Should Those With Autism Work? Is It Good for Them? Autism Awareness Week 4

What does your child see himself/herself doing ten years from now? Maybe one says he/she wants to be a firefighter. Others say they want to be a business man, or the President of the United States. Many children in today's society want to become a movie star. However, as you have told your children, this takes a lot of work.

What about your children with autism?

For starters, yes, I think it is very important that you put your autistic child to work. As it says in the Book of Genesis, "In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread," meaning that you need to work hard in order to provide for yourself. So that doesn't just apply to those with typical brains, that includes every human being on the planet.

As a matter of fact, I can share with you some reasons why work is actually very good for those on the autism spectrum. I believe those with severe autism (those who are nonverbal/low-functioning) can improve more with their abilities if they are put to work.

Gives Them Experience

What most autistic individuals need is the experience. They need to spend most of their day out of their comfort zone so they can view and do things outside of their imaginations. As I said in a previous blog post, you can't keep them in a bubble.

You might say to me that you couldn't even get them out of the house, or into the car. I also said in a previous blog post that it is important that you give them choices, just like when Temple Grandin's mother gave her the choice to stay in her aunt's ranch for two weeks, or a whole summer if she enjoyed it, but mad it clear she was going either way. If Temple Grandin never got the experience, she never would have become as influential as she is today.

Based on my experience, my mom didn't give up on getting me involved with sports or activities. She found it inexcusable for me to stay in the house and watch T.V. all day. If I lost interest in a certain activity, she would find another for me. I wouldn't have been into theatre or Biblical studies if she hadn't given me the experience. My paternal grandmother, whom I would visit in the summer during my childhood, would often prompt me to go outside to experience the fresh air. If I stayed inside, she would have me do chores.

You also might say that your child might experience a severe panic attack if things don't go their way in a public activity. I don't blame you for wanting your child to be happy, but that's the point. If he/she doesn't experience some kind of panic attack, then he/she will never learn. Your child will never be able to understand that he/she can't control the way things work around here, or else his/her brain will never process information.

You might even say that they don't adapt to change very well. That I understand, but they need to experience change, or else they will NEVER adapt to it. It might take a long time; as a matter of fact, it took me a long time. It took me until my final year of college to adapt to it, and it wasn't until I started reading the Bible that I began to embrace it. It was an emotional roller coaster that lasted almost twenty-five years for me.

It takes time, but it doesn't last forever. Experience helped me learn that life isn't about getting everything I want, but everything I need. My elders aren't going to be around forever, and neither are you for your children, but that's why they need experience.

I currently work two jobs; which is exhausting, but gives me more experience. Working as a busser gives me more experience in how to interact with customers at a restaurant. Working as a one-on-one with a student helps me experience discipline and how to always keep a watchful eye on someone. It also helps me understand how to work as a team, and to understand why eye contact is important.

Most importantly, it helped me discover my gifts.

Helps Find Their Gifts

Autism was originally viewed as a curse to most people. Nowadays, we are more aware that it is more of a gift than a curse. As a matter of fact, most individuals on the spectrum are more gifted than they are thought to be.

While working as a Personal Care Aide at a school, there was an assembly at the gym. A professional comic and juggler performed in front of the students, all of whom have mental or developmental disabilities. He tells the students that he has ADHD and had been practicing his juggling and comedy since he was twenty years old while working on his "real job." He tells the students this is a gift he was blessed with, and that all the other students have a certain gift as well.

I believe he is right.

The truth is we all have certain gifts. Whether it is telling funny jokes, making cartoon voices, or maybe even singing like an angel, these are all gifts. All individuals are born for a reason, and they are meant to share their gifts to others.

While I have many gifts, one of mine is writing plays. I never knew I could write plays until taking a scriptwriting course in college. As a result of writing plays, I started writing blogs, which is another gift. It was through working that I began to discover my gifts. While my current jobs don't entirely relate to what I'm doing right now (my job as a Personal Care Aide might be the closest since it does require some writing and monitoring an autistic student), I know they will lead me to more gifts.

Working as a Personal Care Aide also gives me deeper insight on the thinking process of an autistic individual. Just because I have autism doesn't mean I know everything about it, and it helped me learn that I don't think exactly like other autistic individuals think. They have different perspectives. As a result, it helps me experience more of what they might be going through and how I can help other families learn how to take care of a child with autism, even though I'm not entirely a parent myself.

I also think it works on the low-functioning as well. The truth is they need to be put to work more often than the high-functioning. For example, Tito Mukhopadhyay is a low-functioning individual whose mother put him to work very often; by prompting him non-stop and tying a pencil to his hand with a rubber band in order to teach him letters and shapes. She even had to teach him how to point. As a result, he became a writer and had a couple of books published.

A co-worker of mine told me her aunt puts her son to work every day. While it is hard for her due to being widowed and middle-aged, she does put her son to work every day. While he isn't entirely there yet, his mother still has her hopes up.

Improves Their Ability

I have said in a previous blog post that it is more important to improve their ability rather than their disability. That's why we must cut off the letters d-i-s and turn it into a word that describes our goal for them. Our goal for these children is to improve their ability.

When I say the word "disabled," I think of the synonym "unable." So if the doctor tells you your child is disabled, then they are saying the child is unable to develop properly. The parents' minds are telling them that your child is unable to do this, that, or anything at all.

Of course, that's why I consider the mind to be the most dangerous place to be. Sure, it is important to think, but your mind does not determine your future. As a matter of fact, if the autistic child stays in their heads forever, then their abilities will never improve. That's why you have to get past the doubts and start acting on faith.

You must understand that you aren't going to be around forever, and you must prepare your autistic child for the worse. That's why it is very important for them to get to work. The more they work, the more likely their abilities will improve.

As their abilities improve, their developmental states do as well. They will learn to have a deeper mindset and think in ways you never thought they would think before. They will learn how to control their emotions when they are feeling scared or anxious. They will understand how to ask for help if they are in need of it. They will understand how to care for the needs of others when they need someone to look up to.

When I was taking theatre classes at Stage Right Performing Arts, I mostly took acting lessons. Acting helped me gain the ability to not only understand proper English, but to read facial expressions, communicate with my peers more clearly, and how to interact with another person. In other words, it increased my ability to understand social cues. While it was a slow process (and it still is since I'm still having a little trouble with social cues), my abilities strengthen. They help me learn to adapt, and I gain new abilities every day.

So don't let the word "disability" trick your mind. Let it be more of a warning sign that your child's brain is wired much differently than a typical brain. It just means that he/she needs a lot of improvement, not necessarily that the whole developmental stage is permanent.

As I said, I fully believe in miracles, and miracles don't happen just by standing there and watching.

Conclusion: My Gratitude

I was going to publish this blog post on the last day of Autism Awareness Month, but I suddenly got struck with a sudden allergy attack and wanted to make a full recovery. It was a struggle, but at least I took the time to work on this blog and finally finish it.

Again, it is important to discover your children's gifts, and it is your job to help them. I got the help of my mother, and found many gifts as a result.

I want to thank my readers for supporting my blogs and for sharing them. I also want to thank my mother for making me the man I am today, and my father for his encouragement. I would also like to thank my older brother Alec for making me tougher, and my teachers for triggering my ability to write. I also want to give a big thanks to God for blessing me with these gifts in the first place and giving me the ability to speak, since it's hard for me to believe that my existence and my life's meaning was from my parents alone. I also credit my Christian faith in Jesus for teaching me that I give to those who are in need, and to not expect anything in return other than how much help this has offered.

If anyone would like to share some more tips on why it's important to put your autistic child to work, feel free to comment below. Also, tell us how it helped your child or a child you know improve with their abilities. Thank you for reading, and God bless all of you!