When children with autism get close to the age of graduating, the question then becomes what’s next and what type of employment opportunity will there be for them. It can seem daunting but we can break it down. For example, how many steps does it take to teach someone to fold a washcloth? If the washcloth is torn or stained, how many additional choices does someone need to make to put the washcloth in the correct place in the laundry room? Answering these kinds of questions is one way that Ann Marie Sullivan and her team at Spectrum Works breaks down tasks into simple steps that children with autism can understand.
As an entrepreneur, Ann Marie enjoyed success in the business world, but she wanted to be involved in a social enterprise. Her “fall” into the autism world came when she joined a company that served people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and her employees were so happy to have a job that she knew she needed to make this program bigger and more sustainable than it was so that it could reach more people.
Even children as young as four or five can be taught future work skills by focusing on building self care skills, following directions and listening for instructional cues. By the time they get into a program like Ann Marie’s, they’re better prepared to integrate into a work atmosphere. Rather than measuring a child by their language ability, Ann Marie’s company measures them by their independence level per task. Building that independence level slowly over time can give a child with autism structure in their schedule, and it can make them happy and proud about the work they can do.
Of course, there are some unique challenges presented by working with this popuation. Finding business partners, working with schools, and the drop-off in services once a child ages out of the school system can make connecting this community with employment even harder. Surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated growth for Spectrum Works across the US. At a time when unemployment is high all around the country, Ann Marie remains positive about the future of employment for adults and with autism.
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