PTThe barriers to employment for autistic people lie in the workplace
More and more adults are finding out they are on the autism spectrum (ASD). The dissertation heard 19 professionals with autism, 6 from HR and 4 from organizations that prepare people for work. The barriers show up in diagnosis, in myths and at every stage of people management. Explained in 11 screens.
In the social model, disability arises from meeting barriers
Picture an autistic person who misses a bit of irony in a meeting. Where is the problem? The answer changes with the lens. The dissertation uses the second one, the same as Brazil’s Inclusion Law (LBI, 2015). Switch lenses:
Sections 2.2.1 and 4 (models of disability; Art. 3 of the LBI). For the dissertation, being autistic is not a barrier in itself: challenges are always read in the environment. The study also mentions the biopsychosocial model, which combines both views.
Most found out they were autistic as adults
The 19 autistic professionals interviewed are aged 20 to 49. Before seeing the data, take a guess: at what age did most of them receive the diagnosis?
What do you mean? Gosh, could I be autistic? What do you mean?TEA 9 · named Theme 1
It’s really expensive. The person can’t get a job [...]. So they can never pay for [...] that assessment, which is expensive.TEA 9 · the cost of the assessment
Section 4.1, Tables 13 and 14, and Theme 1 of Group 1. Other diagnoses count reports (one person may have more than one). Without a formal report, a person cannot apply for jobs under Brazil’s disability quota law: a late, costly diagnosis also delays employment.
The study heard three sides of the same way in
Each group had its own script, with interviews over Teams in 2023 and 2024. The answers were read through thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke) in the MAXQDA software, looking for recurring themes. Pick a group:
Sections 3.3 and 3.4, Tables 7 to 11 and Appendix IX. One cube per person. The study was approved by the ethics committee and everyone signed the consent form. The author notes that her own experience with autism and other forms of neurodivergence may have helped participants feel at ease.
Not every autistic person works in tech
One of the most cited myths is that autistic people are suited to numbers and computers. Take a guess: which field of study came up most among the 19 participants?
People also have this image that if you’re autistic, you’ll work with numbers, with technology. Not necessarily.TEA 14
Section 4.1, Tables 16 and 17, and Theme 3 of Group 1. One person may have studied more than one field (24 mentions, our count). The “42%” leaves out those who were unemployed. Other myths in Theme 3: that everyone prefers being alone, that everyone wants remote work and that everyone needs the same supports.
Disclosing the diagnosis or not comes at a cost either way
Disclosing autism makes it possible to ask for supports. Hiding it avoids prejudice, but the person is then judged by the yardstick of people who are not autistic. Pick a path and see what participants said:
Theme 1 of Group 1, subtheme “To disclose or not to disclose at work: that is the question”, and Table 19. A remark by TEA 9 about quotas: for someone who needs little support, declaring it may take the job from someone who needs more.
Before the job, there are barriers in people’s lives and in how companies are run
The dissertation calls macro barriers those that come before any position. Autistic people spoke of the ones in life; HR and the organizations, of those that stall neurodiversity programs in companies. Light up each group and tap the blocks:
Section 4.2, Figure 13, and Final remarks. The figure brings the barriers together without naming each one’s group: the group assignment follows the text of those sections (our reading).
A barrier appears at every stage of people management
To organize what happens inside companies, the dissertation uses the six HR areas of Doyle and McDougall (2022), from job design to well-being. Tap each stage along the path to compare what each group said:
Section 4.2, Figure 14 and Tables 31 to 36 (barriers summarized by us). “Neurotypical” means not neurodivergent.
For HR, the communication difficulty lies in the person. For the others, it lies in the process
When it comes to joining the company and communicating, the groups disagree. Read each quote and guess who said it:
For the author, HR seems to assume that fitting in with colleagues is affected by the way some autistic professionals communicate. The words of autistic people and of the organizations show something else: the barrier lies in the company when it does not provide the supports people need to communicate, such as written channels.
Sections 4.1.2 and 4.1.3 and Table 33. Each quote’s pile follows the dissertation’s own reading of this theme. Quotes translated by us.
Without support, each professional looks for their own way out
The study also asked what autistic people do on their own to get and keep a job. Seven themes came out. Tap each one:
Where the 19 work or have worked the longest:
Themes 5 to 11 of Group 1, Figure 8, Tables 17, 22 and 23. The themes have no count of mentions. Camouflaging (hiding autistic traits to fit in) is linked to autistic burnout.
Removing barriers is up to the organization
For the author, the challenges in the job market do not come from the way autistic people are, but from barriers in organizations and relationships, and each person needs different supports. Hearing the three sides together shows where to act.
For companies and HR
- Show the setting and routine before hiring: at the HR team that did this, turnover fell.
- Describe the job’s required skills clearly and adapt group exercises and interviews.
- Create performance metrics and a career plan with objective criteria.
For support organizations
- They can bridge autistic professionals and HR, serving both sides.
- Train technical skills, not mold the person to neurotypical norms.
For autistic professionals and families
- The accounts show that adult diagnosis and doubts about disclosing are common.
- Studying, networking and seeking career guidance were paths mentioned. (our reading: not a recipe)
What this research does not say
- How far it applies to everyone. As a qualitative study, its findings are limited to those interviewed. · according to the author
- Other support levels. All 19 are at level 1; other barriers may emerge at levels 2 and 3. · according to the author
- Many companies and organizations. Few agreed to take part: 3 companies and 4 support organizations. · according to the author
- Whether turnover is higher or lower. One organization reports dismissals before evaluation; one HR professional sees autistic staff staying longer. · according to the author
- All of Brazil. Of the 19, 13 live in the Southeast and 14 identify as white; who answered the call online may matter. · our observation
Credits
ROMANOV, Débora Cunha. Neurodiversidade no ambiente de trabalho: desafios para a empregabilidade de pessoas com Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA). Dissertação (Mestrado em Administração de Empresas) · Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, São Paulo, 2024. Advisor: Prof. Dr. Darcy Mitiko Mori Hanashiro.
Supported by CAPES and MackPesquisa, approved by the ethics committee, with informed consent. People appear only by the dissertation’s codes (TEA = autistic professional, RH = HR, Org. = support organization), with no gender, job title or organization. Quotes translated by us, cuts marked [...]. This version simplifies the work for a general audience.