End of Summer Update..It’s all Good

Well, its been a great successful summer for both boys in many ways. Of course, they both graduated and Mr.GS2 (formerly CM2) was accepted into his master’s program. He received all the necessary accommodations (yes including the “educational consultant support”) and he is looking forward to starting classes. He chose some rather interesting subjects, right up his SJW alley. As Mr. YM (formerly Mr.GS he is now a “Young Man”) had done right before he started graduate school, Mr. GS2 took a “Social Learning Class” that is given for those on the autism spectrum by the Aspergers support department at this university. That’s right, Mr.GS2’s new university prides itself on supporting and helping those who are on the autism spectrum. They take the notion of diversity very seriously. How cool is that!

Unfortunately, Mr. GS2 had to stop his internship at the Town Hall, where he had worked for a year, at the start of the summer, because they had an incoming crop of new interns. But it was a terrific experience where he learned great job skills and independence. He was very well liked and his immediate supervisor was more than happy to give him a recommendation for grad school. As far as a job during this upcoming school year is concerned, we are going to have him start his program and then figure out what kind of time he has free. Grad school is a lot more work and a lot more intense than college so we don’t want to overburden him. No good can come from triggering his anxiety. But we do know he will need to do some small position if only to retain all those job skills he learned at Town Hall over the past year. But as they say, everything in good time.

But since he doesn’t have a job right now, he is enjoying his free time off right before school starts. Hanging out. Playing video games. Chatting on social media with friends. It’s as if he is on vacation like the rest of the Northeast, only he isn’t at Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket with the President, or out in the Hamptons with the glitterati or Hollywood elites. He’s just at home, like over 65% of the young people his age who live in our neck of the woods.

As far as Mr. YM, he has been working at the Lab at school. Considering the issue of getting a job, even though he has officially graduated they allowed him to continue to work there to gain experience. In fact, from what I understand his inability to even get interviews is not unusual and the school is rather beside itself and have no idea how to help these newly minted graduates. (He’s also not the only one at the Lab in this position) To those that think this has a lot to do with Aspergers, think again. I have many neighbors with “All-American-Kids” who can’t get jobs in their field or even into graduate school. In fact, my friends tell me that the way they got their children jobs was because they had connections in the desired field. That is what the career services people tell us too. That 80% of new graduates who were able to get jobs, did so through connections. Read A New Transition issue that applies to everyone.…

Meanwhile, the position at the Lab is being treated as an internship. He has been put on actual projects and is being treated as an employee. He has assignments, responsibilities, and presentations. According to the Professor who runs the program, everything he is handing in is very professional and they are quite pleased. In fact, what they are giving him to do hasn’t kept him very busy so they are going to be giving him additional projects to work on simultaneously. (He took an online class this summer and now that it is over, he doesn’t have enough to do.) He is also learning a new set of employment skills. He had always worked through college and had been given interesting assignments and positive job reviews. But this is the first time he has had to work in concert with a “client” to get something done as opposed to interacting with people in an office. He actually is having a good time and enjoying himself.

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So to all those who think there is only one path to follow and only one way to accomplish a goal you need to think again.
Keep looking outside the box and eventually, you will find what you need for your children.
Let your children learn and grow at their own rate.
Don’t listen to the pundits who tell you this generation is lost. It’s not. These young people have more to deal with and more to learn than ever before. They are also up against a lousy economy and a hyper-competitive workforce that has no room for a novice.
Remember to provide your children with the support they need, not the support someone else thinks they need.

Remember the tortoise, not the hare wins the race.

Elise Ronan

Raising Asperger's Kids

The purpose of this blog is to document the practical and realistic approach taken over the decades to help our two sons grow, and develop in order become all that they are entitled to become as human beings.