The Hidden Curriculum of Getting and Keeping a Job: Navigating the Social Landscape of Employment: A Guide for Individuals with Autism Spectrum and Other Social-Cognitive Challenges

Adults on the spectrum often have difficulty getting and keeping a job that is unrelated to their job skills. This practical and easy-to-use book provides necessary yet often untaught information on a variety of topics related to getting a job, finding a mentor, networking, using agencies, interviewing, talking with supervisors, dealing with on-the-job-frustrations, understanding the social rules at work and many other topics. Authored by two individuals on the spectrum who have extensive experience in helping others become employed, Judy Endow and Malcolm Mayfield, as well as Brenda Smith Myles, an internationally known writer and speaker on autism spectrum disorders.

Judy Endow, MSW is an author and international speaker on a variety of autism-related topics, is part of the Wisconsin DPI Statewide Autism Training Team and a board member of both the Autism Society of America, Wisconsin Chapter and the Autism National Committee. In addition, Judy is a member of the Autistic Global Initiative (AGI), a program of the Autism Research Institute. AGI is devoted to raising awareness on adults with autism and building bridges between all constituents in our autism community.

Judy maintains a private practice in Madison, Wisconsin, providing consultation for families, school districts and other agencies. Besides having autism herself, she is the parent of three now grown sons, one of whom is on the autism spectrum. Judy blogs at www.judyendow.com

In her spare time Judy enjoys expressing her thoughts and ideas by painting with acrylics and creating one-of-a-kind hand-built pottery sculptures. She continues to bring a great depth of understanding and compassion to all the work she does.

Malcolm Mayfield is the founder and Managing Director of Autism STAR Pty Ltd. His career includes working as a researcher in the UniSA Civil Engineering Laboratories and as a contract administrator in the construction industry. In those capacities, he has worked in teams that have built sports stadiums, high-rise buildings, power stations, and subdivisions, and rose to be highly regarded in his field in the companies for which he worked.

Malcolm’s view of the world changed when he self-diagnosed his Asperger Syndrome at the age of 37 and had that diagnosis confirmed a few years later. Patterns in his life that had previously been confusing at last made sense and, as part of that process of greater awareness, he realized that in order to cope and succeed as an adult and a professional, he had developed independent success strategies that could be used by others on the autism spectrum.

The concept and manifestation of Autism STAR grew out of that process of self-discovery. Malcolm’s goal is to shine a light on the autism spectrum to show the world that autism is a strength to be cherished and nurtured into success for all.

Malcolm Mayfield is an NLP Practitioner and life coach and is an Independent Director on the Autism CRC Board of Directors.

Brenda Smith Myles, PhD, is an associate professor, University of Kansas. She is an internationally recognized authority on autism. Dr. Myles has made over thousands of presentations all over the world, and has written more than 250 articles and books on autism spectrum disorder. In the latest survey conducted by the University of Texas, she was acknowledged as the second most productive applied researcher in ASD in the world. Her awards include: Yes She Can Inc., Advocates for Adults with Autism Award (2016) ; University of Alabama/Glenwood Scholar (2015); National Parenting Publications Bronze Award (2014) and American Academy of Pediatrics Autism Champion (2013), among many others.