According to research, performing job-related activities helps to reduce symptoms and increase daily living skills for those with autism; however, only about half of autistic adults are employed.﻿﻿ There's no doubt that employment is elusive for adults on the spectrum. This reality, however, is changing fast.

A January 2019 article in Forbes, "Effective Autism (Neurodiversity) Employment: A Legal Perspective."﻿﻿ would have been nonexistent a decade prior. The article pointed to major initiatives by top tech employers, such as SAP and Microsoft, and the beneficial impact of their workplace inclusion programs.

Why More Autism-Friendly Employers?

The reasons for this rapid expansion of opportunities aren't absolutely clear, but it seems clear that there are at least four:

The awareness of autism is vastly increased. A huge increase in diagnoses (for whatever set of reasons) means that 1 in 54 American children has autism. ﻿ ﻿

﻿ The increase in diagnoses is, at least in part, the result of much broader diagnostic criteria for autism. Instead of including only severely disabled individuals, the autism spectrum now includes individuals with high intelligence and significant skills.

There is an increasing need for workers with the skills, thought patterns, and work ethic that are common among people on the autism spectrum.

People with autism often prefer repetitive work and may not have a strong desire or need for novelty. This can be an asset in many jobs and can be hard to find within the general community.

Autistic adults are, in general, dependable, routinized, focused, detail-oriented, and passionate about their work. Many have outstanding technical and/or math skills. And quite a few are able to find unique solutions to problems that have eluded their more conventional colleagues.

Knowing that autistic workers are increasingly in demand, where are the best jobs? Here's a run-down of some of the top opportunities for adults on the spectrum.

As you'll see, some of these companies are open to people with a wide range of abilities; others are looking specifically for high-functioning individuals with particular skill sets.

Some see autism as just one of many disabilities, while others are focused on autism because of the skills most prevalent among folks on the spectrum. In every case, however, these companies are more than willing to hire people with an autism spectrum diagnosis.