Assistive Soft Skills and
Employment Training (ASSET)

ASSET is a structured, evidence-based program designed to strengthen the soft skills needed for workplace success among individuals with disabilities. Originally adapted from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Skills to Pay the Bills. 

ASSET offers a 30-session curriculum covering 15 essential competencies such as communication, enthusiasm and attitude, teamwork, problem-solving, and professionalism.

Two people on a couch smiling and talking with tea.
Photo credit: Disabled and Here
A young man smiles, potentially benefiting from the ASSET program, a structured training solution that bridges a critical gap in transition services by equipping youth for inclusive participation in today's workforce.

Co-developed with transition-age youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities (TAY-NDDs), vocational rehabilitation counselors, and employers, ASSET aligns with the National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Standards to ensure the content is relevant, accessible, and grounded in real-world expectations.

The program is suitable for implementation in vocational rehabilitation programs, schools, colleges, and community-based settings. It can be delivered independently or paired with EPASS for enhanced employment readiness.

Early Pilot Studies

Transition-age youth with autism spectrum disorder (TAY-ASD) who completed ASSET showed:

  • Improvements in social functioning and cognition.
  • Improvements in self-efficacy.
  • Less anxiety.

Some of these improvements lasted even after the program ended.

Clinical Trials

Randomized control trials compared TAY-ASD who participated in ASSET with those who did not. The results showed

  • Students in the program made improvements in their vocational skills.
  • They gained job-related skills and self-efficacy.

The program was delivered with a high level of consistency and quality and many of these improvements and skills were sustained after program completion.

Photo credit: Disability IN

 References

  • Sung, C., Connor, A., Chen, J., Lin, C.-C., Kuo, H.-J., & Chun, J. (2018). Development, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of an employment-related social skills intervention for young adults with high-functioning autism. Autism, 23(6), 1542-1553. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1362361318801345  
  • Connor, A., Sung, C., Strain, A., Zeng, S., & Fabrizi, S. (2019). Building skills, confidence, and wellness: Psychosocial effects of soft skills training for young adults with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50, 2064–2076. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-03962-w  
  • Connor, A., Fabrizi, S. E., Nasamran, A., & Sung, C. (2022). Near-peer facilitation of a soft skills program for young adults with autism. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76(4), 7604345020. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2022.048207  
  • Sung, C., Lee, K. L., Nasamran, A., Ditchman, N.., Lee, E. J., Volker, M. (in review). Lived experiences of transition-age autistic students in a soft skills training program. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 
  • Sung, C., Lee, K. L., Han, J., Lee, H., & Breshears, B. (in review). Development and implementation of work-related social skills intervention for autistic individuals. 
  • Ditchman, N., Lee, E. J., Thomas, J., Tsen, J., Sung, C., Lee, K. L., & Strain, A. (in review). Perspectives of autistic students on an employment soft skills training program: Expectations and experiences. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals. 

Funding Acknowledgment