Kara Hume, Ph.D.
Tara Regan, MSW
Kate Szidon, MA
Frank Porter Graham
Child Development
Institute
Frank Porter Graham
Child Development
Institute
Waisman Center
University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill
University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill
[email protected]
[email protected]
University of WisconsinMadison
szidon@Waisman. Wisc.Edu
 Co-Principal Investigator of the Center on Secondary Education for Students with
ASD
 Research & Development Center
 Funded by the Department of Education (IES)
 http://csesa.fpg.unc.edu/
 Purpose: To develop and study a comprehensive high school program for students
on the autism spectrum
 Working with 547 adolescents with ASD and their families in 60 high schools across
3 states, as well as 700+ staff members
 Outcomes for students
with ASD after high school
 What are Work Based
Learning Experiences?
 College and career
focused
 How can I implement
across the high school
career for all students?
 Examples & Resources
 In 2012, 50,000 individuals with ASD turned 18 years old
in the United States.
(Shattuck et al., 2012)
Language
 Engagement lower than other disability categories
across the board in:
Any vocational or technical education: 9.3%
Any 2-year college: 28.0%
Any 4-year college: 12.1%
Any paid employment: 55.1%
No participation: 34.9%
(Shattuck et al., 2012)
“These students
finish high school
and then go and sit
on the couch…”
 What can we change?
 Overburdened adult system
 Disconnect between school and vocational
services systems
 Restrictions around requirements for diplomas
 Limited family resources
 Today: Focus on malleable factors we can
influence in our day-to-day practice
Career awareness, occupational courses,
paid work experiences, community
experiences, and other work-based
learning experiences (WBLE) are among
the evidence-based predictors of postschool success
(Test, Mazzotti, et al., 2009; Rowe et al., 2014)
 National Technical
Assistance Center on
Transition
 http://transitionta.org/
Career
Exploration
Paid
Employment
Job
Shadowing
Work
Sampling
Apprenticeships
Mentoring
Goal: Students will complete
activities within 2 WBLE
experiences each school year
Internships
Service
Learning
(Luecking, 2009)
9th Grade
Career
Exploration
Job Shadowing
Work Sampling
Mentoring
10th Grade
11th Grade
12th Grade and Beyond
Career Exploration Service Learning Service Learning
Internship
Job Shadowing
Internship
Paid Employment Paid Employment
Work Sampling
Apprenticeship
Mentoring
Apprenticeship
Mentoring
Mentoring
 Often only considered for students on a modified
diploma track
 Outcomes disappointing across the spectrum
 Employment results for those with high-functioning
autism (HFA) are generally much lower than would be
expected on the basis of the individual’s intellectual
functioning.
 From NLTS2: For students who entered a 4-year college after
graduation, less than 20 percent had graduated or were on
track to graduate when the study ended
College or Career Fair
Academic Strategies Class
TA Period
Homeroom Period
Field Trips
Clubs
Lunchtime
Meetings with Case Manager
Embedded in coursework
Service learning hours
After school
Career and Technical Education classes
Meeting with College Reps
Advisory Period
WBLE
How can the current preferences,
experiences, and student skills be
used in the workplace for paid,
unpaid, or volunteer jobs?
WBLE
Transition assessments, student and
family preferences, availability of
opportunities
Linked to post secondary and
annual goals on IEP
WBLE
• Shadowing: Student spends extended time in
a workplace accompanying an employee in
the daily duties of his/her occupation
• Sampling: Student “spends meaningful time
in a work environment to learn aspects of
potential job task and ‘soft skills’ required in
the work place.”
(Luecking, 2009)
WBLE
Career Ready

Student
Activities
Resources
Participate with a significant
adult in a ‘take your child to
work’ day
 Disability Mentoring Day
through a local company or
program
 Complete Job-Simulations on
Campus
 Create Task Prompts while
Observing a Job
 Job Characteristics Checklist
 The High School/High Tech
Program (HS/HT) provides Job
Shadowing experiences
including careers in science,
mathematics, and technology
http://www.dol.gov/odep/progra
ms/high.htm
College Ready
Student
Activities
Resources

Shadow a student in a major of
interest
 Conduct a role-play with a disability
services counselor
 Conduct a role-play with a
professor
 Review syllabus
 George Washington University: toolkit
will give you tips on how to request
up-coming opportunities to shadow at
a local college/ university
http://www.heath.gwu.edu/assets/33/to
olkit.pdf
 Norwich University: ways to strategize
methods to help you overcome some
of those temporary barriers :
http://www.norwich.edu/academics/pdf
/disabilitiesHandbook.pdf
WBLE
Athletic Trainer
Counselor
Nurse
Psychologist
CTE Experts
(e.g. auto mechanic, marketing)
Paraprofessional
Custodial Staff
Resource Officer
Grounds Crew
Coach
Teacher
Cafeteria Staff
Clerical Staff
Instructional Technology
Data Entry
Management/Administration
WBLE
WBLE
WBLE
• Student engages in hands-on volunteer service to the
community
• The volunteer service integrates with course objectives
• The learning process is structured to provide time for
reflection on the service experience and demonstration of
the skills and knowledge required
WBLE
College Ready
Career Ready
Student
Activities



Resources

Informal volunteering in
community or school
programs (Key Club)
Formal volunteer service
in a structured community
service program
For components of Service
Learning and Information
about service learning
developed by the National
Service-Learning
Clearinghouse :
http://www.servicelearnin
g.org/what-servicelearning
National community
service organizations
Student
Activities
•
•
Contact a college or university
campus and volunteer to be a
part of one of the following
activities:
• Blood-drive
• Election registration
• Clothing drive
• Canned-food donation
• Planting trees
• Campus beautification
projects
• Assisting a nonprofit
organization
• Spending time at a campuswide supported nursing or
retirement/ elderly
community
Complete Volunteer Match
application
http://www.volunteermatch.org/
WBLE
WBLE
• Student may have a job in a
company or customized
work assignments based
upon agreement with an
employer
• Student may be completing
course objectives based
upon work experiences
gained within this setting
WBLE
Career Ready
Student
Activities
Resources
• Search for part-time or fulltime jobs
 Listing at school
 Online on job search
engines
 Bulletin boards in
community centers/places
of worship
• Network to get a part-time job
after school, during holiday
breaks, or in the summer
• Autism Internet Modules
• Two-hour modules to
educate future employers
http://www.autisminternetmo
dules.org/
College Ready
Student
Activities
• Look at the website of your
college of interest for
‘Prospective Students’.
 Read the section listing the
percentage of graduates from
the school and the areas they
go into
• Read the majors offered within
the college of interest and the
jobs students get after
graduation
WBLE
 Save products related to WBLE in an electronic portfolio
 Used as part of transition assessment process, for IEP meetings and
job interviews
 Google docs, Dropbox, Learner Journey, Animoto
 Example products:





Photos
Written products
Results from career inventories
Job Applications
Resume
•
http://csesa.fpg.unc.edu/
www.facebook.com/csesa.asd
 Professional Development Series
 2 presentations with video, facilitator
notes, activities, and handouts
 Designed for middle & high school
general educators
 Understanding Autism Guide
 Autism-at-a-Glance Series
 Tips for families & practitioners
 Teen Talking to Teens
 Special Issue in Remedial and Special
Education Journal
 Autism, Adolescence, & High School
 Articles and Snapshots
Kara Hume, Ph.D.
Tara Regan, MSW
Kate Szidon
Frank Porter Graham
Child Development
Institute
Frank Porter Graham
Child Development
Institute
Waisman Center
University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill
University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill
[email protected]
[email protected]
University of
Wisconsin-Madison