How Students With Autism Are Graduating Into Jobs

This article was found in the Wall Street Journal and was written by Carolyn T. Geer.  I forgot to include the date it was published but you can reach the author at reports@wjs.com if you have any more questions or want more details.

She starts that schools teach students what they don't know.  But she feels the focus for students with autism is to focus on what they can do.

Usually only 10% of children with autism find jobs.  This is a very sad statistic.  When I work with special needs students I hear them say they want to be a doctor.  I know they can't be that specific occupation but I think about what they can do in a medical environment.  Perhaps they can file, transport files, move lab samples around...  They can do something in a field that interests them.

In Virginia, a school took a control group of high school seniors  with autism and they received their education per their IEP.  But the other group spent the year 'in an intensive custom-designed study and job-training program at a suburban hospital."

The beginning and end of each day the hospital group men in on-site classrooms where they learn practical  skills like:

*how to get to work and get back home

*how to get around the hospital

*how to ask for help 

*how to use feedback from supervisors and co workers.

These students went through three internships.  After graduation 87% landed hospital jobs such as pharmacy assistant and teacher's aide.

Only 6% of the control group found jobs. 

At the hospital training they discovered what jobs worked for certain students.  One students loved restocking isolation carts.  He liked repetitive tasks that required intense focus and attention to details.

A company in Denmark found people with autism are hired and trained to work as software testers, programmers, etc. Specialisterne launched a goal of creating 100,000 jobs in the US for people with autism and similar disorders.  They stated they have to teach those working with those with autism need to 'say what you mean and mean what you say, as those with autism have trouble interpreting sarcasm and body language.

So there is hope.  The IEP transition program may need to be modified to help students with autism transfer what they are good at to a job in the real world.