437). Once acquired only the peer-reviewed full texts of the journal from the search will be added and reviewed in the reference manager Mendeley, as well as some particular ‘grey literature and information’ Adams et al., (2016:2). Then they will be sorted, read, reviewed and either accepted or rejected dependent on relevance to the question to discover the themes for autistic spectrum condition (ASC). The review will not consider the specific clinical aspects of how ASC is diagnosed, but will give a brief definition of ASC to elucidate why these neurodivergent students may find transitioning to employment after graduation more of a challenge, than their neurotypical peers, which would lead to enabling them to enjoy a good ‘quality of life’ (Bölte, 2021; Konnovs and Vine, 2019; Vincent and Fabri, 2020).

The method to search for the literature was via virtual learning environment Moodle and then access the university library to search in EBSCO host for terms Autism and/or autistic, Education and/or University and/or quality of life and/or outcomes and/or employment and any synonyms and semantic phrases. Searching for any journals, books, articles and other artefacts that were about this study of ASC students in University and their prospects and quality of life (Bell and Waters, 2014). The journals ranged from being specifically about autism, education, disability, and society in addition to medical journals on diagnosis and psychology. Further searches were conducted via Google Chrome, books and scholar and for research institutes and trusts, in addition to charities, organisations and government reports, with the same terms, to give a broad range of literature and carefully selected ‘grey information’ as its importance is growing indicated by Adams et al., (2016:2)

A Brief Definition of Autism Affecting Employment, from the Literature Review  

ASC is a complex neurological pervasive developmental disorder, considered a neurodiverse condition, present from birth and throughout life and considered on a spectrum of intellectual levels (American Psychological Association, 2021). The student, male or female from any walk of life with ASC will typically display the following group of conditions, impairments of reciprocal social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, plus a preference for repetitive, stereotyped activities, behaviours and interests, plus masking the ASC, which is more a female than male trait (Cage and Troxell-Whitman, 2019; Hull et al., 2017; Ratto et al., 2018). However, mimicking neurotypicals results in lower rates of diagnosis for females, not that there are fewer ASC females necessarily (Baldwin and Costley 2016, Nagib and Wilton, 2020). The prevalence of ASC is around 1% of the population and the current ratio of males to females attending university in the UK, in 2017/18 was approximately 3:1, which corroborates with previous studies by Loomes, Hull and Mandy, (2017:467) and Anderson, Carter and Stephenson, (2018:651). Hence, the views of potential employers, on the functioning of potential employee students with ASC, because they are dynamic, heterogeneous and with intellectual differences and capacities, in addition to ‘gender imbalance’ or ‘bias’ also a factor poses a complex issue to navigate, as explained respectively by Schuck, Flores and Fung, (2019:2597) and Hull et al., (2017:2534). This is expanded further by Bölte and Mahdi, (2017) that;

‘The ASC student experience can result in alterations in cognitive and emotional functioning, high rates of psychiatric co-morbidity, relationship problems, poor adaptive skills and lower reported ‘quality of life’ compared to the neurotypical (average) student peers.’

In addition, the ASC student may also experience ‘Sensory Sensitivities’ to sound, light and other heightened senses, which may cause them discomfort requiring adaptations at university as mentioned by Cage and Howes, (2020:2) and throughout their life course. This will therefore include the work environment, putting them at a possible further disadvantage from their neurotypical peers and affecting prospective employers’ perceptions and the students’ choices in disclosing their ASC or not, as discussed by suggested Lindsay et al., (2021:607);

‘…people with ASD often struggle with how to disclose their condition, which is necessary to receiving workplace accommodations. Having accommodations are critical because it can help to enhance ‘quality of life’ and work productivity.’

This is corroborated by Bölte, (2021) and Vincent, (2020) when discussing giving individual career advice to this demographic.

Themed Review of Literature on Autistic Students at University

The review of recent literature indicates that there is growing interest in university students with ASC and their progression into sustained employment whether they graduate or drop out and move on (Aindow-Jones, Chatfield and Sanderson, 2020; Anderson, Carter and Stephenson, 2018; Cage and Howes, 2020; Chown et al., 2018; Leggett, 2018; Remington and Pellicano, 2019; Vincent, 2017, 2019; Vincent and Fabri, 2020). However, a scoping review by Cashin, (2018:1043) suggests that there had been little research at the point of his study in 2017 into ‘completion and employment’ prospects of students with ASC transitioning from university. Although Cashin (2018) does indicate that this subject is of interest to researchers, this is not only in the United Kingdom (UK), but in other Western countries too, due to the increased numbers of students with ASC now attending university (Anderson, Carter and Stephenson, 2018; Cage and Howes, 2020; Chown et al., 2018; Lei and Russell, 2021; Thompson et al., 2019; Vincent, 2017). The reasons behind more students attending university in the United Kingdom (UK) are due to equality and diversity legislation, the Equality Act 2010 and the Autism Act 2009, enhancing inclusion and widening participation initiatives (Pesonen et al., 2020; Woods, 2017), in addition to the right to education in the United Nation’s Convention on Human Rights of People with Disabilities as noted by Pesonen et al., (2020:1). However, this may also be due to more students being diagnosed as autistic.

There is interest from several research organisations at universities, in addition to charities, and organisations that campaign the UK government for people and students who are autistic to provide support, to ensure their voices are heard (Allen and Coney, 2021; Konnovs and Vine, 2019; Parkin et al., 2018; Pellicano, Dinsmore and Charman, 2014; Vincent, 2017). Interestingly the article by Pellicano, Dinsmore and Charman (2014) suggests that priorities in autism research need to change to accommodate a more ASC ‘person-centred’ approach, as also suggested by Thompson et al., (2018:2). Furthermore, a government report brief by Parkin et al (2018:27) stating it ‘supports adults with autism to become ‘work ready’’ and The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) who ‘work closely with other educators, employers and careers professionals to bridge the gap to employment for autistic people’, by Allen and Coney, (2021:1), will be used in theming this literature review, although they are ‘grey literature’ as indicated by Adams et al., (2016:5).   

The themes identified in the literature for the students with ASC are, their experiences at university and transitioning to work, then their outcomes from university, followed by adaptations, accommodations and support leading to, employment, underemployment, disclosure and non-disclosure then finally, the effect on them and their ‘quality of life’ (Albright, Kulok and Scarpa, 2020, Thompson et al 2018). A gap was noted regarding females and the transition to employment because no specific mention was made, although they do have a different presentation of ASC (Nagib and Wilton 2020, Ratto et al 2018).         

Experiences at university and transitioning to work for students with ASC

The review suggests that many more students with ASC are now attending university which has prompted and acknowledged the need for transition support from secondary to higher education to help them adjust and cope (Bolourian, Zeedyk and Blacher, 2018; Cox et al., 2017; Widman and Lopez-Reyna, 2020). This supports their wellbeing, mental health by reducing some of the overwhelming feelings of anxiety, stress, depression and psychosis, as well as suicidal ideations, as indicated in the narratives of students at university in the study by Bolourian, Zeedyk and Blacher, (2018). This is echoed in other studies carried out by Gurbuz, Hanley and Riby, (2019) and the review of literature by Anderson, Stephenson and Carter, (2017:38) who indicates that the ‘non-academic challenges’ concerned with ‘social interaction’ were detrimental to the mental health of students with ASC. Although they do show strengths in their tenacity, diligence, research skills and self-efficacy and determination to succeed academically (Lei and Russell, 2021). This suggests experiences at university, for this demographic, are mixed depending on the level of transition support and support at university, which may result in some of them completing and graduating (at some point), but possibly withdrawing, dropping out, or deferring (Cage and Howes, 2020; Cage, De Andres and Mahoney, 2020).

Whether they do or do not graduate they may need support to transition to the next step in their life course, which is to hopefully enter gainful employment, as into university (Cage, De Andres and Mahoney, 2020; Nagib and Wilton, 2020). At this point, Vincent, (2020:21) suggests that the next step to employment is complex and that there are more factors at play than just the prospective employee, student or graduate with ASC, which he terms ‘mobilities and materialities’, these are the micro and macro factors of political, environmental, social, technological, legal and environmental, that also need to be contended with. This makes an already complicated issue almost impossible to navigate considering their ‘lived experiences’ suggests Bolte and Mahdi, (2017), so far, which will have a bearing on their ability to navigate the next phase into employment and have a good ‘quality of life’ Pesonen et al., (2020:2), whilst also balancing their ‘internal struggles with external mediating factors’ as suggested by Ward and Webster, (2018:382). However, in a second article by Vincent and Fabri, (2020:2) an ‘ecosystem model’, for the university students with ASC entering employment is used, to explain the support network with them at the centre then ‘identifying factors that impact on employment success, including job readiness, occupational focus, personal wellbeing and the presentation of foundational autistic traits’ to support the multifaceted factors and support affecting their employment prospects.

To alleviate this problem Cashin, (2018:1045) proffered that there is a need to extend the into university transition, with a ‘global individual support plan’ encompassing all the students ASC needs further into employment with the flexible funding of the universities and external agencies. Lei et al., (2018:2408) has since indicated the same support is needed:

‘We recommend that higher education institutions should offer tailored support to autistic students at all phases of university life i.e. pre-transition to university and while at university, on campus, and also include efforts to prepare students for life after graduation.’

The external agencies and charities suggested are those such as the National Autistic Society (NAS) (2021) that recently commented about the gap in employment for people with ASC published in the statistics published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) by Putz, Sparkes and Foubert, (2021) and external associations such as the Association of Graduate Advisory Services (AGCAS) report on employment prospects for graduates with ASC whereby the writers Allen and Coney (2021:2) who state;

‘The findings from this report highlight why our work remains so vital. Graduates with autism remain the most likely to be unemployed at every qualification level. This is a huge waste, not only of personal talent and potential, but also detrimental to the labour market itself’.

This suggests that although the awareness of the situation is apparent and the research indicates the issues that need to be addressed, they still persist, hence there is low employment for students with ASC.     

Outcomes for students with ASC at university

Several of the articles reviewed indicated that neurodivergent students with ASC have a more varied outcome from university than their neurotypical peers, with completions after several attempts, deferrals, interruptions, withdrawal and dropouts (Bolourian, Zeedyk and Blacher, 2018; Cage and Howes, 2020; Cage and Troxell-Whitman, 2019; Cashin, 2018; Karola, Julie-Ann and Lyn, 2016; Pesonen et al., 2020; Vincent, 2017, 2020). The factors that contribute to this are their heterogeneous presentation of the ASC, even if they are considered high functioning and able to achieve, which would be expected if they are attending university (Chown et al., 2018), they still have the social factors and other co-occurring conditions that hinder their integration and immersion into the university experience and supporting them to become self-efficient (Cage and Howes, 2020; Karola, Julie-Ann and Lyn, 2016). This then leads to feelings of isolation, loneliness leading to feelings of anxiety and depression (Bolourian, Zeedyk and Blacher, 2018; Cage and Howes, 2020; Ward and Webster, 2018). Unless this is addressed by academic (‘hard skills’), as well as non-academic (‘soft skills’) support, leading to self-advocacy and being self-directed, this will adversely affect their outcome and employability (Cage, De Andres and Mahoney, 2020; Pesonen et al., 2020). The acquired academic capabilities are ‘hard skills’ and the social non-academic attributes are ‘soft skills’ that are needed to navigate the recruitment arena and then as an employee, where again both of these skill sets are needed as mentioned by Albright, Kulok and Scarpa, (2020:177). Hence, there is still a pressing issue of supporting with ‘transition planning’, at these as other stages, for the student with ASC wholistically before leaving university (Cashin, 2018; Pesonen et al., 2020, Hatfield et al 2020, Widman and Lopez-Reyna, 2020).

Another area of contention is the choice of degree that may result in non-completion because the expectations and outcomes of the choice were not outlined (Cage, De Andres and Mahoney, 2020). Furthermore, Cashin, (2018:1043) indicates that the lack of ‘vocational trajectory’ in undertaking the degree subject exacerbates the employment prospects and needs to be addressed with ‘outcome-based’ research and careers advice (Allen and Coney 2020, Bolte 2021, Hatfield et al 2016). This is upheld by the statistics for graduates with ASC in the ’What happens next report?’ by AGCAS which indicates that they were ‘least likely to state the degree had been essential or advantageous in them obtaining their job (58.5%)’ Allen and Coney (2021:15), so as indicated careers advise, support and planning in transitioning from university is essential in any eventuality (Cage and Howes, 2020, Pesonen et al., 2020).    

Adaptations, accommodations and support for students with ASC

The literature suggests that changes are occurring at universities by recognising the students with ASC have a need and a right to reasonable adjustments for academic study and non-academic support, accommodations and adaptions to meet their needs with study and social skills, which may then help transition into employment (Anderson, Stephenson and Carter, 2017; Bolourian, Zeedyk and Blacher, 2018; Cai and Richdale, 2016a; Chown et al., 2018). In addition, employers are acknowledging that the students with ASC can contribute to the workforce with their individual skill sets, differing perspectives, diligence, tendency to abide by rules, appreciate routines and an ability to recall information (Albright, Kulok and Scarpa, 2020; Vincent, 2020). However, there appears to be difficulties for the ASC students’ navigating the recruitment process and employers understanding about autism, as well as universities about how to support them into employment (Aindow-Jones et al 2020, Vincent 2020). Although, they should both be able to make simple adaptations and accommodations and carry out training for staff (Accardo et al., 2019; Aindow-Jones, Chatfield and Sanderson, 2020; Anderson, Butt and Sarsony, 2021).

A contrasting paper by Remington and Pellicano, (2019:528) discusses a recent trial internship program set up by Deutsche Bank, (UK) for graduates with ASC and although their experiences were mixed, with the usual issues for ASC in social situations, there were also mixed comments from managers regarding accommodations that ‘might be doing the intern a disservice and creating a false sense of ability’ whereas, another comment was that ‘modifications should be made accordingly to a candidates strengths and weaknesses,’ so an all-round mixed idea about support and if this really helping the overall capabilities or just a false sense of securing in employment.  

These are some of the supports, adjustments and accommodations the students with ASC indicated were most beneficial in the interviews conducted by Pesonen et al., (2020:1) stating that;

‘Career-focused support and internships and practicums facilitated preparation for employment. Supportive and caring relationships emerged as forms of support that included mentors, committed and caring academics, and family members’

The following is also noted by Pesonen et al., (2020) that there is a disparity between knowing, action and the joined-up application of resources and stakeholders to ‘bridge the gap’ between university and employers to address these issues which are echoed by Allen and Coney, (2021:2). The adjustments, adaptations and accommodations, made at university, can transfer to the workplace, but it appears that this is misunderstood by potential employers who do, however, have a requirement under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities (Parkin et al., 2018).

Furthermore, Vincent, (2017:9) states ‘there is a clear disparity between autistic university students’ academic capability and their postgraduate progression outcomes and signals a gap in postgraduate transition provision’. This is corroborated by Pesonen et al., (2020:2) who identifies the same ‘employment gap’ even though there is legislation and guidelines to provide support and careers services by universities for the students (HM Government, 2016).

Employment, Underemployment, Disclosure and Non-disclosure

Further evidence in the literature indicates that when the students with ASC transition from university they have difficulties navigating the recruitment process starting with job seeking, writing a curriculum vitae and job applications, dealing with employment agencies and then interviews, which in their situation can be traumatic, only to maybe not find suitable gainful employment (Aindow-Jones, Chatfield and Sanderson, 2020; Cai and Richdale, 2016; Cashin, 2018; Lei et al., 2018; Pesonen et al., 2020; Remington and Pellicano, 2019; Sarrett 2018; Vincent, 2017, 2019; Vincent and Fabri, 2020). Subsequently, they are often noted as being underemployed (do not use the degree), work part-time or cannot sustain the employment which ‘suggests that there is a clear disparity between autistic university students’ academic capability and their postgraduate progression outcomes and signals a gap in postgraduate transition provision’ into employment as stated by Vincent, (2017:9) and Pesonen et al., (2020) who states the same three years later. In addition, this can then result in students that are overqualified and underutilised in employment unrelated to their degree as Cashin (2018) intimated being an issue because potential graduates were not advised to undertake degrees that would benefit them in the employment arena. Furthermore, Lei et al., (2018:2407) posits that unfortunately for the students with ASC ‘higher education does not equate to employment, and continued support is needed during higher education to further enhance employment success’. Whereas, Leggett (2018) an employment consultant at NAS proposes that simple steps can be taken in the whole process from the job advertisement onward to make it more autism friendly, inclusive and diverse.    

There are several instances of ‘recruitment accommodations’ that can be made to support these students one is undertaken in Canada, with ‘occupational skills and accommodations assessments, as well as workshops, coaching and employer presentations’ mentioned by Vincent (2017:17), which would benefit those with ASC in accessing employment. A similar scheme in the UK has been piloted as an ‘Autism Centre for Employment project’, which was to be rolled out into work assessment tools assessing strengths and weaknesses and adjustment, HM Government, (2016:61). Another suggestion by Sarrett, (2017:7) is modifications to job interviews with preparation, role play and practice to alleviate some of the social aspects of these scenarios to reduce stress and anxiety. However, Sarrett, (2017) points out that this role-play, acting or masking then needs to be maintained whilst in the post, which may mean they cannot sustain this and the result may mean losing the job (Cage and Troxell-Whitman 2019). Although it is noted by Pesonen et al., (2020) that after university it is a requirement, given their disability, to provide this type of support to transition to employment to account for their ongoing anxiety, stress and emotional support requirements (Lei et al., 2018), this must be done with caution to protect their mental health and wellbeing (Lei and Russel 2021).  

The literature also indicates that employment is further hindered by whether they disclose or do not disclose their autism due to the stigma of labelling or stereotyping at university and by employers and staff (Aindow-Jones, Chatfield and Sanderson, 2020; Anderson et al., 2016; Cage, De Andres and Mahoney, 2020; Cai and Richdale, 2016; Lei and Russell, 2021; Lindsay et al., 2021; Sarrett, 2017). In not disclosing their ASC Lei and Russell, (2021:2) indicate they may become overwhelmed and ‘reach crisis point and can no longer cope at university’ and Cage, De Andres and Mahoney, (2020:2) suggest that ‘non-disclosure’ could also result in non-completion at university (Cox et al 2017). Whereas, both papers indicate if they did disclose, they could access the necessary adjustments and support to negate this happening. The scenario of disclosure or non-disclosure may then be repeated once they transition into employment, dependent on the type of employment, reasons of stigmatisation or judgement, but may result in a similar scenario of no adaptations or accommodations and then possibly losing the employment as suggested by Lindsay et al., (2021). This systematic review also indicates that on balance neither disclosure nor non-discloser was beneficial, but that overall better training and non-discriminatory policies, processes and practices are needed in the workplace to alleviate a complex multifaceted situation (Lindsay et al 2021). Furthermore, even with legislation in the Equality Act 2010 and the Autism Act 2009 to protect their disability in any situation, as well as the ‘Think Autism Strategy’ of the UK government, HM Government, (2016:3) this still appears not to have eradicated the problems of discrimination (Allen and Coney, 2021)

Finally, this situation is verified by the recent data from the Office for National Statistics indicating that the employment situation for ASC people, in general, is only 21.7% are employed which will include ASC graduates within the ASC (Putz, Sparkes and Foubert, 2021). This is the first time these statistics have included ASC as a separate category. In addition, Allen and Coney, (2021:15) state that ‘there is a particularly large difference in the proportion of fulltime employment of graduates with autism (36.4%) than those with no known disability (60.4%).

The effect of employment on the Student with ASC and their ‘quality of life’

In reviewing the literature for students with ASC transitioning to employment after university it was noted that many papers, reports and government initiatives are aware that being employed is a significant factor in achieving a good ‘quality of life’ (Anderson, Carter and Stephenson, 2018; Albright, Kulok and Scarpa, 2020; Gurbuz, Hanley and Riby, 2019; HM Government, 2016; Lei and Russell, 2021; Lindsay et al., 2021; Pesonen et al., 2020; Thompson et al., 2019). There is a further iteration from Aindow-Jones, Chatfield and Sanderson, (2020:8) that sums up these notions from the literature review stating that; 

‘..gaining successful employment improves individual well-being through a sense of belonging, acceptance, contribution and being valued and rewarded with payment, friendships, promotions, and other reward systems. Without employment, graduates with an ASC diagnosis have often experienced “lip service” interviews, negative experiences of interview recruitment and selection as they have not performed to the expected standard at interview stage’.

Therefore, they are seen as needing long-term support to establish themselves in university and then into employment, which parents are also concerned with whilst trying to be part of their support network, as becoming employed means moving on supporting themselves financially (Anderson, Carter and Stephenson, 2018; Anderson, Butt and Sarsony, 2021; Lei and Russell, 2021). In addition, support programs are being set up by the UK government and charities such as the national autistic society and ambitious about autism however, employers need to be aware that they are a ‘critical contributor’ in their employability process as suggested by Albright, Kulok and Scarpa, (2020:167).

Being employed as well as contributing to the ‘quality of life’ helps create a sense of identity ideas of success and less reliance on welfare support with which Lindsay’s et al., (2021:597) research corroborates suggesting ‘that people with ASC who transition to competitive employment have the potential to increase their sense of agency and overall well-being’. Hence, there is a ‘clear need to evaluate the outcomes of post-secondary education in terms of employment, independent living outcomes, and ‘quality of life’’ for this particular set of Students’ with ASC as stated by  Anderson, Carter and Stephenson, (2018:662) because they can contribute to with diverse and differing perspectives in a work environment and would otherwise be lost to the economy and hence, continue to live with parents and rely on welfare support (Parkin et al., 2018; Vincent and Fabri, 2020). 

Conclusion and summary of literature review on students’ with autism at university and their progression to work

This brief literature review carried out systematically, and inductively, whilst theming the literature, of the last five years, was carried out to support the interventionist research question “WHAT ARE THE EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS WITH AUTISM?” During the review, it was noted that the transition programs for the students with ASC, due to their heterogeneous nature and increasing numbers at university, were needed to support them into university and again to transition into employment and the complexity that entails (Anderson, Carter and Stephenson, 2018; Accardo et al., 2019; Vincent and Fabri, 2020; Lei and Russell, 2021). 

This review of literature discussed the ASC and the effects that this can have on employment prospects, whilst considering the legislation and the concerns whether they should disclose their disability, due to stigma or stereotyping, balanced with the need to acquire adaptations or accommodations at work similar to those used at university, to enable them to fulfil the job role (Lindsay et al., 2021). Furthermore, the university course undertaken and time spent there should be seen as preparation for a job role leading to economic stability independence and a sense of wellbeing resulting in a good ‘quality of life’ (Cage, De Andres and Mahoney, 2020). However, at present due to the complexities of the ASC and the multifaceted employment arena, some employers are still reticent to employ these students, resulting in low rates of employment, even given the legislation and UK governments autism agenda (HM Government, 2016; Parkin et al., 2018). Improvement and awareness of ASC is improving, but progressing into employment with transition planning still needs all stakeholders for their gainful employment rate to increase and a better ‘quality of life’.  

To conclude this is still a recent research area that is developing to move the issue of employability of university students forward. However, although there are some papers and research on gender and ASC (Nagib and Wilton 2020, Ratto et al 2018, Schuck, Flores and Fung 2019), noting the differences in presentation, there appear to be few papers on students identifying as female with ASC and their experience of the transition into employment from university. This indicates a gap in research to explore.   

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