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Help finding employment for autistic son.

NAS80075

Hi, I’m brand new to the site. The thing that’s triggered me to do this is finding myself at a loss in helping  my son to make the transition from education to work. He is very bright and academically focused. He is now 18 and at university. He has surpassed all expectations, primarily because his mind works with subjects such as science and he has little else in his life really. So all time and energy goes into study. When it comes to friendships, social contact and anything else outside of a book he is completely lost. A work environment, the busyness of that prospect scares him. The prospect of the summer months without his lectures and timetable also fills him with dread. How do I help him get a job? What will be suitable for him? Are there any employers that will be more understanding and accommodating? Any thoughts welcome.

  • Large retailers and supermarkets are good where disability is concerned, as they don’t discriminate. They also cry out for youngsters over summer and the seasonal times of year. The work is basic, and easy to pick up, whether it’s replenishing stock, serving tables in the cafe or picking an order. Depending in the job, there might be very little customer contact, and due to his age, he would be able to work late or early shifts, which the 16-17yr olds cannot do.

    Other than that, you could try reaching out to the local community. People are always happy to help, and often seem to ‘know someone who knows someone’ that needs help….

  • in reply to NAS80075

    Some uni labs will let undergrads intern over summer but they normal take final years. He could try some bioinformatics / systems biology over the summer. Being mostly computational and open source you can learn the ropes for free on most decent modern computers. There is an entire course from last year online on youtube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW1k467x_yzgIJ8pb7F_Rdy5qFCN02_xA . Or one on modelling tissues at the cellular level in 3d here youtube.com/playlist

  • Start his own business around the things he loves 

  • in reply to NAS80075

    That's very cool! In that case, it might be very nice for him to do something science-related like an internship in a lab- it's fun and also a great experience if he is hoping to pursue a career in science :). 

    (I'm probably biased though as I studied natural sciences (mainly neurobiology) and I did a lot of summer internships in labs which I loved.) 

  • in reply to Peter

    Degree is in Biomedicine. I am sure he will want to do further study after his degree as that’s where he is most comfortable.

  • A summer job I'm not so sure; but after uni, has he considered a PhD? I might be able to suggest some summer projects for his free time over summer. What's his degree in?

  • Hi, He sounds a bit like me - I also lived for my studies and for science and that is what gave me stability for many years- Does he study sciences? Could he maybe find an internship/job in a lab over the summer? The environment in a research lab can be very nice- it can be easier to talk to people there as it is ok to just talk about science. I used to do an internship every summer- I would email a few labs that I was interested in to see whether any of them would be willing to have have me for an internship- my university also had some funds for people that wanted to do these kinds of internships over summer. Has he managed to make some friends through his course at university? If he wants to do work unrelated to his studies, I'm not sure what would be suitable/best as I also do not have experience with that... I hope he finds something he enjoys for the summer.