Making Work and Community Integration a Reality for Young People with Autism

1. Making Work and Community Integration a Reality for Young People with Autism Autism Across the Life Span Wichita, Kansas November 6, 2009

7. The Key Components of the Transition Planning Process Include the Following:

8. Who Should Participate? • Student • Parents • Special Educator • Administrator • Representative of any agency that will be providing supports or services

9. Involving students in their own IEPs • Needs to occur prior to 14 • Has to be coupled with instruction • Needs to be more than physical presence • Practice, practice, practice!

10. Vocational Choices for Young People with Disabilities Competitive Employment Supported Employment Rehabilitation Facility or Workshop Self-Employment Day Program or Activity Center Supplemental Staffing Customized Employment Telework

11. Supported Employment Wehman, P. et al. (2007). Real work for real pay.

12. Meet Kit

13. Kit

14. Functional Positives • Walks and stands • Hand use • Uses body language to communicate • Polite • Performs task in sequence • No financial obstacles • Supportive family

15. Major Perceived Barriers • Severe mental retardation • Autism • Limited communication skills • Limited strength and endurance • Unusual behaviors (rocks body, sucks fingers, flaps hands) • Needs frequent prompting to stay on task • Cannot distinguish between work supplies • No functional reading • Limited transportation options

16. Employer Spaghetti Warehouse

17. Kit at Work

18. Self-Employment and Customized Employment Griffin, C. & Hammis, D. (2003). Self employment.

19. Meet Ronnie

20. Ronnie • Self Employment • “Keep It Clean” • Sterilizes Towels • Individual Training Account Purchases • High-tech washer and dryer • Magnetic advertising panels for Jeep • Business License • Jeep Repair • Total Individual Training Account expenditures= $4,200

23. The Walgreens Experience

24. Inclusion and Autism: Goals and Objectives

25. Inclusion and Autism (con’t) • Help students gain the knowledge and skills taught in the general education classes • Provide peer models for communication • Provide skilled peers to practice new communication skills with and receive guidance from peers and adults about communication • Provide peer models for social interaction

26. Inclusion and Autism (con’t) • Provide skilled peers to practice new social skills with and receive guidance from peers and adults about social interaction • Provide opportunities for natural friendships to occur • Foster independence and self-determination • Provide opportunities to become members of the school community

27. Steps and Activities for Developing a Community-Based Vocational Training Program

28. Conduct a community job-market analysis. • Identify businesses with the targeted jobs and contact the personnel director or community-based training sites and employer. • Select and analyze appropriate jobs for community-based training. • Schedule community based training. • Design individual systematic instruction programs.

29. Table:Partial ecological inventory for a restaurant Domain: Community Environment: Happy Family Grill

30. Partial Ecological Inventory for a Restaurant Domain: Community Environment: Happy Family Grill