An 8 year follow-up of a specialist supported employment service for high-ability adults with autism or Asperger syndrome.

Howlin et al. (2005) tracked adults with autism or Asperger syndrome for eight years. All clients used the NAS Prospects supported-employment service in the UK.

The team simply counted who kept a job, salary growth, and benefit claims over time. No control group—just a straight follow-up of one programme.

Two out of every three clients landed permanent paid work. Pay went up and benefit use went down as the years passed.

The service showed staying power: jobs lasted, and wages rose, for most who got in.

LaRue et al. (2020) and Rosales et al. (2019) add the nuts and bolts. Matching tasks to a short skill test and teaching interview answers with rehearsal plus feedback can lift hiring odds. These pieces could slot right into NAS Prospects.

Helles et al. (2017) and Gandhi et al. (2022) seem to disagree. They found most high-ability autistic adults struggle with jobs and inclusion. The gap is simple: those studies looked at people with no special employment help, while NAS Prospects gave steady coaching and job matching.

Wehman et al. (1989) set the gloomy baseline: even bright autistic kids often floundered as adults. Howlin et al. (2005) shows a targeted service can flip that old forecast.

You now have an 8-year proof that supported employment works for higher-functioning adults with autism. Fold quick vocational assessments, interview rehearsal, and long-term coaching into your transition plans. Push funders to keep these services alive—without them, most clients fall back into the poor outcomes seen in the broader follow-ups.