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Slightly hopeful, but mostly terrified
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<blockquote data-quote="1 Day At a Time" data-source="post: 251848" data-attributes="member: 3704"><p>I just got back from the first day of a two day autism conference here in town. It's conducted by a local autism group and is really well put together. Last year's keynote speaker was Temple Grandin's mom and she was simply awesome.</p><p></p><p>This year's keynote speaker was to be Daniel Tamment, author of "Born on a Blue Day", but he cancelled a couple of weeks ago. One of the speakers engaged in this place was a fellow who claims the autism diagnosis , and he stated that he was nonverbal until age 4. He has earned a Phd from Boston University , is currently a professor of special education, and has written several books - one of which is "Autism for Dummies". He was definitely an off beat guy, wearing a baseball cap, dark glasses, very loose clothing, and sporting a full beard. He said that the cap and glasses help him with his sensitivity to light. He was very, very funny - I'd like to see him on Letterman - but his message was extremely thought provoking. (He did a spot on imitation of Tony Atwood, accent and all).He's married, he says for 19 years. He obviously is doing very well, given his early diagnosis and prognosis. I couldn't help but be encouraged by his example - but he's obviously a very unusual individual.</p><p></p><p>Later I attended a session about the subject vocational planning for individuals on the spectrum. The presenter was an energetic and dynamic lady who has 30 years of experience with working with folks on the spectrum. She did her first work with the TEACCH program in North Carolina. Despite her optimistic demeanor, she had some chilling information to share. Many of the young adults on the spectrum that she works with, just don't make it in the vocational world. The services offered after school ends are limited and brief - and the social deficits of her clients often get them fired . Her audience was special education teachers and parents , and she told us all that we must focus more on social education with our students and children. Many of her clients of graduated from high school, some from college. Some of them were honor students, and some of them were in gifted programs. But , she's not seeing their academic success translate into vocational success.</p><p></p><p>She told the audience that we MUST NOT tolerate behaviors in our children/students that will not be accepted in the vocational world. She encouraged teachers to develop more social skills training programs for students in middle school and high school, and parents to demand them. She had made a film of interviews with young adults on the autistic spectrum, just interviewing them about their experiences in the vocational world. It was simply heartbreaking...</p><p></p><p>This is a subject that has been very much on my mind in the past couple of years. difficult child will graduate from high school in May, and while he has been accepted at the local University, I know that he has a very long road to travel to a (much hoped for) independent life. I'm just wondering about the thoughts , concerns, and experiences, regarding vocational issues of other parents out there with difficult children on the autism spectrum. This day has been a very sobering one for me...</p><p></p><p>Valerie</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="1 Day At a Time, post: 251848, member: 3704"] I just got back from the first day of a two day autism conference here in town. It's conducted by a local autism group and is really well put together. Last year's keynote speaker was Temple Grandin's mom and she was simply awesome. This year's keynote speaker was to be Daniel Tamment, author of "Born on a Blue Day", but he cancelled a couple of weeks ago. One of the speakers engaged in this place was a fellow who claims the autism diagnosis , and he stated that he was nonverbal until age 4. He has earned a Phd from Boston University , is currently a professor of special education, and has written several books - one of which is "Autism for Dummies". He was definitely an off beat guy, wearing a baseball cap, dark glasses, very loose clothing, and sporting a full beard. He said that the cap and glasses help him with his sensitivity to light. He was very, very funny - I'd like to see him on Letterman - but his message was extremely thought provoking. (He did a spot on imitation of Tony Atwood, accent and all).He's married, he says for 19 years. He obviously is doing very well, given his early diagnosis and prognosis. I couldn't help but be encouraged by his example - but he's obviously a very unusual individual. Later I attended a session about the subject vocational planning for individuals on the spectrum. The presenter was an energetic and dynamic lady who has 30 years of experience with working with folks on the spectrum. She did her first work with the TEACCH program in North Carolina. Despite her optimistic demeanor, she had some chilling information to share. Many of the young adults on the spectrum that she works with, just don't make it in the vocational world. The services offered after school ends are limited and brief - and the social deficits of her clients often get them fired . Her audience was special education teachers and parents , and she told us all that we must focus more on social education with our students and children. Many of her clients of graduated from high school, some from college. Some of them were honor students, and some of them were in gifted programs. But , she's not seeing their academic success translate into vocational success. She told the audience that we MUST NOT tolerate behaviors in our children/students that will not be accepted in the vocational world. She encouraged teachers to develop more social skills training programs for students in middle school and high school, and parents to demand them. She had made a film of interviews with young adults on the autistic spectrum, just interviewing them about their experiences in the vocational world. It was simply heartbreaking... This is a subject that has been very much on my mind in the past couple of years. difficult child will graduate from high school in May, and while he has been accepted at the local University, I know that he has a very long road to travel to a (much hoped for) independent life. I'm just wondering about the thoughts , concerns, and experiences, regarding vocational issues of other parents out there with difficult children on the autism spectrum. This day has been a very sobering one for me... Valerie [/QUOTE]
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