Specialized Employment Program for Autism
Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)
Overseen ByLawrence Fung, MD, PhD
Age: 18 - 65
Sex: Any
Travel: May Be Covered
Time Reimbursement: Varies
Trial Phase: Academic
Recruiting
Sponsor: Lawrence Fung
Disqualifiers: Bipolar, Schizophrenia, others
No Placebo Group
Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have significantly higher levels of unemployment and underemployment compared to their typically developing peers and all other groups with neurodevelopmental disorders, even though major companies that have employed and trained young people with ASD acclaim their significant innovations in their companies. The investigators hope to examine the effects of specialized employment support programs, over current traditional vocational rehabilitation approaches, for adults with ASD on their ability to maintain steady employment and overall benefit to the organizations at which they will be employed.
The investigators predict that Stanford University's Neurodiversity at Work (NaW) Program will improve employment outcomes and positively impact the overall quality of life of individuals with ASD in this program. The investigators hope that the findings of the study will lead to the advancement of programs aimed to support individuals with ASD.
Will I have to stop taking my current medications?
The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It focuses on employment support for individuals with autism.
Is the Specialized Employment Program for Autism safe for participants?
The available research does not provide specific safety data for the Specialized Employment Program for Autism or its related programs. However, the CommunityWorks Canada® program, which shares similar goals, reported positive changes in participants' personal development and work proficiency without mentioning any safety concerns.
12345How is the Neurodiversity at Work Program treatment different from other autism treatments?
The Neurodiversity at Work Program is unique because it focuses on specialized employment support for individuals with autism, rather than medical or behavioral interventions. This program aims to enhance workplace inclusion and support, which is not typically addressed by standard autism treatments.
678910Eligibility Criteria
This trial is for adults aged 18-55 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who can travel to work on their own. They should have completed an internship, pre-employment training, or both and must have a college degree. Participants need to have an IQ within the range of 60 and above, without significant current psychosocial stressors.Inclusion Criteria
I am between 18 and 55 years old.
You have a level of intelligence that is equal to or greater than 90.
You need to have a certain level of intelligence, as measured by an IQ test, to participate in the study. The range is between 60 and 90.
+5 more
Trial Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
2-4 weeks
Pre-employment Training
Participants in the NaW group receive a 6-week Autism at Work pre-employment training.
6 weeks
Onboarding and Initial Support
Upon onboarding, NaW participants receive support from a team manager, team buddy, peer mentor, job/life skills coach, vocational rehabilitation counselor, and personal counselor for 12 weeks.
12 weeks
Delayed Support Start
NaW-DS participants start receiving support 6 months after onboarding.
6 months after onboarding
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for job retention, quality of life, and other outcomes up to 18 months after onboarding.
18 months
Participant Groups
The study tests the effectiveness of Stanford University's Neurodiversity at Work (NaW) Program compared to traditional vocational support. It aims to see if NaW helps adults with ASD maintain steady jobs and improve their quality of life.
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: Neurodiversity at Work - Delayed Start (NaW-DS)Experimental Treatment1 Intervention
Participants in this group will receive typical orientation for neurotypical employees after onboarding. The support of peer mentor, job/life skills coach, vocational rehabilitation counselor, and a personal counselor will start 6 months after onboarding. Managers, co-workers, team buddies and mentors for all recruited and hired employees in both groups will receive the same specialized training to enhance their abilities to work with individuals with ASD.
Group II: Neurodiversity at Work (NaW) GroupExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Individuals in this group will receive a 6-week Autism at Work pre-employment training. Upon onboarding, each individual will be supported by a team manager, a team buddy, a peer mentor, a job/life skills coach, a vocational rehabilitation counselor, and a personal counselor. Ongoing support for members of support circles will be provided during the 12 weeks immediately after onboarding.
NaW is already approved in United States for the following indications:
🇺🇸 Approved in United States as Neurodiversity at Work Program for:
- Employment Support for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Find a Clinic Near You
Research Locations NearbySelect from list below to view details:
Stanford University School of MedicinePalo Alto, CA
Loading ...
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Lawrence FungLead Sponsor
Rangam ConsultantsCollaborator
3R Behavioral SolutionsCollaborator
References
[From the Placement Paradigm to Sustainable Support of Companies in the Integration of People with High-Functioning Autism - Results of an Employer Survey]. [2023]As part of the AUT-1A project, 123 employers were surveyed by questionnaires about their experiences with the employment of autistic employees. The aim was to identify the factors that promote and hinder employment. The study indicates that the vocational qualification in vocational training centers (BBW) has a positive effect on sustainable employment of people with autism spectrum diagnosis (ASD), but the support for companies is not sufficient yet. Also, a lack of education regarding autism-friendly environmental design as well as a lack of education about the diagnosis autism of the direct colleagues could be worked out.
Dual perspectives in autism spectrum disorders and employment: Toward a better fit in the workplace. [2021]Compared with people with other disabilities, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have the lowest rates of employment and switch jobs at a higher frequency. Thus, understanding how to support workplace success for people with ASD is important.
Success Factors Enabling Employment for Adults on the Autism Spectrum from Employers' Perspective. [2020]Employment outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are poor and there is limited understanding on how best to support individuals with ASD in the workplace. Stakeholders involved in the employment of adults with ASD, including employers and employment service providers have unique insights into the factors influencing employment for this population. Organisational and individual factors facilitating successful employment for adults with ASD across Australia and Sweden were explored, including the supports and strategies underpinning employment success from an employers' perspective. Three themes including Knowledge and Understanding of ASD, Work Environment and Job Match emerged, suggesting that a holistic approach was key to supporting success, with employer knowledge and understanding of ASD underpinning their ability to facilitate employment.
Neurodiversity and National Security: How to Tackle National Security Challenges with a Wider Range of Cognitive Talents. [2023]National security organizations need highly skilled and intellectually creative individuals who are eager to apply their talents to address the nation's most pressing challenges. In public and private discussions, officials and experts addressed the need for neurodiversity in the national security community. They described missions that are too important and too difficult to be left to those who use their brains only in typical ways. Neurodivergent is an umbrella term that covers a variety of cognitive diagnoses, including (but not exclusive to) autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyscalculia, and Tourette's syndrome. Neurodivergent individuals are already part of the national security workforce. The purpose of this study is to understand the benefits that people with neurodivergence bring to national security; the challenges in recruiting, working with, and managing a neurodiverse workforce; and the barriers in national security workplaces that prevent agencies from realizing the full benefits of neurodiversity. To carry out this research, the authors conducted a review of primary, secondary, and commercial literature; they conducted semistructured interviews and held discussions with government officials, researchers and advocates for the interests of neurodivergent populations, and representatives from large organizations that have neurodiversity employment programs; and they synthesized findings from across these tasks to describe the complex landscape for neurodiversity in large organizations in general and in national security specifically.
A Review of CommunityWorks Canada®: Toward Employability Among High School-Age Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder. [2020]CommunityWorks Canada® is a 12-week (30-hour) program that provides social, communication, and job skill-building activities as well as peer mentorship to youth with autism spectrum disorder. Administration of a pre- and postprogram employment readiness measure (n = 76 participants) demonstrated positive changes as reflected by the participants' decreased concerns about their responsibility, flexibility, job skills, communication, self-view, and health and safety. Postprogram qualitative interviews and survey data collected from a range of program stakeholders (participants, parents, peer mentors, and community partners/employers) corroborated identified gains in personal development, employment exposure, work proficiency, and comfort in work settings. For community partners/employers and peer mentors, greater understanding about autism spectrum disorder and commitment to inclusive hiring reportedly resulted from program engagement. Implications and recommendations are offered.
Application of whole-exome sequencing to unravel the molecular basis of undiagnosed syndromic congenital neutropenia with intellectual disability. [2020]Neutropenia can be qualified as congenital when of neonatal onset or when associated with extra-hematopoietic manifestations. Overall, 30% of patients with congenital neutropenia (CN) remain without a molecular diagnosis after a multidisciplinary consultation and tedious diagnostic strategy. In the rare situations when neutropenia is identified and associated with intellectual disability (ID), there are few diagnostic hypotheses to test. This retrospective multicenter study reports on a clinically heterogeneous cohort of 10 unrelated patients with CN associated with ID and no molecular diagnosis prior to whole-exome sequencing (WES). WES provided a diagnostic yield of 40% (4/10). The results suggested that in many cases neutropenia and syndromic manifestations could not be assigned to the same molecular alteration. Three sub-groups of patients were highlighted: (i) severe, symptomatic chronic neutropenia, detected early in life, and related to a known mutation in the CN spectrum (ELANE); (ii) mild to moderate benign intermittent neutropenia, detected later, and associated with mutations in genes implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders (CHD2, HUWE1); and (iii) moderate to severe intermittent neutropenia as a probably undiagnosed feature of a newly reported syndrome (KAT6A). Unlike KAT6A, which seems to be associated with a syndromic form of CN, the other reported mutations may not explain the entire clinical picture. Although targeted gene sequencing can be discussed for the primary diagnosis of severe CN, we suggest that performing WES for the diagnosis of disorders associating CN with ID will not only provide the etiological diagnosis but will also pave the way towards personalized care and follow-up. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
[Shwachman-Diamond syndrome: a case report]. [2021]Shwachman-Diamond syndrome is a constitutional disorder characterized by exocrine pancreatic failure and neutropenia with dysgranulopoiesis. It is a rare disease, with less than 100 cases reported in France. Here we report the case of a 23-year-old woman with this syndrome. The clinical feature and the diagnostic steps are described, as well as the evolution and management in medical and laboratory medicine practice.
Sixth International Congress on Shwachman-Diamond syndrome: from patients to genes and back. [2021]At the Sixth International Congress on Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, held at the New York Academy of Sciences on June 28-30, 2011, researchers from around the world met to discuss the latest clinical and basic science relating to this puzzling condition.
Shwachman-Diamond syndrome is not necessary for the terminal maturation of neutrophils but is important for maintaining viability of granulocyte precursors. [2022]Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS) is an autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and bone marrow failure. The SDS disease locus was mapped to chromosome 7q11, and disease-associated mutations were reported in the Shwachman-Bodian-Diamond syndrome (SBDS) gene. SBDS is a member of a highly conserved protein family in diverse species including archaea and eukaryotes. It is widely expressed in many tissues, and its function is still unknown. To investigate the function of the SBDS protein, we undertook loss-of-function experiments in the 32Dcl3 cell line, which has the potential to differentiate to mature neutrophils.
Infections in patients with Shwachman-Diamond syndrome. [2019]Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (OMIM 260400) is a multisystemic disorder characterized by pancreatic insufficiency, bone marrow dysfunction, skeletal abnormalities and immune dysfunction. Prompted by the case of a 13-year-old girl with Shwachman-Diamond syndrome who presented with pneumonia attributable to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we review infectious complications of this disease. Pneumonia, recurrent otitis media and skin infections/abscesses constitute the majority of infections among these children.