title: Brief report: vocational outcomes for young adults with autism spectrum disorders at six months after virtual reality job interview training.
abstract: Young adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have low employment rates and job interviewing presents a critical barrier to employment for them. Results from a prior randomized controlled efficacy trial suggested virtual reality job interview training (VR-JIT) improved interviewing skills among trainees with ASD, but not controls with ASD. We conducted a brief survey with 23 of 26 participants from this study to evaluate their vocational outcomes at 6-month follow-up with a focus on whether or not they attained a competitive position (employment or competitive volunteering). Logistic regression indicated VR-JIT trainees had greater odds of attaining a competitive position than controls (OR 7.82, p < 0.05). Initial evidence suggests VR-JIT is a promising intervention that enhances vocational outcomes among young adults with high-functioning ASD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 710 N. Lake Shore Dr, Abbott Hall 13th Floor, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA. matthewsmith@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 710 N. Lake Shore Dr, Abbott Hall 13th Floor, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.|Department of Family Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 710 N. Lake Shore Dr, Abbott Hall 13th Floor, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 710 N. Lake Shore Dr, Abbott Hall 13th Floor, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.|School of Communication, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Molly
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Losh
authors.affiliation: SIMmersion LLC, Columbia, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Laura Boteler
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Humm
authors.affiliation: SIMmersion LLC, Columbia, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Dale
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Department of Veteran Affairs, Yale School of Medicine, West Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Morris D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D008297:Male; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational; D012919:Social Behavior
keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Virtual reality training; Vocational outcomes