Flirting With Employment
An internship is giving my autistic son a taste of employment
The employment rate for people with autism is horrific. Something like 85 percent of people with autism — even those who finish college — are never employed. In addition to being deprived of a salary and benefits, unemployed young people remain dependent on their parents. They are isolated, bored, lack purpose, and stagnate. Employment is a good thing that is out of reach for too many people with autism.
All people with disabilities should have a job. Even autistic people with extreme behaviors, who are nonverbal and have intellectual disabilities, can contribute to society. We need the government to create programs that can serve their needs.
Many young adults with Level One autism blended into their high schools and colleges. Some aced their history and computer science classes. The rough edges of their autism were ground down after years of expensive therapy. Yet, their autism is still there, lurking in the background. In a world where all young people are struggling to find good jobs, autistic people can’t compete.
I’ve never been super optimistic about my son’s employability. He has too many quirks and social skill deficits to blend into a workplace effortlessly. College is, in some ways, a safe place for him to hang out and accumulate degrees. I’m postponing one possible future — sitting in his bedroom alone.
Ian’s best options for work are in the tech field, where there are other quirky people. To increase his odds of finding a job in the computer field, I keep sending him to therapy for social skills when other parents have long given up. He also keeps taking harder and harder computer science classes. Eventually, an employer may decide that his skills outweigh his weird stuff.
This summer, we spent $900 on an agency that specializes in getting internships for neurodiverse people. His summer internship is an online gig at an AI company. Ian is learning how to work as a group, attend meetings, write business emails, and other soft skills that he doesn’t pick up easily. We’re thrilled. It’s something for him to do for 20 hours a week, for the 10 weeks this summer. And he’s so proud of himself.
This morning, Ian watched as I packed up my bag for my job. Steve had already left to catch the train to New York City, and Jonah would be leaving soon, too. I made a big deal about us being a working family, and he beamed. He was an adult just like everyone else.
Thank you for sharing and good luck to your son in his future endeavors. He seems like an amazing and talented young man. What was the name of the agency that helped your son find an internship?