Article in NY Times on transitioning to independence

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I received a link to this article from another ASD group.

It is an article about a family and their autistic son and getting him an education and a job.

Interesting read, opinions?

"Autistic and seeking a place..." from the NYTIMES

btw your link didn't open; could try here - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/us/au ... wanted=all - or it can easily be googled.

Very interesting article. The description of Justin resonated with me, as our son is very similar (cartooning skills), and quite a bit of the description of Justin could be a description of our son, although our son is much higher functioning.

Justin's mother is to be really commended on her efforts, which I'm sure go far beyond what most of us have or would do, so she is an example to us parents; however this just shows the enormous difficulties for a lower functioning autistic in coping with the real world. With a really supportive and proactive mother and apparent significant State support, from an employment perspective Justin would seemingly need substantial accommodation from employers and co-workers to make it work. From an NT perspective he would say and do inappropriate things (eg talk/sing to himself, get angry when the teacher told him not to discuss religion at school), not understand the context of communication (eg taking a guard's comments too literally leading to the guard getting angry at him).

He had a partial friendship with two (autistic) children, got a two week unpaid internship at a cartooning company (which folded) and seemed to be getting along ok (hopefully) in a low paid job decorating cakes or such. He was slower than the NT workers but more neat. In a sad way, despite his mother's unremitting efforts, this did not seem that far away from the sheltered workshops where combs were stacked on less than minimum wage by colour. Justin seemed quite far from being able to live in his own apartment (although that was a longer term goal).

That aside, there is of course a difference. This is a parent who has made huge efforts and I suppose hope remains. I would not want to say in the circumstances that Justin could not find or keep employment to eventually allow him to have a routinised life without support (or only support in emergencies as medical support staff or his mother and following her passing his brother) might be able to supply. Hope might even encourage the idea he could find another job with some cartooning firm.

But life can be hard for an NT person, let alone someone with quite profound disabilities like Justin.

I was impressed by the fact that it was the headline story on front page in the Sunday Times.

I function similarly to Justin in everyday life. I have similar issues in that I have a talent (writing) but can't find a way to make a living of it.

I don't think this issue has been properly addressed. I have just recently emailed about every 'transitioning' group in the country to find out some information. These groups are small and just beginning. The kids 'inbetween' on the spectrum are going to find difficulties finding that slot where they can thrive. Parents need to keep in their minds that if you leave it up to some 'services' they may not find their happy nitch in the world. The transitioning teams have the right ideas but with everyone all over the spectrum, with different issues, it is hard for small groups of people to get a program together where 'one size fits all'. Parents almost have to assist in the process. Please believe the obstacles don't come close to equalling the rewards you will feel when your child finds his/her way. You know best what your child needs to be ok.

This is not an issue of your functional ability, SuperTrouper: many of my friends are writers and are losing their jobs. In fact, I strongly suspect that one of them, who's been a professional writer for years, has fairly severe AS. She did most of her work at home and on the phone (her voice, which is the archetypical "flat" AS voice, is what started my suspicions; I've never asked because she is my age or older and may not have had the benefit of a diagnosis. It does not seem to have affected her ability to work.)

Writing skills are currently undervalued because so much writing on the internet is free - but by the same token, there's much greater access for people who don't have degrees, work experience...or have poor social skills. I started a blog and monetized it - thus far in two years I've earned $10 - but I do have a body of work that shows I can perform on a schedule, be reasonably articulate and on point, and reach a certain target audience. I think the tide will turn in the not-distant future, and writers will start being valued and paid again.

Yeah, I have to agree with Momsparky. I don't think the difficulty with finding a job is necessarily due to autism (although that does make it more difficult). I think the problem is just a lack of open positions. I graduated with my masters back in may, and I still haven't been able to find a job in my field despite sending out 100s of resumes and having a 4.0 GPA. There just aren't enough jobs to go around.

Not to mention that things like art and writing are being flooded with mass content for free by people on the internet with no training, (much like myself). It makes those fields especially difficult. Not sure what to say because I don't have the answers for that one. At least not any answers that I can put into effect... It's kinda depressing.

Although I do wish Justin and people like him the best of luck. Hopefully we can make some changes in the way things are done soon enough before we all wind up living with our parents.

The issue isn't that I don't get hired... it's that, due to sensory issues and social withdrawal, I can't even apply. I freak out under fluorescent lights, and most places have them... even my own kitchen as them! I get so over... whelmed, maybe? at being around people as much as it takes to work that I end up having full blown screaming meltdowns in the bathroom or back room. So, perhaps it's the economy that keeps the jobs at bay, but it's the autism that keeps me from the jobs.

Also, for what it's worth, I don't know one person from my college graduating class that doesn't have a job. I think things are decent in my part of the country (I see "now hiring" signs all over), and I went to a really good school that people love to hire from.

Not to derail this thread, SuperTrouper, but many, many writers are not so different from you. Many work from home.

Writing books is not lucrative...but writing magazine articles can be (or at least used to be) Both can be done from home. Figure out if there is a magazine that accepts articles in your area of interest (of course, autism and parenting publications as well) and find their submission guidelines. The worst they can say is no.

Thanks, will look into it.

This is a new thing in US, I suppose... It's "normal" for me. In Italy and in Europe we have structural uneployment. It was not easy for me to find my first job even if I graduated young and I had good skills.
After 10 years of experience, it's not easy for me to keep my job because I take care of my son who has autism. I keep my job because my employers are supportive with me, but it's due to friendship and not to state services. My career is ended, I don't even think about it anymore and, if i lose my job, I'm not able to find another job like this.
There are some conditions that make finding jobs more difficult, like yours and mine. It's not necessarily due to a disability.
I think that if you really want to work, you find some employment. I could accept to clean stairs if I need money. I think that poverty is nothing to be afraid of, I remember a time when I had less, but I was happy.

I think a whole host of factors go into unemployment, rarely is it just one thing.

I loved the article. Amazing progress but still no guarantees or easy anwers. Just ... The idea of what might be. Certainly better than in the rain man days. And so many of the little things in the article I could relate to, I can see in my son even though he is high functioning AS. It really is clearly the same condition.

But at some point someone is going to sit down with a calculator and figure out cost v benefit; can we get to where these programs have enough success for that to pencil out in favor of them? We are going to have to.

I love the idea of the program in that article; such a rarity!

And, then, what is there for the highest functioning folks, whose need for transition assistance is less obvious, but for whom a little assistance would surely reap big reward?