Managing Vocational Work, Achieving and Sustaining Work Performance: Support and Self-management amongst Young Autistic Adults in the Context of Vocational Support Interventions in Sweden

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Bertilsdotter Rosqvist, H., Hultman, L., & Hallqvist, J. (2022). Managing Vocational Work, Achieving and Sustaining Work Performance: Support and Self-management amongst Young Autistic Adults in the Context of Vocational Support Interventions in Sweden. The British Journal of Social Work, 53(1), 258-275. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcac138

Publication date: 2 Aug 2022 Added to AutiHub: 4 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 3 (33.3%)
  1. Hannah Bertilsdotter Rosqvist *
  2. Lill Hultman
  3. Johan Hallqvist

Abstract

Abstract In this article, we explore experiences of support and self-management amongst young autistic adults in the context of vocational support interventions in Sweden. We analyse how young autistic men use different strategies to manage their vocational work and the support they need to maintain, achieve and sustain their work performance. Data consist of eleven interviews with 4 autistic young adult men in different work environments where vocational support interventions are implemented to different degrees. One finding concludes that the interviewees are affected by and try to adapt to neurotypical norms and expectations about working life and adulthood. Although individualised coping strategies can be helpful, it is important for employers and formal support persons to understand and acknowledge that individual emotional and problem-solving coping strategies are demanding and need to be combined with adaptations in the working environment. Another finding concludes how work managers act as gatekeeper in the vocational support system the young autistic men aspire to access and in which they need to manage their work performance. Thus, social workers must provide structured and well-coordinated formal work support by both involving the autistic clients’ employers, work managers and informal networks.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 13:58.

Cited references
36
With a DOI
34
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
2
7 / 36 (19.4%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
0 / 36 (0.0%)
References with detected author names
36 / 36 (100.0%)
Without detected author names
0
Without a structured title
0
Without a stable identifier
2
References with raw author names still to review
0
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
108
From DOI or external metadata
108
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
0
51 / 108 (47.2%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 57 / 108 (52.8%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
11 / 108 (10.2%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 11 / 51 (21.6%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 8 / 89 (9.0%).
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