Improving the Condition of Employment Support for People with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder in Japan

 Introduction

People with High Functioning ASD struggle in terms of employment in Japan. The reason is that there is no professional employment support compared to other people with disabilities.

I will explain and examine the current situation and present future strategies for employment support for people with HFASD.  

The Current Situation in Japan

1)The condition of Employment for People with HFASD (High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder) in Japan.

 People with HFASD have recently been recognized as people with mental disorders and can receive the “The Health Welfare Certificate for the Mental Disorder”.  

 Many of those with high functioning ASD, however, do not have the certificates, so they cannot access the services that others with disabilities can and therefore are not covered by the employment rate and grants for those with disabilities.

(2)The Current Situation of Employment Support for People with HFASD in Japan.

 Japan has some employment support agencies for those with disabilities such as vocational rehabilitation centers,    employment and life support centers for the disabilities and employment transition support agencies. The problem is, however, most of these agencies have no strategies to support those with HFASD. 

 Method and Result

An assessment was conducted using the workplace training check sheet created at the Tokyo VR Center. (The check sheet is shown in Table 1.) 

 This assessment contained a self assessment and an assessment by the job coach.

  Based on the check sheet, the client with HFASD and his job coach talked about the difference in assessment.

 As a result, he became able to understand his behavior.

Conclusion and Discussion

 Most individuals with HSASD cannot generalize and process information they learned from one place and apply it to another place. Therefore, vocational experts such as vocational rehabilitation counselors or job coaches should assess vocational characteristics of individuals with HFASD whilst they are on the job. 

The experts can understand examine influences from the environment and determine if they are unsatisfactory for  individuals with HFASD. 

Furthermore, experts can assess their non work related mannerisms (for example, personal hygiene, social skills , appearance etc.) and inform companies about the characteristics of HFASD and provide Reasonable Accommodation for employment of those with HFASD.

 It is not only vocational skills that are key, but life skills too learn. Life skills relate to the soft skills of vocational rehabilitation. The relation between hard skills, soft skills, and life skills shown in Fig.1.

Even if individuals with HFASD can only work well, their hard skills may decline if they don’t get life skills.