The Issue
Young adults with Aspergers often demonstrate a high level of competency in an area of special interest to them, but many fail to thrive in job settings because they display a lower degree of social competency than adults without disabilities, lack sufficient supports within the workplace, and/or because there is poor fit with their skill sets and interests. As a result, it is difficult for them to independently secure—and maintain—employment.
Many young adults with Aspergers have “aged out” of structured educational programs, and have few opportunities to build upon their hard-earned skills. Innovative community programs can help higher functioning individuals on the autism spectrum to secure and retain work (Wehman, Targett and Young 2007).
The Pilot
To address this need, JEVS Human Services created the “Project Success” pilot program in 2010, in partnership with Pennsylvania’s Office for Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) and initial funding through the Recovery Act. The 9-month pilot program was designed to bolster key social and employment readiness skills among young adults aged 18-25 diagnosed with Aspergers and “Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified” (for brevity, this article will refer to the cohort as young adults with Aspergers).
Project Success offers intense socialization and job readiness training, internship with a mentor, job placement and coaching. The goal of Project Success is to help young adults with Aspergers to ultimately obtain competitive employment in a work setting where most of the employees do not have significant disabilities, in a job that matches their skills and interests, and where they have good potential to be successful. To enhance their on-the-job communication and other job skills, program participants complete a 10-12 week internship, during which JEVS’ job coaches and on-site mentors provide ongoing support and feedback.
Before choosing from a variety of available internships, participants first try out various jobs through “job sampling” at several worksites. This enables them to discover the types of work tasks they enjoy most, and to determine their preferred work environment.