The development and validation of the Job Skills Assessment Profile: an assessment of employment ability in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (2016)

Undergraduate: Eleanor Wu

Faculty Advisor: Mark Klinger
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

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Achieving and maintaining employment is one of the largest obstacles that adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face, as employment rates of individuals with ASD are lower than any other group with a disability. Research has suggested that this employment gap is due to behavioral deficits which impede on job performance. Although several interventions have been developed in attempt to adjust such behaviors, professionals have no mechanism to assess these deficits nor to evaluate the efficacy of such interventions. The Job Skills Assessment Profile (JSAP) is a behavioral assessment tool that allows these deficits to be observed and measured through a simulated work environment. Developed over the course of several months, the JSAP is designed to capture the maladaptive behaviors of adults with ASD that hinder their performance in the workplace. Through identifying these behaviors, a customized treatment plan can be constructed to target the specific deficits displayed by the individual, and the effectiveness of various interventions can be evaluated. The present project outlines the theoretical framework used to design the JSAP and assesses relevant psychometric properties. The JSAP was administered at the beginning and end of a 10-week period with 17 adolescents, half of which were randomly assigned to engage in an employment skills intervention during that time. Data collection for this project is still in process and is expected to conclude in the next three weeks.