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SALT LAKE CITY — Young adults with autism spectrum disorder are not getting as much education or as much employment after high school as other groups with disabilities. Autism experts in Utah say people may underestimate the abilities of people all across the autistic spectrum.
When a child is diagnosed with any disorder on the autistic spectrum, whether it's autism spectrum disorder, Asperger's syndrome or severe autism, the costs for caring for that person can be a financial drain. Autism Journeys program and intervention director Morgan Dahle said, "Once the state funding, or any of the state resources, end at age 22, really, these people are on their own."
- First 6 years after high school -- 34.7% had attended college and 55.1% had held paid employment.
- Two years after leaving high school -- More than 50% had no participation in employment or education.
A study published in the journal Pediatrics says only less than half of young adults with ASD had attended college or held a job within two years after high school. Even though this study focused on young adults with ASD, Dahle says people all across the autism spectrum face similar challenges.
"Regardless of their functioning level, they are capable of learning and learning specialized skills to be productive members of society," she said.
Dahle says a lot of people may underestimate the abilities of people with autism. Sadly, many of the people underestimating young adults with autism are their parents. She says this doubt spreads to the child, who then begins to doubt their ability to function as a member of society.
"Talk to your child, if possible, and see what their goals are for the future," Dahle suggested. "If they want to live independently, then work on the type of skills that would help them live independently."
She says parents need to help find the interests and skills of their autistic child long before they graduate high school.
"Training on specific skills needs to start earlier, ideally. Unfortunately, it's just not happening," she said.
Dahle also says employers may believe an autistic person won't be able to perform well within the company. She believes more education needs to be done to teach business owners how well people on the autistic spectrum can fit in.
