Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Susan Kabot

Committee Member

Judith B. Galician

Committee Member

Kimberly Durham

Keywords

autism, employment, self-efficacy, attitudes, training

Abstract

This applied dissertation was designed to examine the impact of autism awareness and workforce training on employer self-efficacy and attitudes toward hiring individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was employed involving a sample of 62 employers who completed the Employer Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES) and the Scale Attitudes Towards Workers with Disabilities (SATWD) pre- and post-intervention. A barriers checklist and self-reported experience with autistic individuals were also analyzed.

The results revealed a statistically significant improvement in both employer self-efficacy and attitudes toward workers with disabilities following the training intervention. However, prior experience with autistic individuals, either within or outside of employment settings, was not significantly associated with post-training self-efficacy outcomes. The most frequently reported barriers, pre-intervention, included a lack of ASD knowledge, symptomatology, and understanding.

These findings suggest that structured training programs are effective at improving employer confidence and attitudes toward hiring autistic individuals, whereas prior exposure alone is insufficient. Limitations include a lack of a control group, potential for selection bias, and reliance on self-reported measures. Future research should incorporate randomized control trials, longitudinal follow-up, and exploration of additional factors that contribute to increased self-efficacy among stakeholders working with or supporting youth and adults with ASD. The study highlighted the potential of autism specific knowledge-based interventions to foster greater confidence among employers and positively impact the employment outcomes for this population.

Download
To access this thesis/dissertation you must have a valid nova.edu OR mynsu.nova.edu email address and create an account for NSUWorks.

Free My Thesis

If you are the author of this work and would like to grant permission to make it openly accessible to all, please click the Free My Thesis button.

  Contact Author

Share

COinS