Futures for Young Adults With Autism

Caleb is a 20-year-old  with a passion for University of Tennessee (UT) football who happens to have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). When his older brother began attending college at UT, he naturally wanted to follow in his footsteps. Thanks to the FUTURE program at UT—a post-secondary education program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities resulting in a vocational certificate—Caleb’s dream became a reality. The FUTURE program provides academic, social and vocational development after high school. For Caleb—and students like him—the FUTURE program helps them make a successful transition from high school to adult life by achieving independence and employment. Most students complete the program in two or three years. When Caleb first enrolled in the FUTURE program, he wasn’t sure what type of career he wanted. His first semester, he began auditing college courses in subjects he was interested in, like geography, and courses designed to increase life skills, such as money management, digital literacy, and life and career planning. He also completed an internship working four to eight hours a week on campus. Caleb’s first internship placement took place at UT’s Health Science Center (UTHSC). In recent years, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s speech-language pathology program formed a partnership with the FUTURE program and began developing a therapeutic internship. Throughout the semester, FUTURE stu...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Academia & Research Slider Speech-Language Pathology autism Autism Spectrum Disorder Source Type: blogs