The New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline (the ASD Guideline) was published in April 2008. As part of their commitment to the implementation of the guideline, the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education agreed to establish a Living Guideline process. This process is where a guideline is regularly updated and refined to reflect new evidence and changing user needs.
This review aims to systematically update the evidence relating to the effectiveness of supported employment services for young people and adults (aged 16 years or over) with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The Living Guideline Group have identified supported employment as an area where an update of research could lead to revised or additional recommendations in the ASD Guideline. The review did not evaluate transition or referral services to supported employment programmes.
Purpose
The New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline (the ASD Guideline) was published in April 2008. As part of their commitment to the implementation of the guideline, the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education agreed to establish a Living Guideline process. This process is where a guideline is regularly updated and refined to reflect new evidence and changing user needs.
Updates within the living guideline process are required when the recommendations in the guideline are no longer considered valid in view of research evidence that has emerged since the guideline’s literature searches were conducted. Identification of areas for update, consideration of new evidence and reporting on any implications for guideline recommendations is the responsibility of the Living Guideline Group (LGG), a multidisciplinary team comprising members nominated by NZGG and the Ministry of Education.
The purpose of this systematic review is to provide an evidence-based summary of research published in or beyond 2004 relating to supported employment services for people with ASD so as to update the evidence considered in the ASD Guideline.
The report also presents revised and new recommendations relating to this topic developed by the LGG based on the body of evidence.