Jobs & College Transitions

by Kristina Chew · 2009-07-19 17:08:00 UTC
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Man typing at computer from http://www.humanfactorsexperts.com/images/workstation_eval.jpg
After some gloom-and-doom-y sort of posts, I wanted to note two more positive developments.

Specialisterne is a Danish company founded in 2005 by Thorkil Sonne, whose son has autism; three out of four of its employees have Asperger's Syndrome. The plan is for all employees to be ISEB test certified; employees have tested software for the likes of Microsoft and Oracle. The BBC reports that the company is hoping to set up a similar program in the UK---am hopeful for that, and then maybe they might migrate across the pond......

And, closer to home (for me here in the Garden State in the US), the Penn Autism Network is holding a four-day workshop on college coaching to assist students transitioning to post-secondary education. Registration is closed but the description for the workshops highlights some important topics, namely:

• How to support students with social skills difficulties in college
• Ways to recognize mental health problems that need referral
• Strategies for supporting personal independence
• Understanding issues of time management, sensory overwhelm, day to day self-management
• Methods of supporting friendships, social relationships, and faculty and staff interactions
• Approaches to collaborating with on-campus student resources
• Development of a plan for a college coaching relationship

Some previous posts here about students on the spectrum and post-secondary education are: post-secondary programs---US college programs for students on the spectrum---an LD-focused California college fair---the need to give students options and they'll take them---the shift for students from high school to college.

Give work skills, and students on the spectrum, a chance!

Kristina Chew
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