Toward the Successful Employment of Adults with Autism: A First Analysis of Special Interests and Factors Deemed Important for Vocational Performance

1)	Do you consider yourself to be on the autism spectrum?Yes/No
2)	Do you have a clinical diagnosis of autism? Please indicate which oneNo/Yes, Asperger syndrome/Yes, Kanner autism/Yes, atypical autism/Yes, other, please specify/I'd rather not say
3)	Please indicate your highest level of education(A list of German levels of education was provided)
4)	Which of these options best describes your current situation?I am a freelancer./I am employed./I am employed in a sheltered workplace./I am doing vocational training./I am doing vocational training in a sheltered workshop./I am studying./I am doing an internship./I am unemployed./I receive disability benefits
5)	How satisfied are you with your current work situation?1 (Not satisfied) – 5 (Very satisfied)
6)	I believe that so far I have been able to use my vocational potential according to my skills1 (Not true) – 5 (Very true)
7)	I believe that I possess skills that are relevant for employment1 (Not true) – 5 (Very true)

1)	Please indicate which factors you perceive as interfering with your work (or your work in school in the past)?The list of factors is given in Figure 1 A
2)	Which factors would you consider to be necessary to facilitate an ideal working environment?The list of factors is given in Figure 1 B

1)	Please describe your special interest (e.g., programming websites, rebuilding antique guitars, filing historical street names)Open question format
2)	Please indicate your level of knowledge of your special interest1 (Basic knowledge) – 5 (Excellent knowledge)
3)	In a typical week, how many hours do you spend on your special interest?Open question format
4)	Please label your special interest with one of the following categories that best matches itThe list of categories is provided in Table 2