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. 2024 Sep;68(1):611-612.
doi: 10.1177/10711813241260310. Epub 2024 Sep 9.

Exploring Neurodiverse Collaboration Between Autistic and Non-autistic Adults in an Online Setting: A Pilot Study

Manhua Wang  1 , Megan Fok  1   2 , Jisun Kim  1 , Victoria Izaac  1 , Caroline Byrd Hornburg  1 , Angela Scarpa  1   2 , Myounghoon Jeon  1 , Sunwook Kim  1
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Exploring Neurodiverse Collaboration Between Autistic and Non-autistic Adults in an Online Setting: A Pilot Study

Manhua Wang et al. Proc Hum Factors Ergon Soc Annu Meet. 2024 Sep.

Abstract

Employment is an important aspect of independent adulthood, yet autistic adults typically face substantial barriers in the labor market, including high rates of un- and under-employment. To promote an inclusive workplace, the present study explored collaboration dynamics between autistic and non-autistic adults as they worked toward shared team goals in an online setting. We recruited nine dyads, including three dyads of non-autistic adults with an autistic adult (NA-AA), and six dyads of non-autistic adults (NA-NA). Our findings demonstrated that neurodiverse collaboration (autistic and non-autistic adults together) could lead to improved task efficiency at the group level and higher perceived team performance in individuals. However, in these collaborative settings, autistic adults reported higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress compared to their non-autistic partners. Our findings demonstrate the unique contributions that autistic adults may bring into the workplace and highlight the need to develop workplace technologies supporting their collaborative experiences.

Keywords: behavioral coding; neurodiverse workplace; team collaboration; team performance.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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