Recent diagnosis for Daughter

Good morning from America, Kathryn1403!

I am currently an employment specialist for people with disabilities. I don’t know much about similar services in the UK, but what little I know is that Access to Work might be the way to get in touch with job coaches similar to me. My job here in America is to help people with disabilities (of all kinds, physical or cognitive) discover what kind of employment is best for them, try to find suitable employment, then assist with stabilizing within the workplace. That could definitely be a great asset for your daughter.

It sounds like y’all are starting out PERFECTLY by easing her into the workforce via a volunteer opportunity! That is certainly one of the best ways to help someone with Autism recognize what they are capable of in the workplace and what kind of situations are best to avoid. I totally understand the fear that another employer might not have as kind of coworkers. Job coaches might be able to assist with that by making first contact with employers and getting a feel for whether they have a suitable company culture.

I hope that helps! Don’t get flustered (or let her to get flustered), it sounds like she is on the right path to success!

Good evening from the uk, Profdanger  

thank you so much for your reply. I think we do have something like that over here. I will talk to her UC advisor next time she calls which will be in about 2 weeks. She is such a lovely young woman (I’m not biased at all! Haha) I just hope that she can find something that she enjoys and people are kind to her. It’s all we wish for our children as parents. Being a single mum it’s just me that supports her which can get overwhelming at times so I’m hoping finding something in the community helps her find her “people” which will be beneficial to us both 

Kathryn1403 said:

so I’m hoping finding something in the community helps her find her “people” which will be beneficial to us both

Totally understand. Definitely talk to the UC advisor! That’s a wonderful idea.

One more advice I have, which might help with finding the right “people,” is to focus more on talking to employers directly rather than just applying on websites like Indeed. If your daughter wants to start working just a handful of hours per week, you could ask local employers if they have a need for just a little help. For example, maybe a local real estate agent just needs a little help filing paperwork? Or a lawn company needs someone to hose down the mowers for a few hours per week? The idea is that you could help an employer create a job specifically for your daughter that starts tiny, but as she gets more comfortable with the employer and coworkers there could be opportunity for growth!

Granted, talking directly with employers is hard work. That’s basically half of my job lol. So don’t do it all by yourself as a single parent!

Kathryn1403 said:

so I’m hoping finding something in the community helps her find her “people” which will be beneficial to us both

Totally understand. Definitely talk to the UC advisor! That’s a wonderful idea.

One more advice I have, which might help with finding the right “people,” is to focus more on talking to employers directly rather than just applying on websites like Indeed. If your daughter wants to start working just a handful of hours per week, you could ask local employers if they have a need for just a little help. For example, maybe a local real estate agent just needs a little help filing paperwork? Or a lawn company needs someone to hose down the mowers for a few hours per week? The idea is that you could help an employer create a job specifically for your daughter that starts tiny, but as she gets more comfortable with the employer and coworkers there could be opportunity for growth!

Granted, talking directly with employers is hard work. That’s basically half of my job lol. So don’t do it all by yourself as a single parent!