Mar 2nd 10 Posted by Barbara

What To Do When the Bus Stops Coming – An Autism Job Story

Dan Burns’ son, Ben, spent his high school years in a pre-vocational work/study program.  Under the guidance of his one-on-one school aide, Sharon, Ben accumulated quite a bit of work experience:  he set tables at Luby’s Cafeteria, folded pizza boxes at CiCi’s Pizza, stocked video shelves at Walmart and swept the aisles at Ruibal’s Plants. So after graduation, his parents... read more

Feb 12th 10 Posted by Barbara

PathPoint – Adding Independence to Autism

Individuals with disabilities are just that – individuals, with different needs, interests, talents and abilities. Without proper services and programs available to them, they are at high-risk for poverty, homelessness, neglect, and abuse. PathPoint,  a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in California in 1964, is dedicated to helping people with disabilities or disadvantages reach... read more

Dec 7th 09 Posted by Barbara

District 201’s Assisted Learning Vocational Program – An Autism Job Program

Young adults with a range of disabilities, including autism,  are getting an early foot in the employment door through Belleville Township High School District 201’s  Assisted Learning Vocational Program. The purpose of this program in southern Illinois is to provide special education students ages 18 through 22 on-the-job training in a field related to their career interests.  According to... read more

Oct 22nd 09 Posted by Barbara

Request for Autism Social Skills Information

“My son is 18 and is a junior in college. He has autism but is very high functioning. He is in a band, a social club, and writes for the school paper. He also does illustrations for a magazine. He still needs help with conversation and approaching friends or calling to make plans to do things together with anyone. Do you have anything that I could look into for him? I saw this boot camp on a... read more

Oct 21st 09 Posted by Barbara

Tips from CSAAC’s John Solyst – Autism Job Stories

For more than 15 years, John Solyst has been locating employment positions for clients of CSAAC (Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children.)  As Assistant Director for Supported Employment at CSAAC, he deals directly with employers and job coaches to match positions with job skills – what the clients are good at or what they enjoy. He won’t put a client in a job where they’ll... read more

Oct 16th 09 Posted by Barbara

Nat-of-all-Trades: An Autism Job Story

“When our kids have disabilities, on the one hand we believe that fantasy, dreams, and plans are no longer possible,” Susan Senator writes in her September 30, 2009 blog post, “My FaNATasy.” Susan is a writer and mother to three boys, including Nat, 19, who has autism. She uses her writing talents “to make sense of autism and find a way to my oldest son, and help others... read more