Experiences of autistic and non-autistic individuals participating in a corporate internship scheme

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

About the autistic author marker

Remington, A., Heasman, B., Romualdez, A. M., & Pellicano, E. (2021). Experiences of autistic and non-autistic individuals participating in a corporate internship scheme. Autism, 26(1), 201-216. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613211025115

Publication date: 19 Jun 2021 Added to AutiHub: 30 Aug 2026 Type: Article Article language: English

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
4
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 4 (25.0%)

Abstract

Autistic people have significant challenges in obtaining and maintaining employment yet there remains a shortage of research in this area, especially research directly comparing the experiences of autistic individuals to their non-autistic colleagues in the same organisation. The present study examined the experiences of autistic and non-autistic interns, and their managers, taking part in a corporate internship scheme. Data were gathered via semi-structured interviews and online questionnaires prior to, and following, the internship. Many commonalties were identified, with both groups of interns and managers sharing positive journeys through the internship. Specific issues raised by autistic interns centred around impact of prior employment experiences, mental health and communication. Compared to managers of non-autistic interns, managers of autistic interns reported having a greater range of pre-internship concerns, including concerns about providing the right level of support, communicating successfully and being equitable in treatment of all employees. Structured delegation of tasks and flexible communication were successful strategies used by managers to support autistic interns; clear communication and more consistent support were perceived to benefit both intern groups. The findings highlight specific challenges experienced by autistic individuals in the workplace and suggest effective ways to ensure that autistic interns succeed alongside non-autistic peers. Lay abstract Autistic people can find it difficult to find and keep a job, and fewer autistic people are employed compared with people from other disability groups. There is not enough research in this area, especially research that directly compares the experiences of autistic and non-autistic colleagues starting in an organisation at the same time. Our study looked at the experiences of autistic and non-autistic people taking part in an internship at Deutsche Bank, UK. We spoke to the interns before the internship began, and again once it had finished. We also asked the interns’ hiring managers about their experiences of the internship. We used interviews and online questionnaires to find out people’s views. Before the programme began, managers of autistic interns were more worried about the internship than managers of the non-autistic interns. They were worried about providing the right level of support, communicating successfully and treating all their employees fairly. At the end of the internship, everyone felt that the internship was a success. Managers of autistic interns explained how the experience had made them better managers. Both groups of interns and said that they benefitted from clear communication and would have likes more support. Managers of autistic interns spoke about dividing tasks up into smaller chunks and being flexible in their communication were helpful when working with the autistic interns. More work is needed to make sure that autistic interns are integrated alongside non-autistic peers. One way to make this happen might be to create guides for managers.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

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: 12 Sep 2026 18:17.

Cited references
60
With a DOI
49
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
9
4 / 60 (6.7%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
7 / 60 (11.7%)
References with detected author names
54 / 60 (90.0%)
Without detected author names
6
Without a structured title
7
Without a stable identifier
9
References with raw author names still to review
6
References with external metadata lookup issues
1
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
198
From DOI or external metadata
198
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
10
61 / 198 (30.8%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 137 / 198 (69.2%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
4 / 198 (2.0%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 4 / 61 (6.6%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 2 / 168 (1.2%).
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