Achieving Steady Work Among Adults With Autism Through Specialized Employment Program

Compare job retention rates resulting from NaW starting before onboarding and NaW starting 6 months after onboarding (NaW-DS). The investigators predict that the NaW program will result in a higher rate of sustained employment in adults with ASD 15 months after onboarding when compared to NaW-DS.

Compare duration of sustained employment for NaW and NaW-DS. The investigators predict that the NaW program will result in a longer duration of sustained employment as compared to NaW-DS.

Determine the costs of employee turnover achieved from the NaW and NaW-DS.

Compare rates of job offers between internship programs and pre-employment training programs.

Measures individuals' perceptions of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns.

Purpose of measure: compare the change in Quality of Life (QoL) between NaW and NaW-DS for adults with ASD at month 15 post-onboarding; compare the trajectories of change in QoL between NaW and NaW-DS for adults with ASD over time.

This scale consists of four domains: physical health, psychological, social relationships, and environment. A higher score indicates a better quality of life, while a lower score indicates a lower quality of life. There is a total of 100 items in this scale. The minimum score is 100, with the highest score being 500. The five point scale ranges from "Not at all" to " Extremely" (or "Completely" or "Very satisfied"). Subscales are combined to produce a total score.

Designed to measure burnout as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). The minimum score is 22, and the maximum score is 132. A lower score indicates lower levels of burnout, while a higher score indicates high levels of burnout. Each item is rated on two scales: a 6-point frequency scale, and a 7-point intensity scale. The frequency scale ranges from "A few times a year" to "Every day." The intensity scale ranges from "Very mild" to "Very strong; major."

The Affective Commitment Scale's items were written to assess affective orientation towards the organization. Some responses are reverse-coded, so higher and lower scores do not necessarily point to similar results across the board. Each item is rated on a 7-point scale, ranging from "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree." Scores range from a minimum of 8 to a maximum of 56.

This scale aims to measure perceived organizational support with regard to an individual feeling appreciated, supported, and cared for within their place of work. Some items are reverse-coded. The 7-point scale ranges from "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree." Scores range from a minimum of 8 to a maximum of 56.

This scale measures work autonomy, task variety, task significance, task identity, and feedback from one's job. It also measures job complexity, information processing, skill variety, and specialization. All items are measured on a 5-point scale, with 1 indicating "Strongly disagree" and 5 being equal to "Strongly agree." Scores range from a minimum of 44 to a maximum of 220. Scores are interpreted in varying ways throughout the instrument.

This scale measures perceived job satisfaction. It consists of 8 individual questions with various response options, including a scale ranging from "Strongly agree" to "Strongly disagree", a "Yes/No" option, a second scale ranging from "Very dissatisfied" to "Very satisfied," and an item in which participants are asked to score their satisfaction by way of percentage allocation. There is no range or minimum/maximum scores in this measure.

A 4-item scale with two 7-point scoring scales: "Strongly disagree/Strongly agree" and "Not at all likely/Extremely likely," measuring one's intent to turnover from a job. Scores range from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 21, with a higher score indicating a higher likelihood of job turnover.

A 17-item scale aimed at measuring one's work engagement within a current job. Each item is rated using either one the following 6-point scales: specific (1 = a few times a year or less; 6 = every day) or broad (0 = never; 1 = almost never; 6 = always). Both scales include an option for 'never' (0). The minimum score is 0, with the maximum score being 102. A higher score indicates greater levels of engagement and motivation, with a lower score indicating lower levels of the aforementioned qualities.

An 11-item scale which measures relative financial comfort and well-being. Items are scored in multiple-choice form as well as three Likert-scale items. Multiple-choice items vary in language but generally aim to measure the degree to which the participant is able to cover necessary expenses and their feelings regarding their financial situation. Some items are reverse-scored, thus making a higher/lower score not necessarily indicative of financial well-being or lack thereof.

A 10-item scale that measures global self-worth by measuring both positive and negative feelings about the self. The scale is believed to be uni-dimensional. The minimum score is 10, with the maximum score being 40. A lower score indicates an individuals' lower self-esteem, while a higher score indicates higher levels of self-esteem. The four point scale ranges from "Strongly agree" to "Strongly disagree."

SPAI assesses specific somatic symptoms, cognitions, and behaviors across a wide range of potentially fear-producing situations to measure social anxiety and fear. The scale contains 17 items. The minimum score is 17, and the maximum is 85. A lower scale indicates lower levels of social phobia, while a higher score indicates higher levels of social phobia. The five point scale ranges from "Not at all" to "Extremely."

A scale which surveys adolescent and young adult knowledge of social skills and behavioral abnormalities. The scale contains 30 items that are "True/False" and multiple-choice in nature. A lower score (fewer items correct) indicates less knowledge of social skills, while a higher score indicates more knowledge of social skills.

The Autism Spectrum Quotient was developed by the Autism Research Centre to test if adults with high-functioning autism or Asperger Syndrome are just an extreme on a dimension of autistic traits that runs right through the general population. This scale is comprised of 50 items and the four point scale ranges from "Definitely agree" to "Definitely disagree." Higher and lower scores are irrelevant, as the scales are often reversed within this instrument.

The PHQ-9 assesses relative rates of depression amongst human subjects. A higher score indicates a higher level of depression. The scale is comprise of 9 multiple-choice questions and one follow-up multiple-choice question (based on subjects' responses to the previous 9 questions).