A companion article examines the career paths of parents of autistic children.

Marina Sarris

Date Published: March 9, 2025

Eric Dacey is looking for a job. The 20-year-old has work experience, but he has run into difficulties that often affect autistic people. “I’ve been applying, and they’ve been saying no, no, no,” he says.

When he was younger, his high school in Massachusetts helped him find a job at a department store. Teachers worked with the store to make sure that Dacey got breaks and instructions that were worded clearly.

Dacey did well at that job for several years. But that connection between work and school ended when he had to change schools to graduate. A new store manager began to criticize his work, even though he was not doing anything differently. Frustrated, he quit.

He tried other jobs, at a fast food restaurant and a car rental agency, but neither worked out.

Autistic people often struggle to find or keep jobs, particularly those who are Dacey’s age. Young adults on the autism spectrum are less likely to be employed than their peers with other developmental conditions after leaving high school. Those who do work tend to have part-time, low-wage jobs. Only 21 percent work full-time, according to one study.¹

Adults who have limited conversational skills, who are from lower-income households, and who are minorities, fare the worst.¹

Lower employment rates and incomes continue past young adulthood.

Among independent autistic adults in the SPARK autism study, 16 percent are unemployed and 24 percent report being unable to work. These adults range in age from 18 to 55 and older.

More than half of independent adults in SPARK work part-time or full-time. Their household incomes fall below the national average for employed people, according to SPARK data. In fact, about one third of them earn less than $21,000 a year. According to the U.S. Census, the median household income in the U.S. was about $80,000 in 2023.

Despite their lower average income, independent adults in SPARK are well-educated. More than 75 percent attended at least some college or trade school, including 15 percent who earned a graduate degree.

Autism in the Workplace: The Challenges

Some autistic adults in the SPARK study say that they faced challenges in the workplace, particularly when they were starting out.

Entry level jobs often involve helping customers, a task that can be challenging for people with social and communication differences.

Autistic workers may not know the unwritten rules of social interactions on the job. What is “small talk” and how much of it is required of a cashier or receptionist? How do you respond to sarcasm or figures of speech if you interpret language literally? What do you do when a customer breaks the rules, or yells at you unfairly?

“My first job I worked at the local dump, which had its perks and had its downfalls,” says Wiley Brown, 28, an autistic participant in SPARK from New York state. “After too many bad interactions with some of the customers, I got let go.”

Demanding and impatient customers are not the only potential problem. Workplaces may have bright lights, loud noises, or smells that overwhelm those who have sensory sensitivities, a common trait of autism.

People who prefer sameness, another autistic trait, can be upset by changes in job duties, staff, or schedules. Those who struggle with organization or have ADHD may be late to work or slower to finish certain tasks. Several SPARK participants said that they had lost jobs in their 20s before teaching themselves the skills necessary to succeed. One woman said that she began to hide her autistic traits, which some researchers say can lead to exhaustion and stress.

Autistic people may need help with job hunting. Job interviews “rely heavily on social skills, which might not reflect an individual’s actual job performance,” points out Adam Farris, an autistic member of the SPARK Community Advisory Council.

State vocational rehabilitation and disability agencies provide job training, but many do not have enough funds to serve everyone. According to one study, most autistic adults who may need help getting and keeping a job are not receiving employment services.²

High schools may provide job training for some students with special education plans. Brown, however, did not receive much job training in high school because he was on track to earn a diploma at age 17.

“I think the hyperfocus on the diploma is often at the expense of vocational skills and soft skills that will help people be successful at work,” says his mother Susan Brown, a special education teacher. Soft skills include following instructions, completing work on time, and communicating well.

High school students are also receiving fewer job-related services from vocational rehabilitation agencies than teens and young adults who are out of school, a study found.³

Autism in the Workplace: The Strengths

Of course, people with autism have a wide range of strengths, just like neurotypical people. Some autistic traits can help people excel. For example, an attention to detail, and a mind that thinks differently, are an asset in jobs that require precision or creativity.

Wiley Brown excels at repetitive work that some people find difficult. He once had a job installing updated programs on internet phones. He outperformed his neurotypical co-workers at the task, which involved taking phones out of boxes, powering them on for the updates, and putting them back in boxes. Brown reprogramed 100 phones an hour, for eight months.

One of his co-workers found the job to be boring and quit after only a week or two. But Brown saw the work differently. “It was enjoyable,” he says.

After high school, Brown worked a series of part-time jobs, including one at a farm and garden store. In 2023, he officially became full-time at the store. He loads customers’ vehicles with mulch, does inventory, stocks shelves, and rings up purchases.

He particularly enjoys stocking shelves because “it’s meticulous and just basic,” he says. He has learned how to handle customers who are rude. Like the man who parked his car so that it blocked Brown from loading mulch into the vehicles of other customers. “He cursed me out, and said he was going to spend over $300, and he was berating me to my co-workers,” recalls Brown.

Brown has not sought accommodations on his job, although some autistic employees do.

U.S. law protects employees with disabilities from discrimination and allows them to request accommodations, such as written instructions or a quieter workspace. To be eligible, the employee must be qualified and able to perform “basic job duties” either “with or without reasonable accommodation,” according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. An accommodation is considered reasonable if it does not place an “undue hardship” on the employer.

Eric Dacey, the 20-year-old job seeker, would like to see businesses make one change that could help people who may struggle with work conflicts or managing emotions. He asks, why not have a trained therapist on site from time to time to help employees resolve problems?

Becoming Your Own Boss

Dacey is interested in self-employment, too. A musician and singer, he posts his original music on YouTube. “It’s a hobby for now, but I can monetize it,” he says. His songs explore things that have happened to him. His style can be described as emo rap, which has similarities to hip hop, he says.

Becoming your own boss appeals to other SPARK participants. “If traditional jobs don’t work well for you, starting your own business or freelancing could be a great option,” says Adam Farris, the SPARK Community Advisory Council member. Farris, a longtime Walmart employee, created a business, Younique Abilities, that sells autism awareness merchandise. “Websites like Fiverr, Upwork, and Etsy allow you to sell your skills, whether it’s graphic design, writing, coding, or crafting.”

Wiley Brown runs an online business buying and selling antique bottles. The profits helped him pay for his 2013 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, he says.

Braxton Webb, 40, who was diagnosed with autism as an adult, also likes the idea of self-employment. He has worked for other people for years, as a truck driver, a security guard, a deputy correctional officer, and a behavioral therapist. But he ran into issues at some jobs. “It’s better to work for yourself. That’s one thing that I really didn’t agree with, with colleges. They teach you how to work for other people and not yourself,” says Webb, a Wisconsin resident.

Webb is a single father. He works part-time jobs while raising two sons with autism and medical conditions. He has a business idea that would fill a need in the autism community: He wants to open a day care center for children on the spectrum. “That’s still in the works,” he says.

Interested in joining SPARK? Here’s what you should know.

Photo credit: iStock

References

1. Roux A.M. et al. National Autism Indicators Report: Transition into young adulthood. Philadelphia, PA: Life Course Outcomes Research Program, A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University (2015). Accessed Mar. 6, 2025.
2. Roux A.M. et al. Milbank Q. 101, 1223-1279 (2023) PubMed
3. Roux A.M. et al. J. Autism Dev. Disord. 51, 212-226 (2021) PubMed