Group Helps Young Adults With Autism Fit In – Disability Scoop

From Disability Scoop: “Dustin Strasser slaps the deck of cards as if he’s trying to squash a bug, shaking the flimsy folding table in front of him. Joshua MacAran, who takes command of the room with a sarcastic cool, gives him a familiar furrowed look that means calm down. Strasser, 19, gets that look a lot. Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, he can get fidgety and doesn’t always realize when his loud noises or sprawling gestures are bothering others. That’s where MacAran, a 31-year-old with Asperger’s syndrome, steps in to help. Like Strasser, MacAran knows what it’s like to be out of the loop on what others consider to be socially appropriate. A few years ago, he was getting fired from food-service jobs after tattling on co-workers when they didn’t strictly abide by rules. Now, he helps run the Monday group at Trinity Cathedral Church, where adults on the spectrum practice social skills before they step into the reality of the working world.”

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National Autism Indicators Report: Transition Into Young Adulthood

From the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute: “The National Autism Indicators Report is a publication series produced by the AJ Drexel Autism Institute’s Life Course Outcomes Research Program. The inaugural volume of this report focuses on the transition into young adulthood. We present evidence about a wide range of experiences and outcomes of young adults on the autism spectrum between high school and their early 20s.”

For more information, click here.

2014 Autism Institute — Transition to Employment on October 2nd

Presented by The Kelberman Center and The University of Rochester Medical Center’s Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities: “Join us at the 2014 Autism Institute, where attendees will leave with a expanded knowledge of national best practices related to transition to adulthood and employment. National experts will present on their highly successfully employment programs and higher education models. This is a rare opportunity to hear from multiple national experts from: Virginia Commonwealth University, Syracuse University, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and leadership from New York’s Offi ce of Person’s with Developmental Disabilities. Each presenter will showcase highly successful employment and higher education models for persons with developmental disabilities including autism. This conference is for parents, family members, individuals with autism, teachers, job coaches and other professionals.”

Thursday, October 2, 2014 | 8:00am – 4:00pm Vernon Downs Conference Center, 4229 Stuhlman Road, Vernon, NY

Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis, attendance is limited; please visit kelbermancenter.org to register.

See the flier: Autism Institute

More Colleges Expanding Programs For Students On Autism Spectrum

From Forbes: “Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have always been on college campuses, but with the lack of screening technologies just a few years ago, they struggled through schooling virtually invisible. Today, however, the number of children on the spectrum has risen from 1 in 150 to 1 in 88 in less than ten years, and colleges are beginning to acknowledge that these young adults are eager to receive their college degrees.

The Harvard Review of Psychiatry recently released summaries of the latest findings in ASD research and highlighted that there is a significant upsurge of people with ASD arriving on college campuses.”

Read more via More Colleges Expanding Programs For Students On Autism Spectrum.

Study confirms low rates of employment for young autistic adults

A study published in the September 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that young adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have more difficulty transitioning into employment than their peers with different disabilities.

Read more… Study confirms low rates of employment for young autistic adults.