"They report that just over half (53.4 percent) of the young adults on the autism spectrum they surveyed had ever worked outside the home within the first eight years after leaving high school. Only about one in five (20.9 percent) young adults with ASD worked full time at a current or most recent job. Average pay was 8.10 per hour."
It was also found that those young adults with more significant impairments had better percentages of obtaining a job and keeping it. They theorized this was due to the supports and services that are in place for these individuals that prepare them for life after high school.
Our young adults with high functioning autism and asperger are not being provided the proper supports to enable them to overcome these obstacles that they will face as they go into adulthood and the workforce. The majority of schools are so focused on academic achievement they are forgetting the importance of social communication skills that our youth with ASD need to learn so they can utilize all that academic knowledge on a job.
Totally Social's coaches are committed to changing this epidemic! They want to prepare these individuals with the social skills needed to interact with others and advocate for themselves in a positive way so they can amaze us with their incredible minds! Totally Social's social skills groups are focused on self awareness, self advocacy, and building healthy and safe relationships with others in all areas of life.
It's not all about the diploma for our youth with ASD. The diploma is just a useless piece of paper if they don't have the social communications skills to utilize all their academic knowledge in a positive and productive way with others.
Post written by: Sabra Evans
Full article referenced in this blog here:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/265703.php