Sunday, September 18, 2011

Autistic and Seeking a Place in an Adult World

This is an article from the NY Times about a 22 year-old autistic artist.
"As few as one in 10 [persons with autism] hold even part-time jobs. Some live in state-supported group homes; even those who attend college often end up unemployed and isolated, living with parents.

But Justin is among the first generation of autistic youths who have benefited throughout childhood from more effective therapies and hard-won educational opportunities. The program [described in this article] is based on the somewhat radical premise that with intensive coaching in the workplace and community — and some stretching by others to include them — students like Justin can achieve a level of lifelong independence that has eluded their predecessors."

The full article, Autistic and Seeking a Place in an Adult World, is inspiring and has illustrative multimedia features as well.