Autistic Employees Speak Up

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Claire Jack has an article at Psychology Today titled "Are Autistic People More Likely to Speak Up at Work?"

Recent research 3 supports what my clients have told me and suggests that autistic people may be more likely to voice concerns when made aware of inefficient processes and dysfunctional practices in the workplace than non-autistic people. In an online survey, 33 autistic employees and 34 nonautistic employees were presented with examples of potential workplace situations, which contained an example of workplace dysfunction, including an ethical issue or example of operational inefficiency. Both groups were asked to evaluate the hypothetical examples at work and state what, if any, action they would take if they were aware of ethical issues or inefficiencies.

Why were autistic participants more likely to express a desire to take action? It might be because autistic people tend to be less worried about what others think when making moral judgments.4 It could also be the case that autistic people internalise a different set of cultural beliefs and psychological rules in their earlier developmental stages, which makes them less likely to be influenced by others.5



3. Hartman, LM, Farahani, M, Moore, A. et. Al (2023) Organizational benefits of neurodiversity: preliminary findings on autism and the bystander effect. Autism Research, 16(10): 1989-2001

4. Frith, Uta, and Chris Frith. "Reputation management: In autism, generosity is its own reward." Current biology 21.24 (2011): R994-R995.

5. Hartman, LM, Farahani, M, Moore, A. et. Al (2023) Organizational benefits of neurodiversity: preliminary findings on autism and the bystander effect. Autism Research, 16(10): 1989-2001

Case on Recording IEPs

In The Politics of Autism, I write about individualized education programs (IEPs):

These meetings can turn nasty, and many autism parents have “IEP horror stories.”  One parent told me that she tried to ease tensions by bringing cookies to the meeting.  The principal then shouted to his staff, “Nobody touch those cookies!”  Another parent writes of asking for a sensory diet, a personalized activity plan that helps the student stay focused (e.g., low noise levels for those with a sensitivity to sound).  “After just proclaiming she is extremely knowledgeable about Asperger’s Syndrome, from the mouth of a school psychologist after we suggested our son needed a sensory diet. `Our cafeteria does not have the ability to provide this.’”

From the Liberty Justice Center:

On May 3, the Liberty Justice Center filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear Pitta v. Medeiros, a case about the types of speech and expressive activity protected under the First Amendment.

Beginning in the spring of 2022, parents Scott and Roxanne Pitta attended a series of virtual meetings with employees at their local public school about their child’s individualized educational program (IEP). After multiple meetings where the Pittas alleged that school employees omitted parts of the discussion from the official minutes, the family asked to video record a September meeting to preserve an accurate account of the discussion about their child’s IEP. The school refused their request and ended the meeting. In April 2024, the Pittas sued the district for violating their First Amendment rights, arguing that they have a constitutional right to record government officials performing their duties.

A federal appeals court ruled that the First Amendment only entitles private citizens to record public officials who are performing their duties in an “indisputably public place” and when the recording would serve the public interest. Based on that ruling, the Pittas’ verbal request to record an online-only meeting that they attended in their own home was illegal.

The Pittas are now petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case.

The Liberty Justice Center’s amicus brief urges the Supreme Court to hear the case and reverse the lower court’s decision. The brief argues that recording a public official performing their duties qualifies as expressive activity protected by the First Amendment—and serves the interest of public transparency—regardless of whether it takes place in a public area or on private property.

“This case implicates the First Amendment, government transparency, and parents’ rights in education—three vital reasons for the Court to hear the case,” said James McQuaid, Staff Attorney at the Liberty Justice Center.

The Liberty Justice Center’s amicus brief in Pitta v. Medeiros is available here.

Medical Misinformation

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.   And among those diseases could be COVID-19.

Antivaxxers are sometimes violent, often abusive, and always wrong. 

Suran M, Bucher K. False Health Claims Abound, but Physicians Are Still the Most Trusted Source for Health Information. JAMA. Published online April 26, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.6837

The COVID-19 pandemic spotlighted a growing problem: the pervasiveness of false claims about health. To better understand how people in the US view health inaccuracies and learn about them through media use, KFF (formerly Kaiser Family Foundation), a nonprofit organization focused on health policy, tracked exposure to and beliefs about certain claims. For their Health Misinformation Tracking Pilot Poll, conducted last year, public opinion researchers at KFF asked a nationally representative sample of 2007 Black, Hispanic, and White adults about inaccurate information pertaining to COVID-19, gun violence, and reproductive health. The survey team also asked where people get their news and which sources of health information they trust.

The poll showed that trust in health care professionals crossed party lines: 95% of both Democrats and Republicans reported trusting their personal physicians to provide the right recommendations about health issues. “Doctors are particularly well positioned to be the messengers when it comes to health recommendations that people really trust,” Lunna Lopes, MSc, the lead author of the report and a senior survey analyst at KFF, told JAMA Medical News in an interview.

Most people have a fair amount of trust in the government to provide accurate information about health issues, but trust varies across political party lines. For example, 87% of Democrats reported trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compared with 49% of Republicans. State and local public health officials were trusted by 74% of Democrats and 58% of Republicans.

Overall, 96% of participants reported that they’ve heard at least 1 of the 10 inaccurate health claims listed on KFF’s survey—that measles-mumps-rubella (MME) vaccines cause autism, for example, or that ivermectin is effective against COVID-19. And while exposure to health misinformation was rampant, the percentage of people who have heard false claims and believe they’re probably or definitely true ranged from 14% to 35%. “A key takeaway that we got from the data is that people are hearing misinformation, but not many are convinced that it’s true,” Lopes said.

Trump and RFK Jr. Compete for Antivaxxers

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.   And among those diseases could be COVID-19.

Antivaxxers are sometimes violent, often abusive, and always wrong. A leading anti-vaxxer is presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  He has repeatedly compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.  Rolling Stone and Salon retracted an RFK article linking vaccines to autism.

He is now running for president as an independent.  At first, Trumpists encouraged his political ambitions in hopes that the Kennedy name would draw votes from Biden.  But now it appears that Kennedy may instead be drawing votes from Trump, who also has a long history as an antivaxxer.

 Liz Skalka at Vanity Fair:

The presumptive GOP presidential nominee ranted about Kennedy, who has tried to distance himself from his documented history as a vaccine skeptic, in a four-minute Truth Social video on Thursday, in which he claimed that Kennedy has misrepresented his views on vaccines to curry favor with the right.

...

“For those of you that want to vote because you think he’s an anti-vaxxer, he’s not really an anti-vaxxer,” Trump continued. “That’s only his political moment. So, RFK, his views on vaccines are fake, as is everything else about his candidacy.”

Kennedy has said he’s never advised the public not to get vaccines and has insisted that he’s not against them. But his profile as a vaccine skeptic exploded during the pandemic, and he has said as recently as July last year that there’s no such thing as a safe and effective vaccine. He’s also promoted antisemitic-tinged, anti-vaccine messaging through his nonprofit, Children’s Defense Fund.

American Academy of Pediatrics: Healthcare Bill of Rights

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the day-to-day challenges facing autistic people and their families. Health problems are prominent among them. 

Carol Weitzman, Cy Nadler, Nathan J. Blum, Marilyn Augustyn, Supporting Access for Everyone Consensus Panel; Health Care for Youth With Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: A Consensus Statement. Pediatrics May 2024; 153 (5): e2023063809. 10.1542/peds.2023-063809

Individuals with a neurodevelopmental disability (NDD) face significant health care barriers, disparities in health outcomes, and high rates of foregone and adverse health care experiences. The Supporting Access for Everyone (SAFE) Initiative was developed to establish principles of health care to improve equity for youth with NDDs through an evidence-informed and consensus-derived process. With the Developmental Behavioral Pediatric Research Network, the SAFE cochairs convened a consensus panel composed of diverse professionals, caregivers, and adults with NDDs who contributed their varied expertise related to SAFE care delivery. A 2-day public forum (attended by consensus panel members) was convened where professionals, community advocates, and adults with NDDs and/or caregivers of individuals with NDDs presented research, clinical strategies, and personal experiences. After this, a 2-day consensus conference was held. Using nominal group technique, the panel derived a consensus statement (CS) on SAFE care, an NDD Health Care Bill of Rights, and Transition Considerations. Ten CSs across 5 topical domains were established: (1) training, (2) communication, (3) access and planning, (4) diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and anti-ableism, and (5) policy and structural change. Relevant and representative citations were added when available to support the derived statements. The final CS was approved by all consensus panel members and the Developmental Behavioral Pediatric Research Network steering committee. At the heart of this CS is an affirmation that all people are entitled to health care that is accessible, humane, and effective.

Shanahan Did Her Own "Research"

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.   And among those diseases could be COVID-19.

Antivaxxers are sometimes violent, often abusive, and always wrong. A leading anti-vaxxer is presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  He has repeatedly compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.  Rolling Stone and Salon retracted an RFK article linking vaccines to autism.

He is now running for president as an independent

RFK Jr. picked wealthy fellow antivaxxer Nicole Shanahan as his running mate.  Like him, she has spread the falsehood that vaccines cause autism.

Noah Kirsch, William Bredderman, and Emily Shugerman at The Daily Beast:

[Ex-husband Sergey] Brin was consumed by his own career and interests, and therefore had no qualms about Shanahan’s more dubious beliefs, another person familiar with his thinking said. In 2018, they had a daughter, Echo, who was later diagnosed with autism. Shanahan told Steele that motherhood changed her life. “Through [Echo’s] experience, I’ve seen everything differently,” she said.

To some observers close to her, the autism diagnosis accelerated Shanahan’s attraction to unproven scientific theories, and later her alignment with Kennedy.

In the speech announcing her candidacy in March—delivered in a languid tone that contrasted with Kennedy’s harsh intensity—Shanahan said she “got deep into the research” after Echo was born and came to believe that autism and chronic diseases are mainly caused by medications, electromagnetic pollution, and “toxic substances in our environment.”

“She’s always been a crystal gazer,” a person who has spent considerable time with her said. But Echo’s struggles pushed her deeper into the fringes. “People who have children [in that position], their views can sometimes be swayed, because you’re looking for an answer that doesn’t exist.”

Shrub Oak

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the use of restraint and seclusion, along with cases of abuse.  In America's complex system for dealing with autism, oversight is uneven, and people on the spectrum can fall through the cracks.

Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen at Pro Publica report on  Shrub Oak International School, an expensive private residential facility in Westchester County, New York:

No state agency oversees Shrub Oak, which enrolls a range of students with autism including those whom other schools declined to serve and who have severe behavioral challenges and complex medical needs. The private, for-profit school chose not to seek approval from New York’s Education Department.

That means it has gotten no meaningful oversight and state officials have had no authority over the school — over who works there, whether money is spent properly and if the curriculum and services are appropriate for students with disabilities.

Even without New York’s approval, Shrub Oak receives public money from school districts across the country that pay tuition for the students they send there.

Shrub Oak opened in 2018 with grand promises: beautiful dorms, an indoor therapy pool, an equestrian stable, a restaurant-quality kitchen, sophisticated security, round-the-clock care and cutting-edge education for students with autism from around the world.

Some of those promises never materialized. A ProPublica investigation — based on records from school districts, court documents and interviews with nearly 30 families and just as many workers — also found accusations of possible abuse and neglect: unexplained black eyes and bruises on students’ bodies, medication mix-ups, urine-soaked mattresses and deficient staffing. Many parents and workers, armed with confidential documents and photos of student injuries, described their futile efforts to get authorities to intervene.

...

Shrub Oak is among the most expensive therapeutic boarding schools in America. Tuition for residential students is $316,400 this school year. Many students require a dedicated aide for 16 hours a day, bringing the total to $573,200. Shrub Oak currently enrolls about 85 students, ages 7 to 23, from 13 states and Puerto Rico.

Though the school touts its expertise with students who need constant care, police records detail young people swallowing aluminum foil, plexiglass, diapers and their own feces; putting their heads or fists through windows; and running away as recently as late March.

ABA and Gender

 In The Politics of Autism, I write:

As long as government funds so much research, politics will shape the questions that scientists ask and determine the kinds of research that receive funding.  Politics will even influence which scientists the policymakers will believe and which findings will guide public policy. In the end, science cannot tell us what kinds of outcomes we should want.  ABA “works” in the sense that it helps some autistic people become more like their typically developing peers.  Most parents regard such an outcome as desirable, but not all people on the spectrum agree.  

Peterson T, Dodson J, Sherwin R, et al. (May 07, 2024) Comparative Effects of Applied Behavior Analysis on Male and Female Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Cureus 16(5): e59802. doi:10.7759/cureus.59802

Abstract

Introduction

Current evidence-based treatments for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are based on applied behavior analysis (ABA). However, research on gender differences in ABA therapy response is limited. This study seeks to (1) confirm the 4:1 male-to-female ratio reported in the literature and (2) identify any possible gender differences in target behaviors over seven timepoints measured every two weeks.

Materials and methods

For three months, from March 19, 2023, to June 11, 2023, a team of 3-5 behavioral technicians per individual collected daily data on general target mastery for 100 individuals with ASD treated with ABA. Data was collected at seven timepoints every two weeks. Descriptive demographics were computed. Two independent sample t-tests were performed to determine significant or nonsignificant gender differences with the seven timepoint variables.

Results

Nonstatistically significant gender differences (p > .05) were found on all seven cumulative target behavior timepoints measured at two-week intervals. For targets mastered Time 1, baseline between males and females, there was no significant difference in the means for males (M = 1.0571, SD = 1.9196) and females (M = 2.0455, SD = 3.9457) (t(90) = -1.591, p = 0.115, confidence interval (CI) = -2.2223, 0.2456, d = -0.389). For targets mastered Time 2, two weeks between males and females, there was no significant difference in the means for males (M = 3.7132; SD = 4.5065) and females (M = 4.0682, SD = 5.1508) (t(88) = -0.310, p = 0.757, CI = -2.6305, 1.92056, d = -0.076). For targets mastered Time 3, four weeks between males and females, there was no significant difference in the means for males (M = 7.0956; SD = 8.7781) and females (M = 8.6136; SD = 11.2799) (t(88) = -0.656, p = 0.514, CI = -6.1173, 3.0811, d = -0.161). For targets mastered Time 4, six weeks between males and females, there was no significant difference in the means for males (M = 13.1728, SD = 16.2003) and females (M = 13.0682, SD = 16.9272) (t(88) = 0.026, p = 0.979, CI = -7.8779, 8.0871, d = 0.006). For targets mastered Time 5, eight weeks between males and females, there was no significant difference in the means for males (M = 17.2096; SD = 18.8546) and females (M = 17.4286, SD = 22.1683) (t(87) = -0.045, p = 0.965, CI = -9.9773, 9.5393, d = -0.011). For targets mastered Time 6, 10 weeks between males and females, there was no significant difference in the means for males (M = 21.0074, SD = 21.3329) and females (M = 20.6818, SD = 26.1231) (t(88) = 0.059, p = 0.953, CI = -10.6752, 11.3262, d = 0.014). For targets mastered Time 7, 12 weeks between males and females, there was no significant difference in the means for males (M = 26.1196, SD = 24.2235) and females (M = 29.6364, SD = 33.7406) (t(89) = -0.536, p = 0.593, CI = -16.5431, 9.5094, d = -0.131).
Conclusions

The study indicates that ABA treatments may be equally beneficial for both genders with ASD, showing no significant gender differences. However, the broad CIs in this study imply a level of statistical uncertainty, indicating potential gender differences, suggesting the results may not be uniform across genders. These findings challenge assumptions on gender-specific treatment responses, implying that ABA treatments shouldn’t be recommended based on gender. Instead, individual needs should guide treatment recommendations. Future research could consider other response moderators like age, ASD severity, or coexisting mental health conditions.

California Data

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss evaluation and diagnosis.

O’Sharkey, K., Mitra, S., Paik, Sa. et al. Trends in the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in California: Disparities by Sociodemographic Factors and Region Between 1990–2018. J Autism Dev Disord (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06371-w

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) prevalence has risen globally, with regional variation and sociodemographic disparities affecting diagnosis and intervention. This study examines ASD trends from 1990 to 2018 in California (CA), focusing on sociodemographic factors that may inform policy/interventions. Using CA Department of Public Health birth records (1990–2018) and Developmental Services ASD cases (1994–2022), we analyzed diagnosis incidence by age 4 or 8, stratified by sociodemographic and regional factors. From 1990 to 2018, for each birth year the cumulative incidence of ASD by 4 and 8 years of age in CA increased while the diagnosis age decreased. Distinct patterns emerged over these three decades. Children born to White and Asian and Pacific Islander (API) mothers, or to mothers with higher education or living in high socioeconomic status (SES) neighborhoods exhibited higher ASD cumulative incidences throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. However, in the mid-2000s, ASD incidence in children born to Black or Hispanic mothers, with low education, or living in low SES neighborhoods surpassed that of White/API children or those living in high SES neighborhoods. Black or Hispanic children now have the highest ASD cumulative incidence, even though age at first diagnosis remains lowest in high SES regions, for the highly educated, and for White/API children. ASD cumulative incidence in CA from 1990 to 2018 exhibited demographic reversals with higher rates in children born to Black or Hispanic mothers or lower SES neighborhoods. Black and Hispanic children still have delayed age at diagnosis compared to White/API children.

RFK Jr. Running Mate Lacks Basic Knowledge of Vaccine Policy

In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.   And among those diseases could be COVID-19.

Antivaxxers are sometimes violent, often abusive, and always wrong. A leading anti-vaxxer is presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  He has repeatedly compared vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.  Rolling Stone and Salon retracted an RFK article linking vaccines to autism.

He is now running for president as an independent

RFK Jr. picked wealthy fellow antivaxxer Nicole Shanahan as his running mate.  Like him, she has spread the falsehood that vaccines cause autism.

 

VAERS is actually a national warning system that analyzes reports of possible side effects from vaccines -- it's meant to detect potential safety issues. I think Shanahan means the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program which is a separate thing entirely which is funded by an excise… https://t.co/1ufvxhu82J pic.twitter.com/e19omzvhOC

— Brandy Zadrozny (@BrandyZadrozny) May 2, 2024

Autism in the US Military

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss military personnel and military families.  The IDF recruits autistic soldiers.  The US military is lagging.

John Donvan, Marjorie McAfee, Katy Sheward, Justin Green, and Aria Young at ABC:

For people on the autism spectrum, finding their place in the American military can be an arduous process. The U.S. Department of Defense considers having autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to be a “disqualifying condition” to join the military. Many candidates are turned away because of their diagnosis.

...

“National security problems are some of the hardest problems we have in this country,” said Cortney Weinbaum, Sr., national security researcher at RAND Corporation. “It makes no sense to not want all brain types working on it.”

Having authored one of the few studies attempting to assess the military’s handling of neurodivergence, Weinbaum found a community of military members hiding their symptoms to avoid being medically discharged.

...

“With ASD in particular, we've seen about 1,800 applicants come through the process with that diagnosis,” said Miller. “And we've seen about 500 applicants actually approved for a waiver with a history of ASD.”

Miller admits that the waiver process can be opaque and lengthy.

“We do not necessarily put out a lot of information about the waiver process itself, because every review is individualized and depends on those individual circumstances,” Miller told “Nightline.” “But we do believe that we need to do more to make the waiver process understood and known.”

Stephanie Miller, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy at the Department of Defense, says the military is beginning to take a more individualized approach to autism in the waiver process, reflecting a more nuanced understanding of the diagnosis.

New Rule on Health Discrimination

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the day-to-day challenges facing autistic people and their families. 
People with autism and other disabilities have faced discrimination in organ transplants.  During the pandemic, they faced discrimination in the availability of ventilators.  And along with other people with disabilities, they reportedly encounter discrimination in health care more generally.

From HHS:

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR), finalized a rule that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. This rule, titled Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Health and Human Service Programs or Activities, advances equity and bolsters protections for people with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504). This important Final Rule is HHS’s latest action in furtherance of Executive Order 14091, entitled Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.

...
Section 504 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs and activities that receive funding from HHS. Since the law was enacted, major legislative and judicial developments have shifted the legal landscape of disability discrimination under Section 504.

HHS has updated the regulations to clarify obligations in several critical areas. Specifically, the rule:

• Ensures that medical treatment decisions are not based on negative biases or stereotypes about individuals with disabilities, judgments that an individual with a disability will be a burden on others, or dehumanizing beliefs that the life of an individual with a disability has less value than the life of a person without a disability.
• Prohibits the use of any measure, assessment, or tool that discounts the value of a life extension on the basis of disability to deny, limit, or otherwise condition access to an aid, benefit or service.
• Defines what accessibility means for websites and mobile applications and sets forth a specific technical standard to ensure that health care and human service activities delivered through these platforms are readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.
• Adopts the U.S. Access Board’s standards for accessible medical diagnostic equipment, like exam tables and mammography machines.
• Details requirements to ensure nondiscrimination in the services provided by HHS-funded child welfare agencies, including, but not limited to, reasonable efforts to prevent foster care placement, parent-child visitation, reunification services, child placement, parenting skills programs, and in- and out-of-home services.
• Clarifies obligations to provide services in the most integrated setting, like receiving services in one's own home, appropriate to the needs of individuals with disabilities.

Additionally, the Final Rule updates existing requirements to make them consistent with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), as many HHS recipients are also covered by the ADA this consistency will improve and simplify compliance.

This rule takes effect 60 days after publication. The current rule remains in effect until that time. If you believe that you or another party has been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability, visit the OCR complaint portal to file a complaint online at: https://www.hhs.gov/ocr/complaints/index.html

The final rule may be viewed or downloaded at: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2024-09237/nondiscrimination-on-the-basis-of-disability-in-programs-or-activities-receiving-federal-financial

A fact sheet on the rule is available here: https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/disability/section-504-rehabilitation-act-of-1973/part-84-final-rule-fact-sheet/index.html

Report on Neurodiversity at Work

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.

 Jessica Lee and Matthew Leger, "Embracing Neurodiversity at Work: Unleashing America’s Largest Untapped Talent Pool." American Enterprise Institute, April 30, 2024. Key Points:

• Persistent labor shortages, worker disengagement, falling workforce participation rates, and skills gaps currently define the US economy and labor force. Seldom does a day go by without a headline about employers claiming how difficult it is to find and retain talent, with some reducing a complex problem to the fact that no one wants to work anymore. However, this simplistic view risks overlooking a vast, readily available, and untapped talent pool —the neurodivergent workforce.
• The neurodivergent workforce encompasses working-age adults with neurological and developmental conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and dyslexia, among others. The neurodiversity-at-work movement is about building awareness of, acceptance of, and appreciation for a diversity of minds.
• Collectively, neurodivergent people make up about 15 to 20 percent of the total population, but despite their talents, research has shown they often face significant barriers to employment and economic mobility. This waste of human potential costs the US economy and taxpayers billions in lost productivity and public safety-net benefits.
• This problem is pervasive in the US economy because traditional organizational structures, work cultures, and business models have often overlooked neurodiversity’s value. Over the past decade, a small but growing number of businesses and governments worldwide have begun to embrace neurodiversity, but cultural and systemic barriers continue to stand in the way of closing neurodivergent employment gaps across the economy.
• Today, neurodivergent workers are still deeply misunderstood, underserved, and underutilized by employers and the broader workforce system. To address these gaps, this report dives into this crucial issue by helping employers and governments understand the opportunities and challenges of building work environments that empower neurodivergent individuals’ unique strengths.

Policy recommendation, from the report: 

• Build a Neurodivergent Workforce Data Collection Mechanism Through the US Department of Labor. 
• Overhaul Workforce Development and Vocational Rehabilitation Programs, Specifically Job Coaching and Employment Retention Programs.
• Develop and Promote Incentives and Opportunities That Reduce Risk and Complexity and Encourage Organizations to Pursue Neurodiversity Hiring.
• Develop a Center to Connect Employers and Employees with Crucial Resources. 
• Establish Employer Resource Networks for Neurodivergent Talent to Bridge the “SupportCliff.” 
• Establish Infrastructure to Support Educationto-Career Pathways for the Neurodivergent Workforce. 
• Promote and Advance Skills-Based Hiring.
• Partner with Industry and Academia to Research the Neurodivergent Workforce Further.