Best Tech Jobs for People with Autism

Some guidance in this article featuring a member of our YAI Autism Center Advisory Board Temple Grandin's thoughts on tech jobs for individuals with autism. 

The transition between adolescent to adult is a difficult process for anyone. It can be even more challenging for individuals on the autism spectrum, especially when it comes to finding a meaningful vocation. As the father of a wonderful 10-year-old boy with autism, much of my time is spent worrying about what opportunities will be available to him once he reaches adulthood. According to some estimates, the unemployment rate for adults on the autism spectrum exceeds 90%.

Recently this problem has been combated with rising interest on individuals with special needs in the workforce. With proper training, support and opportunity these individuals with developmental disabilities are able to maintain and even excel at professions in the mainstream workforce. Some of these innovative companies are highlighted in a recent Forbes post, A New Business Model for Autism.

U.S. Unprepared for 'Autism Tsunami' as Children Transition to Adults Services

Autism is on the rise: More than 1.5 million people have the condition in the United States alone. But because the majority of these people are younger than 22, the country is on the verge of an “autism tsunami” that could leave thousands without the support they need as they become adults, according to Autism Speaks, an autism advocacy organization. 

“The current system we have right now is woefully inadequate,” says Angela Lello, director of housing and community living at Autism Speaks. "There are lots of long waiting lists. In some states, it can take as long as 10 years to gain access to [these support] services."  

Program Eases Transition to Adulthood

Special education occupies a large part of the mission — and budget — of many school districts. With learning disabilities such as ADHD and dyslexia each estimated to affect more than 10 percent of the school-age population, special education teachers have their hands full helping those students navigate increasingly rigorous, state-mandated curricula.
An equally daunting challenge, though, is how to serve a growing student population with more severe learning problems, from intellectual disabilities (the term officially established in 2010 by Congress to replace mental retardation) to autism, a spectrum of cognitive and behavioral conditions that affects an expanding number of youngsters. 

Life After High School and Other Challenges

MINNEAPOLIS -- Sam Hesla loves basketball, tennis and karate. He DJs at weddings and high school graduations. The 21-year-old hates the idea that his sister, who is two years younger than him, might move out of his mom’s house first.
Hesla has Down syndrome, and although he’s broken many of the stereotypes associated with the disability, he may never live entirely independently. Housing is just one of many details he and his family are grappling with as he graduates from Minneapolis Public Schools’ Transition Plus program, designed for 18- to 21-year-olds with disabilities.
Hesla is in the middle of what some experts call the “transition cliff,” a time in the life of a young person with a disability when they leave the hyper-structured universe of public special education and enter a much less supportive adult world.

Aging Out: 'Like Falling Off a Cliff'

Sad but powerful story focusing on the lack of adult services. It's not just Michigan. All states need to address this and the numbers demonstrate the need.

TROY, Mich. -- Nick Gammicchia knows exactly what he's going to do in the future.

Nick Gammicchia uses a driver
simulator at a driving school.

"I'm going to Hollywood to help out movie producers, storyboard artists," Gammicchia said.
He already has drawn several storyboards and even sent a storyboard and screenplay to director Steven Spielberg.
"He's got big dreams," his mother, Carolyn Gammicchia, said with a smile.

Preparing for Life After High School

McKenzie Tavary is on a mission to prove to the world that people with disabilities are smart.
Although she doesn't speak, "Mokn," which she calls herself, communicates by typing on a computer and once wrote, "God put me on this Earth to be an Angel to show people how smart I am and other people with disabilities."
The world may soon find out.
Tavary, 19, has been working for the past year since graduating from Capital High School to learn life skills. This fall she is set to start college at University of Montana–Helena, where she’ll be the first nonverbal student with autism to attend the two-year school.

Program Helps Transition to College Living

SCOTSDALE, Ariz. -- A new summer program for young people with Asperger's syndrome and high-functioning autism will prepare them for the social intricacies of college.
The Scottsdale-based Spectrum College Transition Program helps people who have developmental disorders navigate college life during the academic year. Typically, Spectrum offers additional academics during the summer.
But O. Robin Sweet, co-founder of Spectrum, said she discovered that her clients don't really need the academic help.
"Our students excel academically," she said.
"Their issue is the social component."

School Transition Plans Coming Up Short

Can't resist more of this excellent series from Columbus Dispatch. They are totally on the mark. While there are plenty of children with autism and other developmental disabilities, they eventually become adults. Then what?


COLUMBUS, Ohio -- As a preschooler, Daniel Coffey drove the wheels off his battery-powered car.
His parents wrote the manufacturer for spare parts, again and again, so that their youngest son - autistic, obsessive-compulsive and afflicted with a dash of Tourette's syndrome - could perfect his parallel parking.
That stubborn focus provided early clues about how much Daniel loved to master a task.
"He wants to get things just right," said his mom, Venta. "Daniel appreciates a job well done."
The Canal Winchester family worked for years to nurture his interests and abilities, then jumped at the chance to involve Daniel in an intensive employment-training program. Coffey, who is 21, will be graduating in June.
Schools are required to prepare "transition plans" for Ohio students with developmental disabilities. But few students are in such top-notch programs - which make them much more likely to be employed after they move into the adult world, advocates and researchers say.