START Building Your Future Project

1. START Building Your Future Project Eliminating Barriers and Creating Opportunities for Adults with ASD 2012-13

3. Adults with ASD Employment, Higher Education, Community Involvement, Independent Living, Leisure and Quality of Life

4. Intent of this Presentation This presentation is designed to assist adult service providers who are supporting people with Autism Spectrum Disorder navigate the complexities of this disability.

5. Agenda • Numbers of Adults with ASD • What is ASD? • Interference of High Interest Areas • Literal Interpretation of Information • Misunderstanding of Social Situations • Lack of Social Reciprocity – Inflated Ego • Hypersensitivity to the Environment • Difficulty Staying Employed • Hygiene Issues • Responding to Others Needs • Truth at all Costs

6. WWW.AFAA-US.ORG Advancing Futures for Adults with ASD Autism Speaks

10. What Does This Crisis Feel Like for Students with ASD and their Parents and Families?

12. How About an Example • Engineering Degree from Michigan Institute of Technology • Masters in Engineering from U of M • Fired from GM and Ford • Fired from Several of the Suppliers (Consulting Firms to the Big 3) • What Is He Doing Now?

13. What Does This Crisis Feel Like for People with ASD

14. The Dignity of Risk – Robert Perske The world in which we live is not always safe, secure and predictable. Every day that we wake up and live in the hours of that day, there is a possibility of being thrown up against a situation where we may have to risk everything, even our lives. This is the way the real world is. We must work to develop every human resource within us in order to prepare for these days. To deny any person their fair share of risk experience is to further cripple them for healthy living.

15. What Does This Mean To Us • Public Transportation – Brian • Overnight/Sports Teams – Dan • Washington D.C. Trip - Ryan

16. This Means… • Never again will a Student with ASD be in such a protected environment. If mistakes are made, those mistakes can generally be fixed. • With appropriate supports, Students with ASD must be given the same opportunities as their same aged peers. • The Dignity of Risk needs to be a part of every decision educational teams are making for Students with ASD.

17. What Else Does This Mean? • Where did the Students’ with ASD peers learn all the independent skills they have? • How did they learn to independently ride the school bus? • How did a typically developing student learn to be away from their family? • Where do typically developing peers understand the social expectations?

18. So…How are the Service Agencies Supporting Adults with ASD Going to Manage this Explosion… By Looking At Autism Spectrum Disorder Differently

19. Looking at ASD Differently • Respect for what has happened in the past… • While implementing what must happen in the future!

20. May Cause Concerns • Interference of High Interest Areas • Literal Interpretation of Information • Misunderstanding of Social Situations • Lack of Social Reciprocity – Inflated Ego • Hypersensitivity to the Environment • Difficulty Staying Employed • Hygiene Issues • Responding to Others Needs • Truth at all Costs

21. Interference of High Interest Areas • Driven by high interest areas • Provides person with ASD: • Predictability • Structure and organization • Shows knowledge

22. Interference of High Interest Areas • Causes people without ASD to feel: • Discounted • What they are saying is not valued or heard • Disrespected • Feelings lead to actions such as: • Stop doing that – Shut down High Interest • Discounting who the person with ASD is • Ignoring or moving away

23. Interference of High Interest Areas Results • Person with ASD is driven to do this • Asked to stop doing this may lead to: • Talking to self about high interest • Acting out high interest • Others without ASD may: • Determine person with ASD unstable • Determine person with ASD incompetent

24. Interference of High Interest Areas - 3 Strategies • No More No…Where and When • Organize time during breaks to pursue interest area – Marty – The Price is Right • Use technology to record or capture interest area to view at a later time • Embed interest area into job expectation • Explanation of expectation using high interest • Find group/place where interest area has value – Dan and WRIF

26. Literal Interpretation of Information • Face value of information • What is written is what it means – no more/no less • Don’t understand – It’s only speeding if you get caught • No reading between the lines • People with ASD can not interpret this statement without teaching • Inferences are used in language and communication everyday

27. Literal Interpretation of Information Strategies • Recognize how information is presented • Write it down, Write it down, Write it down • Show rather than tell • Provide concrete information • Get rid of wiggle words • Use words that can be interpreted literally • Keep information to…Just the facts

28. Creating Visuals and Jigs • Primary responsibility of the school personnel or the job coach • Individualized for the Student with ASD • Independently complete task or job • Modifications made to the General Education Curriculum

29. What is a Jig? Jigs or templates have been known long before the industrial age. There are many types of jigs, and each one is custom-tailored to do a specific job. Many jigs are created because there is a necessity to do so by the tradesmen. Some are to increase productivity, to do repetitious activities and to do a job more precisely. Because jig design is fundamentally based on logic, similar jigs used in different times and places may have been created independently

30. Example of a Jig -T-Shirt Folder

32. Misunderstanding of Social Situations • Lack of Reciprocity – Hallmark feature of ASD • Reciprocity - in-kind positively or negatively conotated responses of individuals towards the actions of others • Theory of Mind - means the ability to recognize and understand thoughts, beliefs, desires and intentions of other people in order to make sense of their behavior and predict what they are going to do. (Atwood, The Complete Guide to Aspergers Syndrome, 2007)

33. Misunderstanding of Social Situations Strategies • People with ASD will make Social Mistakes • Intervention/strategy usually occur after behavior has occurred • Analyze the social situation • Write down person with ASD interpretation of the social situation requiring support • Use their words to develop strategy • Provide themes • Expect minimal generalization

35. Social Reciprocity – Theory of Mind Issues • Attribute the behavior of the person with ASD: • As Egocentric/Narcissistic • Out of Touch • Self-Important • Person with ASD has no idea that others are misattributing his/her behavior • No need to change because person with ASD doesn’t know

37. Develop an On-Line LINK Social Network • Track Graduated LINKS • Allow Networking Between LINKS • Post Opportunities for Graduated LINKS by RCN • Provide Parents List of Graduated LINKS by RCN • Social Network will be Hosted by a Person with ASD

38. Imagine the Possibilities • Co-Workers Understanding of ASD • Community College Opportunities • University Opportunities • Semi-Independent and Independent Living Arrangements • Social Opportunities • Community Opportunities

39. Hypersensitivity to the Environment • Person with ASD can: • Process information around them differently • Develop fears or aversions • Associate unrelated environments • Can Lead to Behaviors that: • Have fight or flight response • Evoke fear in others • May seem dangerous to others

40. Hypersensitivity to the Environment Strategies • Desensitize the person with ASD to the environments that cause hypersensitivity • Get the person with ASD into the environments that caused the issues with supports • Allow person with ASD to observe same aged persons in the environment without consequence • Provide awareness training in environments

42. Hygiene Issues • Lack of social filter can lead to: • Minimal concern about appearance • Minimal attention to hygiene • Disheveled appearance • Sensory Issues can lead to: • Comfort over appearance • Limited clothing options • Difficulty with self care skills • Needing assistance from others

43. Hygiene Issues Strategies • Daily schedule with a check off list • Make hygiene issues part of the routine • Include hygiene expectations during training component • Post hygiene expectations • Hair must be washed & combed • Teeth must be brushed • Deodorant must be worn • Be Specific

44. Jack - Morning Routines

46. Difficulty Staying Employed • Interest Areas get in the way • Responses to employer • Responses to customers • Overinflated view of role • Gravitate toward issues that appear important – Appear meddlesome • Working to slow – Details – Perfectionism • Difficulty with downtime

47. Difficulty Staying Employed • Job expectations are not specific • Organization of the environment not clear • Social nuances in the work place • Social expectations in the work place • Dress code

48. Difficulty Staying EmployedStrategies • Match area of interest to job expectations • Be specific about job expectations • Post social rules in the work place • Organized workspace • Dress code posted • Daily schedule of job expectations • Break room rules • Teach breaks

50. Responding to Others Needs • People with ASD want: • To be helpful • To be useful • To be perfect (Want life to be perfect) • To be in control and to control environments • People with ASD often: • Misunderstand others needs • Go over the top • Want it to be perfect for others • Literally interpret others’ needs