Young adults with autism get support at CIP Brevard

For young adults, making the leap from living with family to living independently can be difficult.

No matter how capable or driven a young adult is, the start of their adult life can be scary, and the transition from childhood to adulthood can be painful.  The challenge of achieving independence can feel particularly formidable for young adults with a disability.

That includes young adults who cope with autism spectrum disorder, a mental condition which hinders communication and interferes with the interpretation of social cues, but which often enhances memory, detail perception, and data processing ability.

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The College Internship Program in Melbourne, which provides an individualized course of study, therapy, and on-the-job training for young adults with learning disabilities, including those with autism spectrum disorder, and provides those students with dorm-style housing.

The CIP program in Brevard County is part of a national coalition of similar institutions for young adults with disabilities, which is intended to equip those young adults with the skills they need to succeed.  Most CIP students who are on the autism spectrum have Asperger's syndrome, a low-grade form of autism, and all are required to be sufficiently high-functioning that they can live in a dormitory.

Michele Ramsay, the CIP Brevard program director, said that many of the autistic students she serves are  extraordinarily bright students who never got the special education services they needed .

"The students we have are the ones who slipped through the cracks," said Ramsay.

She added that it is critical that young adults with autism to get help so they can lead productive, fulfilling lives.  Ramsay fears that if young adults with autism fail to learn ways of coping with their condition, they will suffer from social isolation, and fail to reach their full potential.

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It should be noted that many autistic young adults have extraordinary intelligence, and that there is in fact a scientific correlation between autism and genius which neuroscientists cannot yet explain. Scientists suspect that the hard-wiring of the autistic brain somehow allows autistic people to process, analyze, and memorize data in ways that the average person does not.

Academic research has repeatedly shown that autistic individuals are more likely to have genius intelligence than the general population, but the talents of this population — which includes jazz prodigy Matt Savage, and the math and foreign language savant Daniel Tammet — are largely untapped in American society.  In the United States. only 37 percent of autistic young adults have paid employment, according to the National Center for Special Education Research, and only 40 percent attend college, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

That is probably because the interpersonal symptoms of autism — such as misunderstanding the intentions of others, social anxiety, inability to read facial expressions, emotional reactivity, and difficulty with self-advocacy — make it hard for autistic people to integrate into society. People with autism are often misunderstood by others, who sometimes misinterpret the social discomfort caused by as intentional rudeness.

Because autism is an invisible disability, autistic young adults are often described as odd or immature by those who are unaware of their autism diagnosis.

Ramsay said the stigma of autism is a big barrier for CIP students when they enter the working world, but that when employers give CIP students a chance in internships, they are often pleasantly surprised by the students' focus, attention to detail, and diligence.

"I think when our students get out there, they're breaking a lot of barriers," she said.

CIP student Daniel Perkins said he is not letting his autism diagnosis stop him from pursuing his dream of working in the theater industry.  Although Perkins said he is too shy around people to be an actor, he said he would love to work behind the scenes, designing sets, controlling stage lights and producing sound effects.

"I love telling stories," Perkins said.  "I'm not so good at acting out stories, but I love being able to connect with the actors and the stories."

Perkins enjoys the teamwork involved in putting on a play, and has found theater people to be especially accepting.

Like many on the autism spectrum, Perkins has enhanced memory abilities, and he has memorized the lyrics of all his favorite show tunes.

Perkins currently interns at the King Center for Performing Arts, and recently raised $4,000 for the Autism Speaks charity. He is a first-year student at CIP who came to the program immediately after graduating high school in Jupiter.

Stephanie Smith, a second-year student at CIP and a college senior at the University of Central Florida, said that CIP has helped her learn how to rein in her emotions, cope with autism-related anxiety issues, and handle awkward social situations with grace.

Smith also learned, she said, that it was unwise for her to try to compensate for her Asperger's syndrome by being over-friendly, that she was not obligated to make others like her, and that she did not need to hide her diagnosis

Smith said that when she previously attended McDaniel College in Washington, before she had gone to CIP, she often found her autism symptoms overwhelming, and that she had trouble reaching certain life milestones, like getting a driver's license, because of autism-related anxiety.  But now, she said, she is able to drive a car without fear and feels like she is empowered to run her own life and succeed on her own terms.

"CIP gave me the firm but loving kick in the butt I needed to jump start my life, and prepare for life after college," she said.  "That was harder for me than for a neurotypical person.  CIP made me realize I was more of a leader than I thought I was.  It made me realize I was better than I thought I was."

Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month. To learn more go to www.autismspeaks.org 

For more information on CIP Brevard, call 321-259-1900 x 11

Contact Kowarski at 321-242-3640 or ikowarski@floridatoday.com.  Follow her on Twitter @IlanaKowarski.