Learning the ‘Unspoken Rules’

学习“潜规则”

Inside the maker space at the Rochester Institute of Technology, teams of students from the college’s autism-support program are testing 3D printers they just built. The machines whir as they pull strands of orange filament from large spools, melt the plastic, and squeeze it onto build plates, like frosting from a piping bag.

在罗切斯特理工学院的创客空间内，研究自闭症支持项目的学生团队正在测试他们刚刚建造的3D打印机。当机器从大线轴上拉出几股橙色细丝，熔化塑料，并将其挤压到建筑板上时，机器会发出呼呼的声音，就像从裱花袋的糖霜一样。

At one table, Grace Marcus, a junior, and her team are trying to print a tugboat called Benchy, for benchmark. Next to them, a pair of Dungeons & Dragons enthusiasts is attempting to produce a set of multifaceted dice. While their machines build up their models, layer by molten layer, the students prepare a presentation for the “client” who will receive the printers: a campus center that works with K-12 youth.

在一张桌子上，大三学生格蕾丝·马库斯（Grace Marcus）和她的团队正在尝试打印一艘名为“奔启”的拖船。在他们旁边，一对龙与地下城爱好者正在尝试制作一套多面骰子。当他们的机器一层一层地建立模型时，学生们为“客户”准备一份演示文稿，“客户”将收到打印机：一个与K-12青年合作的校园中心。

Welcome to RIT’s Career Ready Bootcamp, a two- to three-week program that is part of a nascent effort to tackle stubbornly high unemployment rates among autistic college graduates. Though few colleges are as far along as RIT, more than 50 institutions have joined a newly formed council focused on better preparing autistic students for employment.

欢迎来到RIT的职业培训营，这是一个为期两到三周的项目，是为解决自闭症大学毕业生居高不下失业率的。尽管很少有大学能像RIT那样发展这么长远，但已有50多所院校加入了一个新成立的委员会，该委员会致力于为自闭症学生更好地就业做好准备。

Many of the things colleges are trying — from mock interviews and performance reviews, to meetings with employers — would benefit all students, says Cristina M. Giannantonio, co-editor of the book Generation A: Research on Autism in the Workplace. But they’re especially helpful for students on the spectrum, who often struggle through the hiring process.

《A世代：工作场所自闭症研究》一书的联合编辑克里斯蒂娜·M·詹南托尼奥表示，大学正在改革——从模拟面试和绩效评估，到与雇主会面——都会让所有学生受益。但它们对那些在招聘过程中经常遇到困难的学生尤其有用。

Researchers estimate that as many as 1.1 million people with autism spectrum disorder will enter adulthood in the current decade. Increasing their numbers in the labor force has the potential to shrink the skills gap, lower the costs associated with providing public benefits, and create a more diverse work force, Giannantonio and her co-editor, Amy E. Hurley-Hanson, argue.

研究人员估计，在当前十年内，多达110万自闭症谱系障碍患者将步入成年。詹南托尼奥和她的联合编辑艾米·赫尔利·汉森（Amy E.Hurley Hanson）认为，增加这些人在劳动力中所占比重有可能缩小技能差距，降低与提供公共福利相关的成本，并创造一支更加多样化的劳动力。

Recognizing these benefits, some major companies, including the tech giants SAP and Microsoft, have built new initiatives to recruit autistic employees.

认识到这些好处之后，科技巨头SAP和微软等一些大公司制定了新的招聘自闭症员工的计划。

Yet even as employers become more open to hiring neurodiverse graduates, their hiring practices often shut those graduates out. Young adults with autism have some of the highest joblessness rates of individuals with disabilities, with more than 30 percent of autistic college graduates unemployed, one study found. Among graduates with jobs, a full quarter are in office- and administrative-support roles.

然而，即使雇主对招聘的毕业生条件更加开放，他们在招聘中也常常将这些毕业生拒之门外。一项研究发现，患有自闭症的年轻人失业率是残疾人中最高的，超过30%的患有自闭症的大学毕业生失业。在有工作的毕业生中，四分之一的人担任办公室和行政支持的工作。

Advocates say a key culprit is the interview process, which favors candidates who put the interviewer at ease. Recruiters want someone who makes regular eye contact, picks up on social cues, and laughs at their jokes, says Zoe Gross, director of advocacy for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. An autistic candidate might be exceptionally qualified but exhibit none of those behaviors.

拥护者表示，一个关键的因素是面试，面试过程让面试官选择有能力的候选人。自闭症自我宣传网络的宣传总监佐伊·格罗斯表示，招聘人员希望面试者进行眼神交流，了解社交技巧，并对他们的笑话有所回应。自闭症候选人可能非常合格，但没有这些表现。

Interviewing is “not about whether someone can do the job well,” Gross says, “it’s about how that person makes them feel.”

格罗斯说，面试“不是看一个人能否做好这份工作，而是看这个人给他们的感觉如何。”

In RIT’s boot camp, students on the spectrum take part in mock interviews and meet with potential employers. They also practice working in teams, honing soft skills like communication, compromise, and overcoming setbacks, while building a 3D printer.

在RIT的训练营中，学生们参加模拟面试，并练习与潜在雇主会面。他们还练习团队合作，磨练沟通、妥协和克服挫折等软技能，并制作3D打印机。

And setbacks they’ve had. When Grace’s team was assembling its printer, they accidentally used some spare parts left on their table and had to spend the rest of the day taking the machine apart. Their first attempt at a 3D print — a “Rocktopus” with an octopus body and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s body — failed after five minutes.

以及分享他们所经历的挫折。当格雷斯的团队在组装打印机时，他们错误地使用了一些备件，不得不花一天的时间将机器拆开。他们第一次尝试3D打印——一个章鱼身体的“岩石”和德韦恩“约翰逊的身体——但五分钟后失败了。

Now, with the presentation looming, Grace’s team is nervous that they won’t be ready for the run-through. The instruction manual and trouble-shooting guide they’re working on still isn’t finished, and only two hours remain. Gareth Nelson, a sophomore, tells them not to worry.

现在，随着演示的临近，格蕾丝的团队很紧张，他们还没有做好准备。他们正在编写的说明书和故障排除指南仍未完成，时间只剩下两个小时。大二学生加雷思·纳尔逊（Gareth Nelson）告诉他们不要担心。

“Sometimes it’s best to go with the flow and make things up on the spot,” he says.

“有时候最好是顺其自然，随场发挥，”他说。

A little later, the printer completes the tugboat. Grace lifts up the tiny, perfect vessel to show the others. “It worked!” she says, smiling.

过了一会儿，打印机成功打印拖船。格蕾丝举起这个小巧完美的拖船给其他人看。“成功了！”她笑着说。

Grace, who is studying computer-engineering technology, says her experience with interviews has been mixed. Last summer, she interviewed for a job at a robotics camp, and she was given the head-teacher position. But before that, she was rejected for a job at Starbucks after the hiring manager asked if she had a disability, and she spilled details about her autism.

格蕾丝正在学习计算机工程技术，她说自己的面试经历好坏参半。去年夏天，她在机器人训练营面试了一份工作，并获得了班主任的职位。但在此之前，在招聘经理问她是否有残疾后，她承认有自闭症，从此没有得到星巴克的工作。

“They said I seemed high maintenance,” she says.

“他们说我不太像自闭症患者，”她说。

At a recent RIT job fair, the recruiter from Lockheed Martin handed her a folder of information, and simply said, “Impress me.” Open-ended questions like that make Grace panic.

在最近的招聘会上，洛克希德·马丁公司的招聘人员递给她一份文件夹，并说：“你给我留下深刻印象。”这样的直白的问题让格蕾丝感到恐慌。

“I don’t think I impressed him,” she says, adding that she’s more relaxed when she can discuss a specific topic or goal.

“我认为我没有给他留下深刻印象，”她说，当她讨论一个特定的话题时，她会更放松。

Gareth has interviewed only once, for a summer job with a baseball league for people with disabilities, and says it was basically a formality, since he’d already interned there. He worries that his tendency to stammer when he gets nervous will doom him in a real interview.

加雷斯只参加过一次面试，是一份残疾人棒球联盟的暑期工作，他说面试基本上是一种形式，因为他已经练习过了。他担心自己紧张时结巴的情况会让他在真正的面试中失败。

“Things like that travel in the industry,” says Gareth, who is studying game design. “I don’t want to blacklist myself.”

研究游戏设计的加雷斯说：“这样的事情在行业中口口相传”。“我不想把自己列入黑名单。”

The number of colleges offering support programs for students on the spectrum has doubled over the past five years, reaching roughly 100 in 2022, according to an analysis by members of the College Autism Network. But only a small subset of the programs offer job preparation, says Judy Reilly, director of the Center for Neurodiversity and Employment Innovation at the University of Connecticut, which recently formed a university council to spread best practices.

根据大学自闭症网络成员的一项分析，过去五年中，为自闭症学生提供支持的大学数量翻了一番，2022年达到约100所。但康涅狄格大学神经多样性和就业创新中心主任朱迪·莱利（Judy Reilly）表示，这些项目中只有一小部分提供了就业准备。该中心最近成立了一个大学理事会，以传播最佳实践。

Ideally, Reilly says, colleges should offer credit-based career-readiness coursework and mandatory internships with autism-friendly employers. Colleges should also work with employers to make their hiring and employment practices more inclusive, she adds.

赖利说，理想情况下，大学应该提供基于学分的职业准备课程，并与自闭症友好型雇主进行联合性实习。她补充道，大学还应与雇主合作，使他们的招聘和就业实践更具包容性。

Reilly says job preparation for students with autism doesn’t need to be part of a standalone program like RIT’s; responsibility can rest with career services, disability services, or another office. The key is that support for neurodiverse students can’t focus only on getting students through college; it must prepare them for life after graduation, too — something colleges increasingly see as essential for all students.

赖利表示，自闭症学生的工作准备不需要像RIT那样成为独立项目的一部分；可以和职业服务、残疾服务或其他办公室合作。关键是，对自闭症学生的支持不能只集中于大学；它也必须让他们为毕业后的生活做好准备，大学越来越认为这对所有学生都至关重要。

When RIT started its boot camp four years ago, with a gift from a donor whose son had been part of the college’s Spectrum Support Program, many autistic students were switching majors or dropping out entirely because they couldn’t secure the co-ops their programs required.

四年前，当RIT训练营开始时，一位捐赠人送了一份礼物，他的儿子是该学院支持计划的一部分，许多自闭症学生因为无法获得所需的合作项目而转学或退学。

At first, the program offered to pay interns’ stipends, as a sweetener to potential co-op employers, recalls Kendra Evans, who runs the boot camp. Now, she says, employers looking for talented autistic interns come to her saying “my first choice was taken — who else do you have?”

一开始，该项目提供给实习生津贴，作为给雇主的好处，负责训练营的肯德拉·埃文斯回忆道。她说，现在，寻找天才自闭症实习生的雇主来找她，说“我的第一选择被选中了——你还有谁？”

“The field is still not where I want it to be, but comparatively speaking, it’s exploding,” Evans says. “Companies are recognizing that they need to work on diversity, equity and inclusion, and neurodiversity is another type they need to be thinking of.”

埃文斯说：“这个领域的发展仍未达到我的期望，但相对而言，它正在爆炸式发展”。“公司认识到他们需要致力于多样性、公平性和包容性，而自闭症是他们需要考虑的另一种类型。”

As coordinator of RIT’s Neurodiverse Hiring Initiative, Evans prepares companies to effectively recruit and supervise such students, offering free online-training modules and troubleshooting after a student is hired.

作为RIT自闭症招聘计划的协调员，伊万准备公司有效地招聘和监督这些学生，在学生被录用后提供免费的在线培训模块和故障排除。

She also prepares the students themselves. During boot camp, Evans conducts mock interviews with the students, asking questions that target soft skills, like “Tell me about the last time you were part of a team that proved to be very effective,” and “Describe a time that you successfully coped with pressure.”

她还让学生自己做好准备。在新兵训练营期间，埃文斯对学生进行模拟面试，提出一些针对软技能的问题，比如“告诉我你上次参加被证明非常有效的团队的情况”，“描述你成功应对压力的一次经历。”

Evans also coaches students that they can make the interview process less daunting by asking for questions in advance, or by requesting to record answers, rather than interviewing live. Many people with autism have slower processing times, and video allows for multiple takes, she says.

埃文斯还指导学生，提前根据提问或要求记录答案，而不是现场发挥，这样可以减少面试中的困难。她说，许多自闭症患者的处理时间较慢，视频允许多次拍摄。

Declan Naughton, a junior studying web and mobile computing, says he was happy to learn he could ask for an alternative to an interview, such as making a presentation. He has alexithymia, a condition that makes it hard for him to identify and express emotions, and he worries that he’ll come across as sarcastic or hurt, or misinterpret an interviewer’s expressions.

学习网络和移动计算的大三学生德克兰·诺顿（Declan Naughton）表示，他很高兴得知自己可以要求面试以外的其他方式，比如做演讲。他患有述情障碍，这种情况使他很难识别和表达情绪，他担心自己会被人认为是讽刺或伤害，或者误解面试官的表情。

Making a presentation “allows me to show off my technical skills without my emotional skills getting in the way,” he says.

他说，做演讲“可以让我展示我的技术技能，而不会让我暴露情感技能”。

Gross says colleges must walk “a fine line” when preparing students for interviews. While it is fine to teach students strategies, like how to fake eye contact by looking between the interviewer’s eyes, students shouldn’t be told they have to “act neurotypical” to get hired.

格罗斯表示，大学在为学生面试做准备时，必须小心。虽然教学生策略是很好的，比如如何通过看面试官的眼睛来假装眼神交流，但不应该告诉学生他们必须“表现得不自然”才能被录用。

“Masking your autistic traits can be painful and difficult for autistic people,” Gross says. Instructing students to do so “sends the message that the way we are isn’t good enough. And it’s not possible for some autistic people.”

格罗斯说：“对自闭症患者来说，掩饰自己的自闭症特征是痛苦和困难的”。指导学生这样做“传达的信息是，我们的方式不够好。对一些自闭症患者来说，这是不可能的。”

The efforts by RIT and other colleges come as some Fortune 500 companies are creating or expanding programs to hire and retain employees with autism, citing the fresh perspective, attention to detail, and dedication they often bring to jobs.

RIT和其他大学的努力正值《财富》500强企业创建或扩大计划以雇佣和留住自闭症员工的时候，他们引用了自闭症员工经常带来的新鲜视角、对细节的关注和敬业精神。

The trailblazer was SAP, which in 2013 announced a goal of having one percent of its work force made up of autistic employees by 2020. Since then, more than 50 other major corporations have begun hiring initiatives targeting neurodiverse people.

开拓者是SAP，该公司在2013年宣布了一个目标，即到2020年，其员工中有1%是自闭症员工。从那时起，超过50家其他大公司已经开始招聘针对神经多样化人群的计划。

“It is really an untapped talent pool,” says Dominique Jones, associate talent acquisition program manager for Southwest Airlines, which started a neurodiversity internship program last year, with RIT’s help.

“这确实是一个尚未开发的人才库，”西南航空公司人才获取项目副经理多米尼克·琼斯说，该公司去年在RIT的帮助下启动了一个神经多样性实习项目。

Researchers say hiring neurodiverse employees doesn’t just help individuals live more fulfilling, self-sustaining lives; it also benefits the company’s culture, reputation, and bottom line.

研究人员表示，雇佣神经多样化的员工不仅有助于个人过上更充实、自我维持的生活；这也有利于公司的文化、声誉和底线。

“People who think differently can really change the way an organization problem-solves and innovates,” says Amy-Jane Griffiths, an assistant professor of clinical counseling at Chapman University who studies the transition to employment for underserved students. “Employers may think they’re providing a service” by accommodating individuals on the spectrum, but “they benefit, too. It’s not charity.”

查普曼大学临床咨询助理教授艾米-简·格里菲思（Amy-Jane Griffiths）说：“思维方式不同的人真的可以改变一个组织解决问题和创新的方式。”她研究服务水平低下的学生向就业过渡的问题。“雇主可能认为他们提供了一种服务”，通过适应个人的光谱，但“他们也受益”。这不是施舍。”

In some cases, companies have modified their hiring practices to make them friendlier to individuals with autism. Travelers Insurance, which offers a summer internship for college students, lets autistic candidates ask questions over chat before they apply, and trains its interviewers to break down open-ended questions into smaller, concrete chunks.

在某些情况下，公司已经修改了他们的招聘做法，使他们对自闭症患者更加友好。旅行者保险公司为大学生提供暑期实习机会，让自闭症候选人在申请前通过聊天提问，并训练面试官将开放式问题分解成更小、更具体的部分。

Jim McMahon, the director of inclusive-talent acquisition for Travelers, says he learned the importance of scaffolding interview questions a few years ago, when he hosted a job-shadowing event for autistic students and asked them to share something about themselves.

旅行者包容性人才获取部主任吉姆·麦克马洪（Jim McMahon）表示，几年前，当他为自闭症学生举办一次工作跟踪活动，并请他们分享一些关于自己的事情时，他了解到了搭建面试问题的重要性。

“There was dead silence,” McMahon recalls. Finally, one of the moms jumped in and said, ‘Let me help: Tell us your name, your school, your major, and one fun fact.’”

“一片死寂，”麦克马洪回忆道。最后，其中一位妈妈跳了进来，说：‘让我来帮你：告诉我们你的名字，你的学校，你的专业，还有一个有趣的事实。’”

Other companies, including Southwest Airlines, have set aside slots for autistic interns, allowing them to do the initial screening over chat, rather than video, and giving them detailed “tips and tricks” for preparing for an interview. Eventually, Southwest hopes to do away with that “side door” for autistic candidates, and make its hiring process work for everyone, Jones says.

包括西南航空在内的其他公司也为自闭症实习生留出了名额，允许他们通过聊天而不是视频进行初步筛选，并为他们准备面试提供详细的“提示和技巧”。琼斯说，最终，西南航空希望取消自闭症候选人的“侧门”，让其招聘过程对每个人都有效。

Laurie Ackles, director of RIT’s Spectrum Support Program, says she’s pleased with the progress but would like to see more employers embrace “skills-based” interviewing, focusing more on what a candidate can do, and less on how they present themselves. Employers should also rewrite their job descriptions, jettisoning jargon and vague criteria like “strong communication skills” or “team player.”

RIT频谱支持项目主任劳里·阿克斯（Laurie Ackles）表示，她对进展感到满意，但希望看到更多雇主接受“基于技能”的面试，更多地关注候选人能做什么，而不是如何展示自己。雇主也应该改写他们的工作描述，抛弃行话和模糊的标准，如“强大的沟通技巧”或“团队合作精神”。

“What does ‘team player’ even mean?” Ackles asks.

“‘团队成员’到底是什么意思？”阿克斯问道。

Grace and Gareth say they’re glad companies are taking more of an interest in neurodiverse candidates, but they’re still not convinced employers appreciate what they can contribute.

格蕾丝和加雷思说，他们很高兴公司对神经多样化的候选人越来越感兴趣，但他们仍然不相信雇主会欣赏他们的贡献。

“It’s a good check box to say your neurodiverse population is high,” says Grace, who believes her ability to hyper-focus will be an asset to employers.

“这是一个很好的复选框，表明你的神经多样性人口很高，”格蕾丝说，她相信自己高度专注的能力将成为雇主的资产。

“I have trouble switching between activities, but if you give me a project, I won’t let go until it’s done,” she adds. “Somebody just has to remind me to eat occasionally.”

“我很难在不同的活动之间转换，但如果你给我一个项目，我不会放手，直到它完成，”她补充道。“总得有人提醒我偶尔吃点东西。”

The white noise in the maker space is loud, so Evans suggests the students retreat to quiet spaces on campus for the online run-through of their client presentation.

创客空间的白噪音很大，所以埃文斯建议学生们躲到校园里安静的地方，在线排练他们的客户演示。

After lunch in the dining hall, Grace finds a cluster of chairs in a hallway, and Gareth rushes home, barely making it in time. Their group is up first, and Gareth is noticeably flustered, fumbling for words. His “make things up on the spot” approach isn’t working.

在餐厅吃过午饭后，格蕾丝在走廊上发现了一堆椅子，加雷斯冲回家，勉强赶上。他们组第一个出场，加雷思明显慌张，笨手笨脚地说不出话来。他的“当场编造”方法不起作用。

He recovers fairly quickly, and the rest of the group’s presentation goes smoothly, but the stumble doesn’t go unnoticed. “You need to practice more,” Declan tells the group during feedback.

他恢复得相当快，小组的其他演示进行得很顺利，但这个失误并没有被忽视。“你需要多练习，”德克兰在反馈时告诉小组。

“I got flabbergasted,” Gareth apologies, “I wasn’t prepared — I just got back from walking home.” Evans reminds him that’s why they do the run-through, and suggests “a little scripting, so you’re jazzy and confident” for the real thing.

“我大吃一惊，”加雷斯道歉道，“我没有准备好——我刚走回家。”埃文斯提醒他，这就是他们做排练的原因，并建议“编写一点脚本，这样你就会对真实的事情充满活力和自信”。

The next day, the presentation goes perfectly. Gareth introduces the 3D printer to the client, and then Grace and the rest of the group describe how to set it up, print files, and fix problems. Donna Burnette, executive director of RIT’s K-12 University Center, thanks the group for “listening to my needs” and providing instructions and trouble-shooting tips a layperson could use.

第二天，演示进行得非常顺利。Gareth向客户介绍了3D打印机，然后Grace和小组的其他成员描述了如何设置它、打印文件和解决问题。RIT K-12大学中心的执行董事唐娜·伯内特（Donna Burnette）感谢该小组“倾听我的需求”，并提供外行人可以使用的指导和故障排除技巧。

After the presentation, Evans delivers the students’ “performance reviews.” Before beginning, she reminds them to highlight two things they’re best at, and one thing they could work on, to “show self-reflection and initiative.”

演讲结束后，埃文斯会给学生们“绩效评估”。在开始之前，她提醒他们突出两件他们最擅长的事情，以及一件他们可以继续努力的事情，以“展示自我反省和主动性”。

Gareth says building a printer gave him confidence in his ability to do complicated things, and he wants to work on his anxiety around public speaking. Evans compliments him on his improvement in the client presentation and praises his professional appearance. She suggests they meet to practice before his next interview.

加雷斯说，制造一台打印机让他对自己做复杂事情的能力充满信心，他想消除自己对公开演讲的焦虑。埃文斯称赞他在客户陈述方面的进步，并称赞他的专业外表。她建议他们在他下次面试前见面练习。

“Having practice helped get the nerves out,” he agrees. “More practice will help.”

“练习有助于缓解紧张情绪，”他同意道。“多练习会有帮助的。”

Grace says her strengths lie in her ability to focus, and her biggest challenge is staying organized when there are “a lot of different tasks.” Evans praises her self-awareness, and they discuss strategies she could use to better manage multiple tasks.

格蕾丝说，她的优势在于她集中注意力的能力，她最大的挑战是当有“许多不同的任务”时保持有条理埃文斯称赞了她的自我意识，他们讨论了她可以用来更好地管理多项任务的策略。

Evans tells Grace she gives the impression of being on top of everything and asks if she’s “a bit like a duck” — calm on the surface but churning water underneath.

埃文斯告诉格蕾丝，她给人的印象是掌控一切，并问她是否“有点像鸭子”——表面平静，但内心却在搅动水。

Grace doesn’t deny it, but says her parents liken her to a different bird — an ostrich: “When problems get too big, and I need to ask for help, I stick my head in the ground,” she says.

格蕾丝并不否认这一点，但她说她的父母把她比作另一只鸟——鸵鸟：“当问题变得太大，我需要寻求帮助时，我会把头埋在地下，”她说。

Evans encourages her to have regular check-ins with future job supervisors, before she gets overwhelmed.

埃文斯鼓励她在不知所措之前，定期向未来的工作主管汇报。

It’s a little early to say RIT’s boot camp is raising job-placement rates among its autistic graduates, since many of the students who have taken part are still enrolled. But of the 11 students from the 2018-19 cohort who have graduated, at least eight have landed full-time jobs. (Ackles wasn’t sure of the status of the other three.)

现在说RIT的新兵训练营正在提高其自闭症毕业生的就业率还为时过早，因为许多参加过的学生仍在注册。但在2018-19届毕业的11名学生中，至少有8名找到了全职工作。（阿克斯不确定其他三人的状况。）

Keeping the students employed may be a bigger challenge. Retention rates for employees with autism are notoriously low, in part because workplaces weren’t designed with them in mind.

让学生就业可能是一个更大的挑战。众所周知，自闭症员工的保留率很低，部分原因是工作场所的设计没有考虑到他们。

“Often, there is a lack of explicit communication, direction, predictability and routine — things that autistic people really thrive on,” says Ackles. And in every job, there are “unspoken rules and cultures that aren’t always clear, even to neurotypical people,” Evans adds.

“通常，缺乏明确的沟通、方向、可预测性和常规——这些都是自闭症患者真正茁壮成长的东西，”阿克斯说。埃文斯补充说，在每份工作中，都有“潜规则和文化并不总是清晰的，即使对神经典型的人来说也是如此”。

The next step for RIT’s program will be teaching students how to navigate the work force once they’re hired. Evans envisions a series of training videos for alums.

RIT项目的下一步将是教学生一旦被录用，如何驾驭劳动力。埃文斯设想为校友制作一系列培训视频。

“You’ve got the job,” she says, “now what?”

“你得到了这份工作，”她说，“现在怎么办？”