what kind of employment can my verbally autistic daughter hope to find?

Question

she's only 7 now but I wonder how she will find her idependence...I know she wants it now, I cant imagion what to expect when she's 25.
don't call me a bad parent or call her retarded, I hear it all in daily life, I would like the parents of special needs kids to answer.

both her mother and I are totaly devoted to her, we read to her every night, we are involved in her school and try to encouage her to play with peers as much as we can,. she is also in equine therapy and loves it.

Answer 1

She's only seven, nobody can tell what employment she will have or what her life will be like as an adult. Being autistic doesn't mean that she won't learn and develop, just that her developmental patterns won't be exactly the same as they would if she were non-autistic (neurotypical or NT). Encourage her perseverations - her knowledge may be useful in the future when she looks for a job. Don't expect at seven that she will never go to college - many autistics are attending university. Let her use a form of communication that works for her. Even if she can speak, try typing, try picture boards if she finds them more effective. Speech may be more socially acceptable, but autistics tend to communicate better through other methods and efficacy is more important than how "normal" a certain form of communication looks.

I don't agree with the people who say that she will work in Wal Mart, Goodwill, fast food, or retail. Those are stereotypical jobs for developmentally disabled people, but autistics often don't do well in them. They're incompatible with our sensory systems, so we tend to wind up very overloaded and unable to function cognitively. They also require a speed of information processing that a lot of autistics don't have. (Even if we're very intelligent, our sensory processing is often slowed.)

You say that she enjoys equine therapy. She may like to work with horses, which is understandable because much of equine body language is highly compatible with natural autistic body language (the same is true for feline nonverbal language). As an adult she might be able to work with animals.

She may not be entirely independent. No one is - people rely on others to grow their food, build their homes and keep them in repair, construct their electronic devices, fix their plumbing, etc. Autistics may need help in different areas than NTs, and she may not live by NT society's definition of "independent." (It's way too early to tell though, so don't assume that she won't.) A lot of autistics have an assistant who comes in to help them with daily tasks that they have trouble with. She doesn't have to live in an institution or a group home - she can get services if she lives alone. (I'm not writing from experience here, I'm remembering what other autistics have written, so I'm not the best person to ask for more details.)

Also, I saw that you are encouraging her to interact with her peers. If you aren't already, let her spend time with other autistics. We learn a lot from being around others like us, plus are more successful socially around other auties.

Answer 2

I have a 7 year old autistic son who attends a special school and the same thoughts way heavily on my mind as well. Each child is different in the function levels so they won't all end up the same but in principal I think jobs where they won't be confronted by too many people are probably best for autistics as social skills are their weakness. Matthew loves his computer and I am hoping that by the time he is older there will be something repetitive he can do that makes money. Even buying and selling on ebay all day with set patterns to repeat over and over could be a good job that could be done from home. He breaks my heart and makes me smile at the same time and his whole future is too much to take in at one time...one day at a time is my limit with him now. All the best with your daughter, I hope her gift becomes obvious to you one of these days...I'm sure she has one.

Answer 3

Encourage her in all the ways that she does like to express herself, and see where she goes. She's likely to both surprise you and herself, especially with the right support and the love of her parents.

At a guess, allow her to be involved with as much of a social life as she wants, music is always great, stories, art, ah well I think you probably know all this really. The more things she can try, play with and be involved with the better for her in the short, medium and long term. Just let her know that it's definitely more than ok to be totally patient with herself and love herself as she gets older.

Ok I admit it, I'm not a parent at all. But I hope something I said is useful :-).

Answer 4

I was the sister of two wonderful special needs little boys who passed away at young ages. And I can tell you from experience that special needs children have a way of suprising everyone. There is no way of knowing what types of jobs she will be able to do in the future, when the time comes her doctor or a councelor will be able to suggest something. In the mean time, relax and enjoy her childhood, and know that she has just as much potential as kids who are not special needs.

Answer 5

dont forget People who call you a bad parent or call her retarded are the retarded ones. These people dont know any better.

Autistic people are highly gifted in other areas. I am Dyslexic and I dont see it as a disability in fact the opposite is true. I am very good at what I do and earn a lot of money from it.

So I am sure she will be fine, just encourage her in everything she does and sooner or later she will find her skill and show the real retards what she is made of.

Answer 6

I don't imagine many parents can forsee what there 7 year child is going to do when she is 25. Let her express herself and find out what she enjoys and is good at it. I am sure there will be some surprises.

Answer 7

My severely autistic cousin works for the local Goodwill. He has also done contract labor helping pack boxes and mow lawns. Please don't make your daughter feel limited ever! With a little help, motivation, direction and encouragement she can be whatever she wants to be. Hope this helps....

Answer 8

there are lots of jobs for her -- don't even think of trying to limit her life for her. open doors don't close them. its just autism. with the right teachers she could go to college and land a sweet job. push her in directions to excel -- not to limit her. if she is shy or concious try to find more social activities for her. find things for her to practice communicating as much as she can without making it seem like work.
you are setting her up for failure and you should be building up her esteem. talk to her teachers. they will be glad to know there is a parent who is willing to work with them to help your daughter achieve.
im not a parent but a former teacher and i know the difference it can make on a teacher if the teacher knows there is a parent at home that actually cares about the kid's welfare. most parents pretend to be too busy to care about much other than themselves.

Answer 9

First things first. You are NOT a bad parent!

Can she speak? How about being a wal mart greeter. My cousin is like her and she works at walmart.