The Post-Doctoral Black Hole. The importance of transitioning out support for autistic students

This paper presents an autoethnography, of my experiences, as an autistic PhD graduate seeking employment. Finding myself, in what I term, the ‘post-PhD black hole’ I explore the personal implications, as a result of my autism, of finishing my time at university alongside the lack of autism specific support to enable me to progress into employment. The information that is shared is aimed at directly addressing the reported gap, (Nicholas et al, 2019) of a lack of ‘autistic voice’ in research relating to autism and employment. By relating my experiences to empirical research, I present an argument of a need for significantly more consideration to be given to the support available to autistic students transitioning out of an educational institution, either to further their academic career or into employment. A ‘Transitioning Out’ diagram is presented to highlight the key features organisations should be addressing to ensure effective support for autistic individuals. The role of mentoring is reflected upon as a facilitator of a transitioning out support programme and as such it is suggested as an important future avenue of research to explore its impact.