An Ecosystem Approach to Employment and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The team followed one Canadian job-readiness program for adults with autism.

They watched how employers, families, policy staff, and community groups worked together.

No one got a new treatment; the paper simply maps who did what to keep jobs alive.

Jobs stuck when the whole town kept helping—bosses gave tweaks, coaches stayed in touch, and parents knew the plan.

When any partner dropped out, hours were cut or the job vanished.

The story shows why teaching résumé skills is only half the battle.

Schall et al. (2020) ran an RCT with Project SEARCH plus ASD supports and hit 73 % competitive jobs—far above the 17 % seen without the model.

Their tight internship plan seems to clash with the loose village approach, but both papers agree: support must continue after hire.

Sievers et al. (2020) sharpen the target by showing job success looks different for adults with higher or lower IQ; the ecosystem idea now has clear finish lines to aim for.

Cadondon et al. (2023) stretch the idea younger: a short career class lifted college entry for autistic teens, proving the network can start before adulthood.

You can copy the map: list every stakeholder around your client, give each one a small role, and schedule monthly check-ins.

Use Carol’s internship tactics for the work site and B et al.’s ability-based goals to define success.

Start building the circle now—jobs fail when support ends, not when training does.