1. 1 Autism Impacts Successful Employment By: Dexter Felipe Williams Cheek/Worthey English 12 15 November 2004

2. 2 Essential Question Q: What are some impacts of autism for successful employment?

3. 3 Definition of Autism Autism: The presence of markedly abnormal or impaired development in social interaction and communication and a markedly restricted repertoire of activity and interests.

4. 4 Autism: Key Facts/Symptoms Some symptoms of autism include: Wanting to be alone Little or no eye contact No fears of danger Not fitting in with others (i.e. being a victim of bullying and/or teasing)

5. 5 Key Facts cont’d Creating an imaginary world Obsessions (can be something in the world of pop culture, or something in particular) Mixed emotions Paying close attention to hands and/or fingers

6. 6 Overview Autism knows no racial or ethnical boundaries. Not evident by a person’s looks or facial features. People diagnosed with autism have poor short term memory, but have excellent long-term memory. Obsessions may play a key role in autism. Once a person is hooked to something, he/she may grow attached to that one thing. That is unacceptable in the working world. Uneven development - often very advanced in music, math, or art, but lacking in other areas.

7. 7 Impacts Some impacts include not fitting in with others at the workplace. Other workers might not understand the person’s disability because they seem different, yet they are highly intelligent in some areas. Social skills may be below average. To correct this problem, the autistic worker may attend social groups. The group setting can occur during high school lunch hours, after school, or on semester breaks. Most autistic individuals work best when having a strict agenda to follow throughout the day. They may need to know the schedule and rules (i.e. arrival and departure times, dress code, time card regulations, etc.). They must find ways to adjust to schedule changes.

8. 8 Impacts cont’d… Autistic employees can be nervous during an interview. It is important that they speak clearly, honestly, and in complete sentences. Since people diagnosed with autism are likely to not have any real fears or danger, there is likelihood of inappropriate behavior. Such continuing inappropriate behavior can lead to firing in some cases. If this is the first; the employee gets reminded of his/her actions. There are some advantages and disadvantages in certain fields of work. For example, a disadvantage to a game- related job (i.e. a video game designer) is that one could be exposed to violent images and bright colors, to which some autistic people may be sensitive. The advantage is that if one has imagination and they can work with computers, then this may be the job for them.

9. 9 More Impacts Supported employment Some agencies assist disabled individuals with job training and skills by providing internships or mock work environments. These agencies include: Goodwill (School To Work), Autism Society, and TEACCH, to name a few.

10. 10 The Answer One major impact of autism for successful employment is that an employer with autism may not have the adequate skills to maintain and keep his or her first job.

11. 11 My Website http://www.geocities.com/marcusbartletton line/Graduation/index.html Explains how to write a research paper, including works cited. Shows the complete research paper entitled “Impacts Of Autism For Successful Employment”. Has links to autism-related websites (click the screen picture).

12. 12 Works Cited http://www.teacch.com/teacchsu.htm http://www.cureautismnow.org http://www.goodwillenc.org http://www.autism- society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=autism causes

13. 13 Thank You Thank you for viewing my PowerPoint. © 1994-2004 Dexter Felipe Williams. All Rights Reserved.