Name and Address:
Joel H. Smith, Ph.D., Executive
Director (joel.smith@autismservicesassociation.org )
Sheela M. Smith, Program Director (sheela.smith@autismservicesassociation.org)
Derrick Lee, Day Habilitation
Project Director (derrick.lee@autismservicesassociation.org)
Barbara Barbary, Fiscal Manager (barbara.barbary@autismservicesassociation.org)
Andrew Malone, Operations Coordinator
(andrew.malone@autismservicesassociation.org)
47 Walnut Street
Wellesley
Hills, MA 02481; Tel: (781-237-0272; Fax: 781-237-5020
Autism Services Association (ASA) is
nationally accredited by CARF and certified by the Massachusetts Department of
Mental Retardation
Program
Descriptions: (click here) To make a tax
deductible donation, please (click here)
Current Job Listings and Directions: CLICK
HERE
Autism Services
Association (ASA) is a private non-profit human service agency which provides
community employment services, supported employment, Day Habilitation program,
and other clinical supports to young adults and adults with autism and other
challenging developmental disabilities.
ASA was established in 1963 by a
group of concerned parents, citizens, and community leaders to serve the needs
of individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities in Central and
Eastern Massachusetts.
Admission criteria are: 1) age 16or older, 2) a
diagnosis of autism and/or other developmental disability, 3) in need of
vocational services, integrated into the community.
For further
information, call (781) 237-0272, Fax (781) 237-5020, or e-mail at
autismasa@autismservicesassociation.org.
Nothing is more
powerful than the force of an idea when harnessed to a vision of the future.
When idea and vision come together, things change. People change too. That's the
heartbeat of ASA - Changing lives.
If you can
assist us with employment opportunities for our participants, or if you wish to
apply for a staff position, student internship, or community service work,
please contact us.
Annual
Employee and Employer Award Ceremony
ANNUAL AWARD CEREMONY PICTURE CLICK
HERE
November – December, 1996 Focus
on the Adult with Autism
The Advocate, the
newsletter of the Autism Society of America, reprinted
By Joel H. Smith,
Ph.D.
Adults with autism and their
families face an unsettling frustrating two fold obstacle: 1) They are in
desperate need of a wide range of vocational, adult life and community services,
and 2) unfortunately, the options that they are offered typically do not meet
their individualized needs. Thus
they sometimes find themselves in conflict with the system in order to receive
the services they need. In
addition, when adults with autism are successful in obtaining services, often
staff are not experienced in working with persons with autism. In this instance, a vendor or
professional staff may likely state that although they are not knowledgeable and
have not worked with persons with autism, they are willing to try and
learn.
For
many parents, these unsatisfactory responses to individual family needs do not
produce confidence and hope for the young adult, the adult, or the
family.
As
the Executive Director of the Autism Services Association in Wellesley Hills,
Massachusetts, a private non-profit human service agency that provides
vocational social, supported employment, and community skills training, I come
into contact with the real life concerns of family members and many adults with
autism in the community. As a
result, I am very attuned to the vocational expectations and experiences that
many adults with autism typically face.
The
following is a brief attempt to raise vocational rehabilitation questions and
guide families, professionals, and consumers to some of the issues involved in
the appropriate selection and evaluation of vocational programs in meeting the
unique needs of persons with autism. I’ve provided several checklists of
questions and issues to help parents and professionals assist adults with autism
handle the concerns that often arise in vocational
rehabilitation.
These are some of the ongoing
vocational rehabilitation issues that many family members typically raise in
trying to obtain VR services for their son or
daughter:
“What services do we need to
get for our child?”
“My
adult son or daughter with autism is in a large workshop facility and is not
doing well; behaviors, both self injurious and aggressive have either returned
or begun for the first time. What
do we do and how can you help the workshop understand the needs of our son or
daughter?”
“My
respite worker cannot deal with my son or daughter because he/she does not
understand the needs of person with autism.”
“Some staff
think my child has psychiatric problems and they are fearful of him/her; staff
do not interact or communicate with him/her because they feel he/she cannot
understand.”
Or
the family may be concerned in cases when persons with autism are placed in
segregated environments, including workshops where their needs are not addressed
and vocational development does not occur.
If
you are someone with concerns similar to those listed above, use as much care as
possible to select a program that can handle the individual needs of the person
autism. Generally speaking, persons
with autism perform better vocationally and socially when their program
possesses the following positive environmental
contexts:
1)
Staff who
have experience in working with persons with autism.
2)
Programmatic interventions and
staff who understand autism as a communication and developmental disorder, not a
psychiatric disorder
3)
Individualized attention and
services based on the unique learning style of the
individual
4)
Community
experience and integration
5)
Community
work opportunities integrated with typical non disabled
employees
6)
Gross motor
and varied physical tasks rather than sit down fine finger dexterity assembly
tasks
7)
An emphasis
on community placements, tryouts, risk taking, rather than behavioral readiness
before being referred for placement.
To
help you to obtain a program with these characteristics, here is a list of
questions that you may want to ask providers of vocational services for persons
with autism:
1) What activities or vocational
experiences can the individual participate in to enhance vocational
development?
2) What work skills are needed to
foster increased productivity and placement in supported or competitive
employment
3) What supports are needed to
obtain and retain long term employment in the
community
4) What learning styles,
communication techniques and behavioral techniques are most beneficial for the
individual’s development
5) Where are additional resources
located that can help with the individual’s
development
6) Which job sites and placements
most match the individual’s needs and potential
preferences
Overall, on the job training in
local business with an individual or small number of individuals supported by
staff members and company employees are important factors for obtaining and
retaining community employment opportunities.
Determining whether or not your
son’s or daughter’s program is effective is as important as selecting a program
in the first place. These questions
may help you address whether the adult with autism is receiving appropriate
effective services:
1) Does the program provide an
intense, rich array of developmental experiences in vocational and employment
areas that contain high expectations and challenges for each individual allowing
for dignified risk taking and respecting the individual’s competencies and
preferences
2) Does the program assist
individuals in developing, maintaining, and obtaining more work skills to
increase independence
3) Does the program provide the
participants with a sampling of job opportunities in the
community
4) Does the program maximize the
earnings of each individual in the program
5) Does the program assist in
acquiring social and communication competencies which will enable him/her to
function more effectively in job settings and other
environments
6) Does the program work toward
reducing the individual’s dependence on staff through appropriate job matches
and national supports in the workplace
Finally, in order to meet the
objectives above, community integration is an essential learning tool. Here are
some characteristics that reflect the level of integration provided by
vocational programs:
1)
Supported
employment in integrated settings
2)
Break times
and lunch with co-workers at the job site in the community, i.e.,
restaurants
3)
Banking of
paychecks
4)
Recreational activities, i.e.,
swimming, picnics, trips, etc.
5)
Visitations
to community agencies and institutions, i.e. Post offices, museums,
etc.
In
this article, I have attempted to briefly outline some of the significant
community employment issues that arise when meeting the specialized vocational
and employment needs of persons with autism.
Recommended
Resources:
Smith, M., Belcher, R., and
Juhrs, P. (1995) A Guide to Successful Employment for Individuals with Autism.
Paul Brookes Publishing: P.O. Box 10624; Baltimore, MD 21285;
800-638-3775.
The Massachusetts Chapter of the
Autism Society of America, 781-237-0272
The Autism Society of America, national
office, 800-3-autism.