Tracking and Evaluating Employ Autism

There is a well-documented employment gap between autistic individuals who want to work and their actual employment rates. Supported employment initiatives with a work experience component have been shown to improve employment rates, yet many programmes lack scientific evidence.

To address this, Maria's doctoral research evaluated a supported employment internship scheme for autistic individuals aged 18 and over, called Employ Autism. This programme was established by the UK autism education and employment charity, Ambitious about Autism.

In this webinar, Maria will present her findings, including (1) an evaluation of the "Understanding Autism in the Workplace" training for employers, (2) the perspectives of autistic participants, employers, and parents, and (3) the long-term impacts on employment, quality of life, and practical skills. She will also discuss best practices that can be applied to other supported employment initiatives for autistic individuals.

Maria Ashworth was a doctoral student at IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society, with the Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE), supervised by Professor Anna Remington, Dr Brett Heasman, and Professor Laura Crane.

Before starting her PhD, Maria worked as a Research Assistant on various projects related to developmental psychology, autism, and legislation surrounding special educational needs and disabilities.

Maria currently works as a Research Manager at Ambitious about Autism, where Maria actively contributes to developing autism-inclusive practices and policies in education and employment.

Host or Publisher UCL Centre for Research in Autism & Education CRAE