As World Autism Awareness Day was celebrated on April 2 there are hopes that the new National Autism Strategy will reduce barriers to employment encountered by people with autism.

Experts have said the increase in the number of people being diagnosed with autism in Australia could be a result of many factors.

Alliance for Neurodiversity and Disability in GLAMR Professions Australia president and co-founder Emilia Bell said the increase could be due to factors such as growing public awareness, improved recognition and better access to diagnosis.

Mx Bell said: “It’s not necessarily that the actual prevalence of autism has increased, but that those who would have previously been missed or overlooked are starting to gain better access to diagnosis. Significant barriers remain, of course”.

On January 14, the Australian Government unveiled a National Autism Strategy to reduce the barriers faced by people with autism. This strategy is designed to be delivered over seven years from 2025 to 2032 and to improve the life outcomes for all people with autism in Australia.

NeuFocus general manager Joanne Dickenson said since diagnoses relied on observations rather than definitive tests, it could be extremely challenging for any strategy to effectively address the real needs of individuals with autism. In her words: “Without a proper, agreed, in-depth understanding of the cause of behaviours, we cannot possibly know what their needs are or hope to be effectively meeting the needs of the individuals to whom we have given this diagnosis.”

Mrs Dickenson recommended neuroplastic intervention, which she believed is an intermediate step left out of the strategy and of many other public policies. Neuroplastic intervention for autism uses targeted therapies to strengthen neural connections and improve skills. She said the intervention can address the underlying causes of many of the behaviours that can be problematic in the workforce.

According to an Australian Bureau of Statistics report, in 2022, 71,500 (50.2 per cent) of people with autism of working age were participating in the workforce. This was compared with 60.5 per cent of all people with disabilities of working age and 84.9 per cent of people without disabilities of working age.

What are the barriers to employment faced by adults with autism? Mx Bell said the barriers often began at job recruitment and followed them into the workplace as the actual capacities of people with autism often weren’t accurately reflected.

Mrs Dickenson acknowledged commitment seven of the National Autism Strategy—which aims to support employers in hiring and retaining employees with autism—but questioned the current approach of sending people with autism straight into a workplace.

She said: “We can teach autistic people, and their employers, skills to use as compensation for the person’s neurodiversity. However, teaching skills may not address the fundamental issue that the autistic person has in the labour force.”

Mx Bell said the outcome of the framework depended on it being genuinely led by people with autism, as this would make it live up to its promise of co-leadership.