Most Autistic People Are Unemployed or Underemployed
I'm Autistic and I help Autistic people.
I've created the Autistic Business Network to provide guidance and support for Autistic people who want to develop their businesses or careers. I invite you to check out the Autistic Business Network at https://AutisticBusinessNetwork.com, see how we can help, and invite you to join. The first three months of membership are free.
But first, I'd like to share a bit about my background and how I got here.
I grew up as an undiagnosed Autistic person, went to college, started my career, got married, bought a house, had children with my wife, and raised them, and earned my master's from a prestigious university. I moved up in my career and had all the markers of success. But the corporate world and the pressures of my life were mounting.
In 2007, I finally had enough of the rat race and decided to start my own business as a consultant and coach. It was not easy at all. I engaged in everything I was "supposed to do" to succeed. I joined a networking group and the Chamber of Commerce. I put myself out there and very slowly grew my business.
In hindsight, being neurodivergent learning how to develop my business from neurotypical people made it even more difficult. I am certain it would have gone more smoothly if I was learning from a neurodivergent point of view.
Roll the calendar forward to 2020. I had a major health crisis -- untreated hypertension, heart failure and kidney failure. The fact of the matter is that I avoided all healthcare for more than 20 years, because I could not function in a healthcare environment.
After getting out the hospital, I realized that my behavior of avoiding healthcare even though I had insurance and cold afford to see a doctor was not "normal." I sought mental health counseling to understand my behavior. After a couple of unhelpful therapists, I started working with a therapist who very quickly identified complex post traumatic stress distorder, cPTSD. He also asked me if I had ever been tested for Autism, which I had not. I dismissed the thought and suggested that we just focus on the PTSD. After all, that is what led to the health crisis.
It's a long story, but eventually I accepted that I am Autistic. If you want read more about that, you can do so here. As a coach and consultant, I decided that publicly disclosing that I am Autistic and that I manage PTSD on an ongoing basis would be helpful to my clients, as well as others in my community -- which turned out to be the whole world through Linkedin.
A Professional Turning Point
My therapist encouraged me to find a way to start helping others in a focused manner. He said that I had a strong grasp on understanding PTSD and Autism, and that as a coach I already had skills to guide people and help them navigate challenges.
I wanted to receive some training to help me do this, and frankly I did not want to pursue a different career by getting another master's degree or PhD and becoming a licensed professional counselor. I discovered a training program called "Certified Peer Specialist for Mental Health," which provided focused instruction, support and continuing education as a peer to help others with mental health challenges.
After earning my CPS-MH, I worked for about a year on a part-time basis with a community mental health organization. The greatest advantage, however, was incorporating mental health aspects into my work with business leaders and professionals. I did not replace their work with mental health professionals, but my work helps connect some important dots between personal and professional life.
One step I took was to create a meetup group to bring together Autistic adults in my local community for peer support. We meet once or twice a month for informal discussions. It's just good to connect with others in the community. I have also participated in some online groups consisting of Autistic adults looking to share information and support for each other.
The most exciting of these groups is the Cultural Autism Studies at Yale Group, https://culturalautismstudiesatyale.space/ This group organizes events through Meetup, and also has a Discord channel as well as a Facebook group. I have met amazing people -- brilliant and caring people -- from around the world. Some are academics, some are "regular people" working through their challenges, and some are business owners and professionals like me. We all share an interest in self-discovery and supporting others on our Autism journey.
Over the years since coming to understand that I am Autistic and connecting with others, I have received multiple requests from Autistic people to help them with their businesses or careers. I have helped as much as reasonable without compensation. The fact is that most Autistic people face business challenges and can not afford my regular coaching and consulting fees. But I don't want to not help.
Creating the Autistic Business Network
Back in April 2026, I began to feel a drive to create a community where Autistic people can connect, work together, learn together, share and develop our careers and businesses. And so here we are!
Every Autistic person who would like to develop their business or career is invited to join the Autistic Business Network. The good news is that everyone is welcome to receive three months of free membership. You can start participating right away at no cost. If you want to continue after three months, dues is $10 per month, $27 per quarter or $99 per year. If you've received all the value you need after three months you can move on with no obligation. But, of course, we hope you would continue to be part of the community.
If have any questions, please use the contact form on the site to message us, or you can email us, hello@autisticbusinessnetwork.com.