It’s back to school season in America, and you know what that means!
If you guessed sales at your local big box stores and favorite websites, students getting back together with their peers and teachers, and a solid eight hours without your kids making a mess, then unfortunately you’re only half right.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of students with Autism graduate from high school and college, only to find themselves with nowhere to go. It’s a commonly stated problem in the autism community that protections and aid dry up for people on the spectrum as soon as they turn 18. Unfortunately the problem goes deeper than that.
Many kids on the autism spectrum rely on external structures like school and college – not only to keep them focused on goals and milestones, but also to provide them with social connections and a sense of community. Without this, not only do they tend to become isolated and lonely, but they also very often tend to lose a sense of direction in their lives without an external structure to impose it.
Obviously the intent is for students to quickly transition into the workforce, however as everybody is aware, this can be exceptionally difficult for people on the spectrum due to common hiring practices often not gelling well with the struggles that people on the spectrum have to deal with – but also simply because the current hiring system in the west is difficult for new hires in general. This compounded difficulty often leaves people on the spectrum underemployed, working in dead end jobs for companies that don’t cater to their skills or interests and don’t foster a sense of community as the companies in question don’t value their workers… or entirely unemployed, spending their lonely days without direction or social support.
Spectrum Fusion has always been dedicated to trying to alleviate this issue as best we can. Recently, we’ve launched our “What are you Up To?” Initiative, inviting people on the spectrum to ask themselves what they’ve been up to after graduation, and to ask themselves how best they can make new steps to try and reach their life’s goals, even if it requires thinking outside the box. We’ve also added eight new members recently through our “Fusion Filmmakers” program and are currently working with outside companies to try and expand further.
It will take time and effort on everybody’s part, but someday soon we believe that people on the spectrum will find themselves with greater options and community outreach programs.
