Asperger's and Autism: Achieving Independence After High School

Burlington is located in northwestern VT A drive up to Burlington, Vermont from Philadelphia is not exactly like a short jaunt over to King of Prussia. But that said, it is beautiful countryside and once there, the people are warm and welcoming, relaxed and engaging. My purpose for the trip was not to just be an hour from the Canadian border but to visit a relatively new program for students on the spectrum who want to attend college but are looking for individualized support with the experience.  Hill Top Prep's own Director of Transition, Amy Gillespie, told me that my sabbatical project wouldn't be complete without meeting these folks at Mansfield Hall .  And, she was spot on!! Setting this visit up couldn't have gone smoother with a few emails back and forth with Jake Weld who handles all of the applications and transitions for prospective families. The two of us hit it off immediately, especially, when he opened the front door of the building before I had bee

This was a very interesting visit to a program that just opened up in their new home last spring. As an outgrowth of programming that has been happening for many years on the campus of Valley Forge Educational Services and The Vanguard School , Customized Workforce Solutions is a program being offered to individuals who are not only coming from Vanguard School but from a growing number of school districts in the area. I met with Holly Zipperer who is the Director of Career and Community and Engagement Services and Sascha Baello who is the Site Supervisor of Customized Workforce Solutions.  Their offices are not on the campus but located at 5 Station Ave. in Berwyn and directly across from the train station. CWS offers employment services to young adults once they have finished high school with the discovery process, finding a job and then support once the individual has been hired. They also offer social events and some overnight experiences such as renting a house down t

As part of this sabbatical project, I have been doing a great deal of writing.   Much of the writing have been notes from reading, or notes from visits with professionals who may be helpful, or thoughts about the tours of programs that work to support young adults who have graduated from high school.   And, a few things I have written I have placed on a public site to be read by parents, faculty and friends of Hill Top Prep. However, this particular piece about growing up is something that I am writing to the current students and the alumni of Hill Top Prep .   I hope that it encourages some thoughts about your own life journey. The title above summarizes a theme I been reading about.   Much of i t comes from a book entitled " Asperger’s and Adulthood" by Blythe Grossberg, Psy.D.   In the beginning of the book, she has a chapter heading with the same title and she implies that there is a real difference between "growing up" (the day to day process of

"The best practices for employers to utilize for employees on the spectrum are good practices for all employees."   "Since I have been working with employees on the spectrum, my skills as a supervisor have greatly improved.....and it's not just me who think that but those I supervise have also told me that." These two quotes come from individuals who work for major international companies that have become committed to neurodiversity and are involved in working with employees who are diagnosed on the spectrum. We know, from the folks at AJ Drexel Autism Institute that less than 60% of people diagnosed with spectrum disorders, nationally, will have a job six years after graduating from high school. What is it that prevents more folks on the spectrum from being gainfully employed? What can prospective employers learn to make a difference? What can folks on the spectrum do to increase the likelihood that they will find a rewarding job and then keep it?

For the past several years I have enjoyed being a member of the Advisory Board at Drexel University for their DASP program ( Drexel Autism Support Program ).  As one of the only members on this Board from outside the university, I enjoy contributing to the conversation with information from our school, our faculty and our families.  It is also time well spent when I learn about research that is going on at the Drexel Autism Institute , hear about new ways that Drexel is working with its neuro-diverse students, and meet really bright, talented and enthusiastic folks who want to create new opportunities for students like those at Hill Top as they head out into the world. One of the board members is Korbin. He is currently a Master's level student at Drexel in the College of Laboratory Animal Science. Not only does he bring the perspective of living on the spectrum to the Advisory Board but he also is the founding President of Drexel's own Neurodragons.  This is an organiza