‘It Gave Me Confidence to Advocate for How I Work Best’: The Impacts of a Late Diagnosis on the Employment and Career Trajectory of Autistic Adults

Due to an increase in autism awareness, more people are discovering they are autistic in adulthood. An improved understanding of self through the context of an autism diagnosis can provide late-diagnosed autistic adults with a new understanding and reinterpretation of life experiences and reassessment of priorities. However, there is little research on whether this enhanced self-understanding and reassessment of priorities post-diagnosis in adulthood impacts employment outcomes and career trajectories. We conducted semi-structured interviews with adults either formally or self-diagnosed as autistic in adulthood (n = 20), focusing on their perception of their employment and career experiences before and after discovering they were autistic. We then analysed and interpreted the transcripts using reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis of participant responses led to the identification of four themes. Each theme refers to changes in employment experiences from before to after identifying they were autistic: (1) confusion to self-understanding, (2) self-criticism to self-acceptance, (3) low self-esteem and overcompensation to confidence and advocacy, and (4) mental health issues and burnout to self-preservation. The findings of this study highlight the positive impact a diagnosis can have on autistic adults’ employment and career path. The study also identified persisting workplace barriers which continued to impact autistic adults after their diagnosis.