This is an article written by Liz Breen\u00a0 following the publication of my book <\/em>Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum, and was published in Spectrum magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n BOOKS\u00a0\u00a0 by Liz BcBreen<\/p>\n The unemployment rate among the special needs population<\/p>\n has been at 70 percent for the past 12 years. This<\/p>\n is according to a study that was conducted by the<\/p>\n President\u2019s Commission on Excellence in Special<\/p>\n Education in 2002. The commission gathered this data as<\/p>\n it was researching what works and what does not work<\/p>\n when it comes to transition programs.<\/p>\n Chantal Sicile-Kira is being proactive about bringing<\/p>\n this unemployment rate down among young adults with<\/p>\n special needs. Her company, Autism: Making a<\/p>\n Difference, is dedicated to preparing teens with developmental<\/p>\n disabilities for their futures. Every day, Sicile-<\/p>\n Kira is developing innovative ways to equip young adults<\/p>\n with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in the<\/p>\n working world.<\/p>\n The special needs arena is familiar one for Sicile-<\/p>\n Kira. For almost 20 years she has been involved in the<\/p>\n community both as a professional and parent. While an<\/p>\n undergraduate, she took a job at Fairview State Hospital<\/p>\n working with autistic people. There she not only found<\/p>\n her professional calling, but she began gathering information<\/p>\n she would one day use in her personal life. Twelve<\/p>\n years after she took the job in California, her son Jeremy<\/p>\n was born. Eventually, Jeremy was diagnosed with autism.<\/p>\n Sicile-Kira had already become a strong advocate and<\/p>\n educator in the autism community, and she began to put<\/p>\n her own advice into action. Now she\u2019s offering her years<\/p>\n of experience to others who do not have a handle on what<\/p>\n comes after early intervention.<\/p>\n The transition from high school to college or full-time<\/p>\n job placement is one of the most important in anyone\u2019s<\/p>\n life. It is especially challenging for those with special<\/p>\n needs. Why then, do they receive so little transitional<\/p>\n planning? Sicile-Kira is trying to raise awareness about<\/p>\n this issue through the work of her company as well as<\/p>\n through her new book, Adolescents on the Spectrum: A<\/p>\n Parents Guide to the Cognitive, Social, Physical and<\/p>\n Transition Needs of Teenagers with Autism Spectrum<\/p>\n Disorders. According to Sicile-Kira, \u201cwe have to make<\/p>\n sure people have the right training and information out<\/p>\n there. People have to start thinking outside the box. We<\/p>\n have to start thinking about unemployment not from a<\/p>\n social worker mentality but from a business point of<\/p>\n view.\u201d Sicile-Kira is concerned about what the lack of<\/p>\n training and options will mean for the \u201cbaby boom of<\/p>\n autism.\u201d Currently, the largest group of children with<\/p>\n autism is ages 7 through 9 \u2013 about 10 years away from<\/p>\n attending college or entering the workforce.<\/p>\n Most of work that Autism: Making a Difference carries<\/p>\n out is based on finding a young person\u2019s interests. For<\/p>\n many children with Asperger\u2019s syndrome and autism,<\/p>\n there are work opportunities out there. The key is to find<\/p>\n what will interest the individual and then encourage the<\/p>\n interest in a constructive manner. Sicile-Kira cites Steven<\/p>\n Shore as an example of this work. Shore is a leader in the<\/p>\n autism community and an author. He also promotes selfadvocacy.<\/p>\n As a child, he was diagnosed with autism so<\/p>\n severe that doctors thought he should be institutionalized.<\/p>\n At a young age Shore began taking things apart and putting<\/p>\n them back together. This is how he passed many<\/p>\n hours. Eventually, he became so familiar with the<\/p>\n mechanics of certain objects that he got a job in a bicycle<\/p>\n shop during high school. \u201cSomewhere along the way, he<\/p>\n learned to transfer these skills,\u201d says Sicile-Kira. \u201cI don\u2019t<\/p>\n know if he had a mentor or did it by himself, but he was<\/p>\n able to use an interest and talent to get a job.\u201d Sicile-Kira<\/p>\n has developed an effective strategy for achieving this<\/p>\n goal, even when it is difficult to find where a child\u2019s<\/p>\n interest lies.<\/p>\n Jeremy, Sicile-Kira\u2019s son has severe autism. She could<\/p>\n not pinpoint a certain interest Jeremy had, so she found a<\/p>\n need in the community. During the past school year,<\/p>\n Jeremy sold flowers to his peers and teachers at his high<\/p>\n school. In the process, he learned about profit and loss,<\/p>\n marketing and how to be an employer.<\/p>\n Every week, Jeremy collected his orders, which were<\/p>\n placed on Monday. Near the end of the week, he bought<\/p>\n flowers and prepared them for presentation. On Friday,<\/p>\n he delivered the orders. Because Jeremy has sensory<\/p>\n issues, it was sometimes difficult to work in the noisy<\/p>\n high school environment. When he couldn\u2019t make his<\/p>\n deliveries, his aid assisted him. In essence, his aid<\/p>\n became his employee. The aid received payment, and<\/p>\n Jeremy learned that if he used the help of an employee,<\/p>\n he earned less money.<\/p>\n Sicile-Kira first came up with this idea for mentoring<\/p>\n towards talents when she came in contact with the creators<\/p>\n of IncomeLinks. Doreen Rosimos and Darcy Wilson<\/p>\n have developed a program to help individuals with developmental<\/p>\n developmental<\/p>\n and other challenges begin their own microenterprise.<\/p>\n When Sicile-Kira thought about this idea in<\/p>\n relation to Temple Grandin\u2019s book, Developing Talents,<\/p>\n the entire concept began to take shape. When encouraged<\/p>\n by a mentor, someone with a developmental disability can<\/p>\n \u201cfind their niche\u201d and at the same time, improve their<\/p>\n executive functions and build self-esteem. In fact, one of<\/p>\n the major impacts of her work so far is the increased selfesteem<\/p>\n Sicile-Kira is seeing in the people she mentors.<\/p>\n Her goal was to get young people into a suitable work<\/p>\n environment, and the increased confidence has become a<\/p>\n welcome by-product of her work.<\/p>\n Just as her company is broaching new territory, so is<\/p>\n Sicile-Kira\u2019s new book. \u201cThere was a gap in information<\/p>\n in terms of hygiene, puberty, preparing for life. This fills<\/p>\n that gap\u201d Sicile-Kira explains, \u201cAfter early intervention,<\/p>\n the high school years are the most important and very few<\/p>\n people talk about it.\u201d The author\u2019s first book, Autism<\/p>\n Spectrum Disorders: The Complete Guide to Understanding<\/p>\n Autism, Asperger\u2019s Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental<\/p>\n Disorders and other ASDs, included some information on<\/p>\n adolescence, \u201cbut then I realized there was so little out<\/p>\n there. Some kids are being cured and recovered, but the<\/p>\n vast majority are not.\u201d Sicile-Kira wanted to give parents<\/p>\n and educators the tools they need to help children move<\/p>\n into the next phase of their lives after high school.<\/p>\n It was when Jeremy was in middle school and high<\/p>\n school, that Sicile-Kira found herself with little support<\/p>\n and few resources to assist his development. As Jeremy<\/p>\n moved up through grades at his school, she did not feel<\/p>\n he was getting the kind of guidance he needed. One of<\/p>\n the crucial factors in creating a future for a young adult<\/p>\n with developmental disabilities is to develop an<\/p>\n Individualized Transition Plan (ITP). These plans are discussed<\/p>\n in detail in Sicile-Kira\u2019s book.<\/p>\n The ITP should become part of a child\u2019s Individual<\/p>\n Education Plan (IEP) by the age of 16, Sicile-Kira<\/p>\n explains. \u201cThe ITP is the \u2018business plan\u2019 for the teenager\u2019s<\/p>\n life. The mission statement should reflect the student\u2019s<\/p>\n dreams and aspirations. The goals should tell you<\/p>\n how to get there and what is needed to make the dream a<\/p>\n reality.\u201d The ITP should include plans for what students<\/p>\n are learning in the last years of high school and what<\/p>\n agencies will help him achieve his or her goals after high<\/p>\n school. \u201cIt\u2019s important for parents to recognize that this is<\/p>\n a very important tool,\u201d says Sicile-Kira. \u201cI realized that a<\/p>\n lot of parents just didn\u2019t know about it. When children<\/p>\n graduate, they might have a diploma, but many do not<\/p>\n have the life skills they need.\u201d<\/p>\n Another facet of the ITP is living arrangements.<\/p>\n Parents need to consider the future and children need to<\/p>\n learn the life skills they will need to function in whatever<\/p>\n kind of living arrangement they choose for themselves,<\/p>\n according to Sicile-Kira. Ideally, every child should be<\/p>\n given the tools needed to become as independent as possible.<\/p>\n All of this information can be captured in an ITP, and<\/p>\n the goals of the IEP should be written towards the ITP.<\/p>\n It is also important to allow a child to have as much<\/p>\n input as possible when it comes to the ITP. If he or she<\/p>\n has any interests or hobbies that may lead to a job after<\/p>\n school, or has an idea as to what kind of job they want, it<\/p>\n should be noted in the plan. If a child does not know,<\/p>\n assessments should be done in order to pinpoint his or<\/p>\n her interests.<\/p>\n In addition to many parents not knowing about the<\/p>\n ITP, Sicile-Kira feels the ones who do often do not know<\/p>\n what question to ask. \u201cEveryone talks about early intervention,<\/p>\n but people are not focused on the future. When<\/p>\n they are young, parents of course should be focused on<\/p>\n getting them better, but at some point, you might realize<\/p>\n that your child is not going to recover completely.\u201d Sicile-<\/p>\n Kira adds that this is not to say that children ever stop<\/p>\n learning or that parents should give up. But, if recovery<\/p>\n never occurs, parents need to find a way to help their<\/p>\n children lead a fulfilling life.<\/p>\n Sicile-Kira says that feedback on the book has been<\/p>\n positive. Parents say they glad to finally have a resource<\/p>\n that deals with their main concerns. For many, these<\/p>\n include creating a meaningful ITP and planning for the<\/p>\n future. Another major concern for parents is how to<\/p>\n address hygiene, puberty and sexuality. In her book,<\/p>\n Sicile-Kira addresses these topics in a straightforward<\/p>\n and open manner. \u201cAll children nearing adolescence<\/p>\n need to have an understanding of what is going on in<\/p>\n their bodies and how to take care of themselves. Children<\/p>\n with ASDs need even more information and input from<\/p>\n parents at this time, and need to be taught specifically<\/p>\n about puberty and all it entails.\u201d The author goes on to<\/p>\n explain how to teach your child about his or her body<\/p>\n while considering their chronological age and maturity<\/p>\n level. She offers areas of discussion that can be simplified<\/p>\n or built upon, depending on what your child already<\/p>\n knows and how he or she communicates.<\/p>\n An essential aspect of raising a child with developmental<\/p>\n disabilities is to teach them to be as independent<\/p>\n as possible, according to Sicile-Kira. An important part of<\/p>\n this task lies in teaching your child about good hygiene.<\/p>\n \u201cCleanliness is a contributing factor to self-esteem,\u201d says<\/p>\n Sicile-Kira. \u201cMost tweens and teens on the autism spectrum<\/p>\n do not independently learn what they need to know about hygiene<\/p>\n and self-care. Although it is best to start<\/p>\n teaching about hygiene, health, and self-care before<\/p>\n puberty, it is never too late. The goal is to teach teens to<\/p>\n be as independent as possible in these areas.\u201d Sicile-Kira<\/p>\n suggests several ways to teach your child hygiene skills.<\/p>\n One is to make a schedule of when and where self-care<\/p>\n should take place. The author also discusses how to teach<\/p>\n these skills when your child has difficulty with sensory<\/p>\n issues. Another topic on which the author advises parents<\/p>\n is the necessity of teaching your child about relationship<\/p>\n boundaries. Often, children on the spectrum have<\/p>\n been taught to follow instructions \u2013 especially those<\/p>\n given by someone with authority. Children need to be<\/p>\n taught not to follow directions when they are dangerous<\/p>\n or inappropriate.<\/p>\n Whether they have a child with a developmental disability<\/p>\n or not, a discussion on sexuality is one that some<\/p>\n parents would rather leave to educators. Sicile-Kira urges<\/p>\n parents to take responsibility for this aspect of their<\/p>\n child\u2019s upbringing. \u201cIt\u2019s a sensitive subject because of all<\/p>\n the different religious, philosophical and ethical beliefs<\/p>\n that affect what our thoughts are on sex education and<\/p>\n what is taught in school and how it is taught. As parents,<\/p>\n you are responsible for your child\u2019s ethical and religious<\/p>\n upbringing. Before teaching or explaining to your tween<\/p>\n or teen about sexuality, parents will need to reexamine<\/p>\n their own ideas and attitudes about sex, sexuality, and<\/p>\n what they believe teenagers should know.\u201d Sicile-Kira<\/p>\n offers tips and additional resources that will help parents<\/p>\n have open and honest conversations with their children<\/p>\n about sexuality.<\/p>\n One of the ways Sicile-Kira is making her message<\/p>\n and strategies known to parents and educators is through<\/p>\n her Internet radio show, \u201cThe Real World of Autism with<\/p>\n Chantal.\u201d The show discusses practical issues that face<\/p>\n parents and caregivers of autistic children every day.<\/p>\n Sicile-Kira interviews experts and community members,<\/p>\n takes audience questions and offers resources. The show<\/p>\n airs twice a month in English and once in French on<\/p>\n Autism One Radio. For more information, visit<\/p>\n www.autismone.org\/radio. The author and advocate also<\/p>\n wants to start a non-profit organization that focuses wholly<\/p>\n on developing transitional plans for children with<\/p>\n developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n When she considers the success that she has<\/p>\n achieved with her son Jeremy, Sicile-Kira cites several<\/p>\n factors. Most importantly, she refused to believe that he<\/p>\n could not learn and never gave up on him. She learned<\/p>\n everything she could about autism, therapies and treatments.<\/p>\n She surrounded herself with people who<\/p>\n believed in Jeremy and who were interested in helping<\/p>\n him learn, and she never lost sight of the fact that it is<\/p>\n never too late to learn life skills and independence.<\/p>\n These tenets allow Sicile-Kira to carry out her mission<\/p>\n of helping her son and those she mentors to live a life<\/p>\n as independentl<\/p>\nAuthor explains making the transition\u00a0 from school years to adulthood<\/h3>\n