I enjoy reading your blog posts and agree with most of your recommendations. I'm writing because I strongly disagree with the following paragraph in your recent post:
"College is really important for all students, but especially for students on the autistic spectrum. Their physical limitations, social skills problems, and lack of a drivers’ license make them unsuitable for the traditional trades, retail work, and other low wage jobs. They need a college degree to get a cubicle job where they will thrive."
Not all individuals with autism want to go to college or would benefit from going. Our son, Mark never wanted to go to college. If he had we would have supported him and helped him find the right school. A college degree, depending on the individual's strengths and challenges, doesn't always change the job outlook. I know a good number of individuals with autism and other special needs who ended up in the same entry level jobs after attending a specialized college.
In terms of work environments, I know many individuals, including my son, who thrive in retail stores. Mark needs to move and has a stocking job at a hardware store where he logs over 10,000 steps each work day. He would feel trapped in a cubicle. Not everyone wants to sit all day in a cubicle and be left alone.
While social skills are challenging for Mark, a retail environment gives him an opportunity to interact with and assist customers, as well as answer the phone from time to time. In all of these interactions, he is the knowledge bearer and can demonstrate his skills and competency. When community members interact with individuals on the spectrum and with other disabilities and see their competency and value, the more they learn to value DEI.
So bottom line, I think you made a broad generalization that does not apply to many individuals on the spectrum.
Thank you for discussing the issue of all kids with IEPs being stuck in day classes with very low expectations. When our school district initially assessed my older son in 5th grade, they told us he had a near genius IQ. He struggled with math a bit, but they said he was able to do 10th grade work in English. At first, he was in a mainstream class with a pullout for social skills. By the end of the year, they were pushing hard for him to go to special ed the following year. He wasn’t having academic problems; he was having anxiety and depression. When it was too overwhelming, he left class and went to his speech teacher, who he trusted. He spent 6th-12th grade in day class, ultimately dropping out and passing the GED.
An issue both my kids faced was that they were smart enough for honors classes, but couldn’t handle the work load. My oldest couldn’t handle the number of students in mainstream classes. Our district is very weak in inclusion programs and accommodations, preferring to have kids in day class or mainstream. There is RSP, but that doesn’t help for non-academic problems.
One thing that has been different from your experience is community college. When my son dropped out, he enrolled immediately. They didn’t need SAT scores or a high school diploma. They tested him, and as usual his math was weak, so they put him in a remedial class. There was also a lab and a study group.
My other son is in his third year of community college. He only had speech & socialization services in school. It is taking him longer because he changed majors, takes extra classes for additional AA degrees, and he also works to help support himself. He will transfer to a State University this fall. Our community colleges have a lot of supports for students with disabilities, and they are easy to get. I agree that we need even more variety offered, though. Most work training programs are designed for people with intellectual disabilities.
Hi Laura,
I enjoy reading your blog posts and agree with most of your recommendations. I'm writing because I strongly disagree with the following paragraph in your recent post:
"College is really important for all students, but especially for students on the autistic spectrum. Their physical limitations, social skills problems, and lack of a drivers’ license make them unsuitable for the traditional trades, retail work, and other low wage jobs. They need a college degree to get a cubicle job where they will thrive."
Not all individuals with autism want to go to college or would benefit from going. Our son, Mark never wanted to go to college. If he had we would have supported him and helped him find the right school. A college degree, depending on the individual's strengths and challenges, doesn't always change the job outlook. I know a good number of individuals with autism and other special needs who ended up in the same entry level jobs after attending a specialized college.
In terms of work environments, I know many individuals, including my son, who thrive in retail stores. Mark needs to move and has a stocking job at a hardware store where he logs over 10,000 steps each work day. He would feel trapped in a cubicle. Not everyone wants to sit all day in a cubicle and be left alone.
While social skills are challenging for Mark, a retail environment gives him an opportunity to interact with and assist customers, as well as answer the phone from time to time. In all of these interactions, he is the knowledge bearer and can demonstrate his skills and competency. When community members interact with individuals on the spectrum and with other disabilities and see their competency and value, the more they learn to value DEI.
So bottom line, I think you made a broad generalization that does not apply to many individuals on the spectrum.
Thank you for discussing the issue of all kids with IEPs being stuck in day classes with very low expectations. When our school district initially assessed my older son in 5th grade, they told us he had a near genius IQ. He struggled with math a bit, but they said he was able to do 10th grade work in English. At first, he was in a mainstream class with a pullout for social skills. By the end of the year, they were pushing hard for him to go to special ed the following year. He wasn’t having academic problems; he was having anxiety and depression. When it was too overwhelming, he left class and went to his speech teacher, who he trusted. He spent 6th-12th grade in day class, ultimately dropping out and passing the GED.
An issue both my kids faced was that they were smart enough for honors classes, but couldn’t handle the work load. My oldest couldn’t handle the number of students in mainstream classes. Our district is very weak in inclusion programs and accommodations, preferring to have kids in day class or mainstream. There is RSP, but that doesn’t help for non-academic problems.
One thing that has been different from your experience is community college. When my son dropped out, he enrolled immediately. They didn’t need SAT scores or a high school diploma. They tested him, and as usual his math was weak, so they put him in a remedial class. There was also a lab and a study group.
My other son is in his third year of community college. He only had speech & socialization services in school. It is taking him longer because he changed majors, takes extra classes for additional AA degrees, and he also works to help support himself. He will transfer to a State University this fall. Our community colleges have a lot of supports for students with disabilities, and they are easy to get. I agree that we need even more variety offered, though. Most work training programs are designed for people with intellectual disabilities.
You really covered the ground on this one. And I liked this new project you're taking on.