In 2018, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City created an innovative musical, designed just for children with autism and their families. Up and Away was a sold-out event in which each child became part of the story and journeyed through the set with actors trained on the sensitivities and challenges of […]
adult child with autism
Adjusting to the New Normal
ADJUSTING TO THE NEW NORMAL Like everyone else, the team at Project SEARCH Autism Enhancement (PSAE) had to respond rapidly to the forced shut down due to the COVID-19 crisis – and they did, achieving a smooth transfer to remote learning for each intern and resuming the program’s regular schedule, five days a week. While […]
The Case for Meaningful Work
https://nextforautism.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Copy-of-The-Case-for-Meaningful-Work-600×428.png by John Bryson, M.S.E, Sr. Manager, Corporate Employment Consulting, NEXT for AUTISM I’m often asked why I work in disability employment helping young people with autism and other disabilities prepare for and find meaningful work. My answer is always the same. I’m motivated by a case that lit a fire in me. Its senselessness […]
The Women of PSAE Get to Work!
https://nextforautism.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Screen-Shot-2019-09-03-at-4.49.42-PM-600×399.png By: Alison Bush, M.S., BCBA Meet Shannon. She’s one of two women who graduated in 2019 from our Project SEARCH Autism Enhancement internship and employment program or PSAE. Shannon was driven to land a meaningful job after the hard work that she’d put into the training program, and she did. She’s thrilled to be […]
Embracing the Amazing
On a recent afternoon, representatives from Queens Public School 219 brightened our day with an uplifting story about their school’s campaign to celebrate diverse abilities, “Embracing the Amazing.” The K-8 school in Flushing, Queens enrolls 700 students, twenty-seven percent of whom are on the autism spectrum. During the month-long celebration, children in the lower school […]
Autism Interns Gain Real World Experience While Raising Awareness
On a recent spring day, Shannon and Jack, two interns from the Project SEARCH Autism Enhancement employment training program, were spotted at an information table, greeting passersby on NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s Westchester campus. They wanted to raise awareness about their program and the importance of work for people with autism. With the high rate of unemployment […]
A Happy Mother-Daughter Partnership
Mothers and daughters have connected over food for generations, but that wasn’t the reason that Arlene Maidman took her daughter, Julia, to cooking lessons four years ago. Family friends had gifted the lessons to Julia for her sweet 16, and Arlene just went along. But what she saw in Julia that afternoon changed both of […]
The Coming Care Crisis as Kids With Autism Grow Up
The personal challenges and systemic barriers faced by adults with autism and their families are, indeed, as profound as outlined in The Atlantic article below. Life for adults with autism can be devoid of opportunity and hope. For parents, navigating a confusing system of support and facing an uncertain future are sources of unrelenting anguish, […]
Video: What’s Next for Autism?
What’s Next for Autism? Meet Tamar, a recent graduate of our employment training program, as she embarks on a hopeful start at her first job. Laura Slatkin and Ilene Lainer provide impassioned interviews on NEXT for AUTISM’s vision for programs that support young adults like Tamar. Dr. Jeremy Veenstra-Vanderweele of the Center for Autism and […]
PS-AE: 9 Interns, 9 Graduates, 9 Jobs
Project SEARCH Autism Enhancement Graduation 2018! As the 2019 class of employment training interns begins this fall at Project SEARCH Autism Enhancement, we thought everyone would enjoy this video of the previous year’s graduation. Note the pride as these graduates share their accomplishments. We, too, are proud. 9 Interns, 9 Graduates, 9 Jobs. Here’s to […]
Happy Grads Celebrate Dads
June is the month to celebrate graduates and honor fathers. This month, NEXT for AUTISM is celebrating a group of bright, young adults who are graduating from our Project SEARCH Autism Enhancement employment training program at NY-Presbyterian Hospital in White Plains. After ten months of job skills training and internships, our graduates are setting off […]
“I Want to Keep You Every Day”
Launching a child into adulthood is, by all standards of motherhood, an endeavor of balance. It requires both faith in your child’s ability to be independent and confidence that she will circle back to you for support and love. For a mother of a child with autism, gaining interdependence with your child can be elusive, […]
