Study: Adults with autism often have little opportunity

[King_Oni]

Roughly one in 10 young adults on the autism spectrum apparently has nothing to do all day, and many more have very limited opportunities, according to a new study.

They aren't in school, they aren't working and they aren't receiving any job training or government-funded services, said Paul Shattuck, an associate professor at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University in Philadelphia, who helped lead a newstudy on young adults with autism.

"Something is pretty broken," Shattuck said.

For years, interest in autism has been growing along with autism rates, with the condition now affecting 1 child in 68. Most of the emphasis, though, has been on young children on the autism spectrum.

"We've been so focused on that end of the lifespan that it's almost as if we forgot that these children were going to become adults and now we're at this crisis point in the system," said Anne Roux, a research scientist at Drexel, who helped lead the study.

Researchers still don't have a good understanding of what autism looks like in adulthood, Roux said. Autism is defined by social awkwardness, repetitive behavior and communication challenges. There's so little known, she said, that it's not even clear how many young adults will need services – which is what motivated her current research.

"We literally have almost no data about anyone beyond age 25," or how people's need will change as they age, she said.

About half the young adults on the spectrum have severe impairments in conversational skills and functional abilities, according to the research, suggesting that at least that many will continue to need services into adulthood.

But Noah Britton, a Boston-based psychology professor and autism job counselor, said even people on the spectrum who are fully capable of working need help negotiating the job market.

Britton, who is on the spectrum himself, said he sees clients all the time who are intellectually capable of work, but haven't received the skills they'd need to hold down a job – or even land one in the first place.

Job interviews are terrible for most people on the spectrum because of their social awkwardness, said Britton, also a member of a four-man comedy troupe calledAsperger's Are Us. "Out of all the ways neurotypicals control the world, I think this is the biggest," Britton said, referring to non-autistics as neurotypicals.

There should be hope even for young people who look on paper like they're doing nothing, said Lydia Wayman, 27, of Pittsburgh. At 21, a doctor told Wayman she'd never hold down a job, despite her nearly 4.0 grade point average in college. Now, with a Master's degree in writing, she works part-time for an autism advocacy group, managing their website and mentoring younger women; she has regular editing assignments, and she's co-writing a novel that includes a character on the spectrum.

"It's not really for anybody else to decide the value of my experience," Wayman said.

Source: Study: Adults with autism often have little opportunity

 

[On the Inside]

I've been lucky, all but two of the jobs I've had I was asked if I wanted them. The two interviews I've had were difficult, but I managed to do well enough to land the jobs. But then, I was well qualified for them. I did interview for a different job in the same organization, one that I really had no business interviewing for. It was a bad experience and the last time I've interviewed for a job. I now have a fear of looking for a different job, I have lost most of the youthful confidence I was able to fake.

I really like that last quote: "It's not really for anybody else to decide the value of my experience," Wayman said.

 

[Omega]

This study perfectly illustrate the situation that I am in. It is nice to see that people are finally starting to understand that because of social difficulties the perpetual pressure of society is magnified.

 

[Flinty]

On a previous message board, we had a thread called "Headlines that make you go 'Duh'". Well, here we are.

 

[MinorKey]

Even if we're more mildly affected by our autism, jobs seem to rely more and more nowadays upon social networking as much as qualifications. As usual, it comes down to who you know. I would guess that limits us even more than sensory issues.

 

[King_Oni]

Even if we're more mildly affected by our autism, jobs seem to rely more and more nowadays upon social networking as much as qualifications. As usual, it comes down to who you know. I would guess that limits us even more than sensory issues.

Very much so. I always cringe when I hear these jobcoaches and similar folk tell me and my friends "well, you should network more". What these professionals seem to miss is the notion that networking is a skill many of us were not built with, while they assume that, just like anyone else, networking and building up a social network is as clear cut for everyone.

 

[King_Oni]

It's when I read articles like this, and even if it's not from a country I reside in, but at least, shares the idea of "the first world" or "the western world" I feel oddly hopeful that at least I'm not the only one having some issues in this area.

On the other hand; I don't know if governments can even considering to put a lot of funds in programs to get all (or even, some) back on the right track towards employment.

Part of it is obviously our own "problem" and that's something I might learn to manage through therapy and/or a proper support network. Though plenty is part of how society (or even the government) deals with it. Reading how it's a more common problem in the ASD community, I start letting to the idea that it's all my fault. It's somewhat soothing I suppose. Still, there's enough stress if you have to live from welfarecheck to welfarecheck every month I suppose (I imagine even more stress and worries if even that's not accessible, as I've learned from some), but it does take away the feeling that the problem is "just you". Being on the spectrum shouldn't be a guilt trip which it often feels like. Perhaps the perspective, like this article, does take away some of it for other people.

 

[Spiller]

I ran my own business, which I set up from scratch, for 15 years, including book keeping, managing finances, advertising and building my own website.
Before that I got 2 career jobs based, fortunately, on aptitude tests alone.
Before that I worked in factories part time as I failed the interviews of all the jobs I wanted and applied for.

Knowing how to dress, carry yourself, maintain conversation and generally fit in are so much more important, in my experience, than how qualified you are for a position.

 

[King_Oni]

A slight follow up on this story. There has been a 45 minute segment on an NPR station about this having parents phone in as well as Paul Shattuck from the Drexel University, one of the professors there.

While I can't say how good or bad it ranks up compared to my own country in terms of support, I can't really say it looks good... at all; for many on the spectrum in the US. It might be well worth a listen if anyone finds some time for it.. perhaps especially parents who frequent this forum with teens on the spectrum. Can't imagine it being less than depressing to hear there's a 22000 people waitinglist for supportservices, just in Florida.

Stark Realities Of Autistic Adulthood | On Point with Tom Ashbrook

 

[Christopher Nicholson]

There is alot mention of services but I would like to know the specific service someone here would like to see.

Alot of these services are for low functioning people. Services are for people with certain level of development imparments?

I would like to see a table of services based on imparment. The links supplied in this post show severely impaired adults with autism. As an adult with asperger's I would hate to see resources spent in me when there are individuals with far greater impairment in greater need. The tax payers pockets are just so deep.