Asperger's and Autism: Achieving Independence After High School

Hill Top Prep alumni parents attended meetings held at the Headmaster's residence for the purpose of sharing their thoughts about life after graduation.... it was intended to be just a conversation.  The alumni parents with children who are alumni from the past ten graduating classes and who had responded to Dr. Schindler's survey were the ones we invited to join this conversation. Each conversation was started with the question, "What does independence mean for you, for your child, for your situation?" Several parents spoke of losing the structure and the caring staff from their years at Hill Top when that diploma arrived.  After graduation, the parents were kind of on their own.  Legally, their children were no longer minors and that meant that the parents weren't able to manage their children's lives in as direct a fashion as they had before graduation.  Two parents talked about just trying to get grades from their child's college, or to learn how h...

"Location, Location, Location......that's what they say." I was thinking that in my head as I rounded the corner from 37th St. onto Madison Ave in NYC and then reached the building. As I headed up in the elevator for an appointment with Mr. John Civita, Director of Winston Transitions I kept thinking, "what a killer address for a program that says that they can get you ready for the world of employment." Their website says: "Designed for young adults, ages 17-21, Winston Transitions offers an academic program and practical internships with guidance, structure, communication, and the continuous feedback that is a trademark of a Winston Preparatory School education. The Transitions student community is comprised of a diverse group of learners with unique patterns of strengths and needs all of whom need additional work to be prepared for post-secondary programs, or gain further academic, work, and/or life skills." But what I discovered w...

Not just a Title but a real group of folks who gather together regularly in San Francisco, the Job Club meets monthly to discuss their own job-placement efforts, and learn new ones from other participants and specialists who are invited to speak at their meetings. This group began their efforts of supporting each other in 2011. The initial goal was to build an actual structure of employment for neurodiverse adults by: Identifying the most effective employment efforts out in the world. Understand that the job search process can be a long one that takes patience. Learning that the process of finding employment is a very individualized process Focusing on personal talents and add flexibility to enable the individual to work around difficulties. Being willing to gain experience through volunteering Sending out more applications than others Enhancing applications by including supplemental materials such as in-house recommendations, homespun video links, work samples...

Bob Perkins is a talented young man who graduated from Hill Top only several years ago.  Like many of our students, Bob was bright and verbally creative with great puns and always played with language.  But his real huge standout ability was with cartoons.  His creative drawings knocked it out of the park every time.  He was enjoyed by fellow students and appreciated by the faculty.  It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows Hill Top that Bob developed a special relationship with Ms. Kassab over his high school years. So..... Bob graduated from Hill Top and headed out into the independent world. Now, fast forward the story to about two years ago.  Ms. Kassab received a phone call from a former Hill Top trustee who is also a therapist by trade here in the Bryn Mawr area, Dr. Frances Sutherland.  She was writing a book on ADHD and what she has learned about supporting individuals and their families. Fran says, "I had been thinking about pull...

Here is a story that has grown geographically to three countries over only three days....... Several days ago, Ben Barretta's mom Lesley sent me an article about a new television series on Australia tv about a group of young adults with a variety of neuro-diverse diagnoses who all want to be employed and how they have struggled. I have the article here for you to look at.......... http://www.theherald.com.au/story/5316066/abc-creates-reality-show-with-a-conscience/ ABC creates reality show with a conscience Danielle McGrane ABC series Employable Me follows people with Neuro diverse conditions as they search for employment. Finding a job can be a struggle, for some more than others. In a new ABC series, Employable Me, a group of people with Neuro diverse conditions such as Autism, OCD and Tourette Syndrome are followed as they search for meaningful employment. The show doesn't exploit their conditions, instead it aims to assist them in their search for their...

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 do...

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...

"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?...