Autism is a lifelong condition.  As our children grow, their symptoms and needs will continue to change.  Children and adults will vary in their capabilities.  Some adults will be completely dependent on parents or caregivers; others will be able to live an independent life; and many will be somewhere in the middle.

As the individual with ASD heads into teen and adult years, it is a good time to evaluate

• Communication Skills:  Do they have basic functional communication skills (can they successfully indicate basic wants and needs, and follow critical directions, whether at home, at work, or in the community)?  Can they ask for help?  Can they interview?
• Behavior:  acceptable work behavior?  Do they know how to work with others?  Do they know the difference between safe vs unsafe behavior?  How do they handle transitions?
• Social/Emotional:  Can they accept criticism from a boss?  Can they problem solve?  Do they have a friend or a place where they can meet others and have fun?   
• Accessing community supports:  Can they go to their doctor or dentist’s office?  Can they do their own grocery shopping post office, doctor’s office, bank, pharmacy, legal, financial?
• Daily Living Skills:  Can they manage personal finances – banking, credit card, checks, debit cards, budgeting, and utilities?  Household – cleaning, shopping, nutrition, preparing & serving food; Personal Grooming; Health care/sexuality; Food preparation; Citizenship responsibility – registering for draft, voting, serving on a jury
• Leisure/social activities:  What do they want to do for fun and relaxation?
• Transportation Skills: Do they get around using the local bus?  Do they know how to access Bus information for local bus companies?  Can they get a Driver’s license?
• Employment:  What kind of work will he or she do?
• Higher Education:  What supports will be needed to make the student successful?
• Self-disclosure:  Who and when do individuals disclose they have a disability?
• Adult living:  Where will he or she live?  Who can help him/her?

Employment

Employment should take advantage of the individual's strengths and abilities. Temple Grandin, Ph.D., suggests, "jobs should have a well-defined goal or endpoint," and that your "boss must recognize your social limitations." In A Parent's Guide to Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism, the authors describe three employment possibilities: competitive, supported, and secure or sheltered.

Competitive employment is the most independent, with no support offered in the work environment. Individuals with Asperger’s Sydrome may be successful in careers that require focus on details but have limited social interaction with colleagues such as computer sciences, research or library sciences. In supported employment, a system of supports allows individuals to have paid employment in the community, sometimes as part of a mobile crew, other times individually in a job developed for the person. In secure or sheltered employment, an individual is guaranteed a job in a facility-based setting. Individuals in secure settings generally also receive work skills and behavior training, while sheltered employment may not provide training that would allow for more independence.

Click here to view the source page

Employment Resources

Visit our IE Resource Guide for additional local employment resources

BellaOnline Job Search Editor – Lots of great articles and advice including “Common Interview Questions,” “How to Prepare,” “Using the Right Body Language,” and “Questions to Ask.”

Career and Employment Guide for Job Seekers and Employees with Disabilities - A Career and Employment Guide to assist in searching, preparing, planning and maintaining a career.   Although this project is supported by Portland Community College and some of the information is specific to the state of Oregon, much of the information is generic and can be used in any state.

College

In California, colleges and universities have a Disability Office which provide specific information on resources.  Autism Spectrum Disorders is currently not highly profiled at the higher education level.  For the Resource Guide, we chose to include the college programs that had experience and supports in place in our area, or colleges that were especially prepared for an ASD student.

College Programs seem to be split into Transitional Programs which provide more life skill training and job development and academic programs.  In California there are the UCLA  Pathways Program, El Camino College (Manhattan Beach), Shasta College (Redding), Shasta College (Redding, California), Educational Cultural Complex, San Diego Mesa College and San Diego Miramar College in San Diego and Taft College.

Books/DVDs

“Succeeding in College With Asperger Syndrome: by John Harpur, Maria Lawlor, Micheal Fitzgerald

• Asperger Syndrome: Transition to College and Work ~ Drew Coulter; College Disability Services Director; High School Teacher; Dr. Peter Gerhardt (DVD
• “Realizing the College Dream With Autism or Asperger Syndrome: A Parent's Guide to Student Success” by Ann Palmer
• “Managing Asperger Syndrome at College and University” by Juliet Jamieson and Claire Jamieson
• “Preparing for Life: The Complete Guide for Transitioning to Adulthood for Those with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome” by Jed Baker

Visit our IE Resource Guide under College Support for more college resources