School鈥檚 Out for the Summer... School鈥檚 Out Forever! What Now?
By: Cathy Allore
In Florida, individuals with disabilities can stay in school until they鈥檙e 22 years old. But what happens to them after that 22nd birthday? Parents often fear that looming milestone if their child has a development disability, such as autism. Available opportunities are often times limited and require some creativity on the part of parents to get their child off the couch and into the community.
Volunteering is a great way for individuals with autism to make a contribution to the community they live in. Individuals who volunteer are getting vocational experience which could later lead to competitive employment. There are a range of benefits gained from volunteering. These opportunities are great ways for individuals to test their aptitude for a particular career field, as well as determine areas of interest, areas of disinterest, and areas that are not viable options for employment.
Volunteering provides valuable opportunities for skill development. Generalizing vocational skills can be more of a challenge for individuals with autism if they are not learned in the job setting. Providing the expectations for each work environment or work task is paramount to the success the individuals will have in each situation. Visual supports can help provide those expectations in a clear and concise manner.
Special interest areas and familiar tasks are important to consider when assessing volunteer opportunities for someone with autism. The individual challenges each person deals with are also important to consider when choosing volunteer opportunities. For instance, if someone clearly has challenges in dealing with loud environments, look carefully for an environment that will provide a quiet and calm work place, such as a quiet office or even a library.
When it comes to working on social skills there isn鈥檛 a more natural environment than focusing on a shared task. Volunteering can provide endless opportunities, in a safe place, to practice social, language, employability skills and increase comfort levels when exposed to new experiences. Volunteering and working in your community is the way most people meet others and make new friends who share a common interest or goal. It usually takes only one training session prior to an experience to prepare the person with autism and to clarify expectations. In addition, with minimum training, community volunteers can be easily instructed on how to provide natural supports for individuals with autism at the event. When the task is complete, everyone feels good about a job well done and takes pride in being a valuable member of their community. 大象传媒 CARD is always looking for community-based opportunities for its constituents. Clinical Support Specialists are available to assess volunteer opportunities, conduct pre-activity and community volunteer trainings, and provide support during the initial stage of the experience and the hand-off to the natural supports that will allow the person with ASD to independently access the volunteer opportunity and their community.
Spanish translation below:
La Escuela se ha terminado por el verano ... 隆La escuela se ha terminado para siempre! 驴Ahora que?
En la Florida, las personas con discapacidades pueden permanecer en la escuela hasta los 22 a帽os de edad. Pero, 驴Qu茅 les sucede despu茅s de esos 22 cumplea帽os? Los padres a menudo temen lo que se avecina si su hijo tiene una discapacidad de desarrollo, como el autismo. Las oportunidades disponibles a menudo son limitadas y requieren cierta creatividad por parte de los padres para sacar a su hijo del sof谩 y dentro de la comunidad.
Hacer de voluntariado es una gran manera para que las personas con autismo hagan una contribuci贸n a la comunidad en la que viven. Las personas que se ofrecen como voluntarios reciben experiencia vocacional que podr铆a conducir posteriormente a un empleo competitivo. Hay una serie de beneficios obtenidos del voluntariado. Estas oportunidades son grandes maneras para los individuos para probar su aptitud para un campo de carrera en particular, as铆 como determinar 谩reas de inter茅s, 谩reas de desinter茅s y 谩reas que no son opciones viables para el empleo.
El voluntariado ofrece valiosas oportunidades para el desarrollo de habilidades. Generalizar habilidades vocacionales puede ser m谩s un reto para las personas con autismo si no son aprendidas en el entorno de trabajo. Proporcionar las expectativas para cada ambiente de trabajo o tarea de trabajo es primordial para el 茅xito que las personas tendr谩n en cada situaci贸n. Los apoyos visuales pueden ayudar a proporcionar esas expectativas de una manera clara y concisa.
Las 谩reas de inter茅s especial y las tareas familiares son importantes a considerar cuando se eval煤an las oportunidades de voluntariado para alguien con autismo. Los desaf铆os individuales a los que se enfrenta cada persona tambi茅n son importantes a la hora de elegir oportunidades de voluntariado. Por ejemplo, si alguien claramente tiene retos en el trato con ambientes ruidosos, busque cuidadosamente un ambiente que le proporcionar谩 un lugar de trabajo tranquilo, como una oficina tranquila o incluso una biblioteca.
Las 谩reas de inter茅s especial y las tareas familiares son importantes a considerar cuando se eval煤an las oportunidades de voluntariado para alguien con autismo. Los desaf铆os individuales a los que se enfrenta cada persona tambi茅n son importantes a la hora de elegir oportunidades de voluntariado. Por ejemplo, si alguien claramente tiene retos en el trato con ambientes ruidosos, busque cuidadosamente un ambiente que le proporcionar谩 un lugar de trabajo tranquilo, como una oficina tranquila o incluso una biblioteca.