认识丹尼尔·T。

GlobalData表明，自闭症患有自闭症的绝大多数成年人是失业或就业不足，迪比克，爱荷华州，居民凯瑟琳·托普斯（Katherine Toops）知道，帮助她的自闭症儿子丹尼尔（Daniel）发现有意义的成年人将面临挑战。

丹尼尔（Daniel）于1999年被诊断出，丹尼尔（Daniel）或他的朋友所说的“ toops”，一生都面临着许多挑战。拥挤的房间，大声的噪音，不对称的模式，意外的变化，理解社会协议以及无法使用单词进行交流只是他所面临的一些障碍。早期干预服务和多年的疗法帮助减轻了丹尼尔的一些斗争，但凯瑟琳一直担心她的儿子不足以发挥他的全部潜力。因此，就像大多数有爱心的父母在孩子的未来处于困境时一样，她会见了他的老师，搜寻了互联网，并制定了一项行动计划，以找到她的儿子是理想的工作。

凯瑟琳分享道：“丹尼尔（Daniel）的个性化教育计划（IEP）团队于2014年5月开会，在他的高中期间开始了过渡计划。”“该团队最初努力寻找一种工作经历，因为他的自闭症，强迫症和无法与言语交流，这将非常适合他。我让会议感到非常沮丧，知道我必须把事情掌握在自己手中。”

对于凯瑟琳来说，这种挫败感和忧虑引发了一个想法 - 阐明了丹尼尔和其他成年人找到有意义的就业的途径。

“会议结束后，我开始搜索Internet进行丹尼尔在遵循图片时间表和任务卡时可以完成的工作活动。我将三个不同的工作汇总在一起，他可以使用这些卡完成。首先是制作自制的洗衣粉。丹尼尔（Daniel）很容易制作该产品，但我们没有销售渠道，因此我们将肥皂捐赠给了女子庇护所。第二个是绑住羊毛毯。不幸的是，丹尼尔（Daniel）对这一过程并不感兴趣，只是在看着我和其他自愿提供帮助的成年人时笑了起来。第三个也是最后的选择是制作消防启动器，这是一个即时的成功！丹尼尔（Daniel）在这项活动中表现出色，因为该过程有许多步骤，这对他有吸引力。”

JT Firestarter由当地社区捐赠的100％再生材料制成。每个火炉均由纸板鸡蛋纸箱吊舱，切碎的纸，烘干机的皮棉和融化的蜡烛蜡制成。将纸切碎，标签放在袋子上，鸡蛋纸箱分开，然后开始组装过程。工作步骤清楚地定义了起点和终点 - 丹尼尔的理想任务。

2015年6月，JT Firestarters收到了70个袋子的第一笔订单。从那以后，该产品蓬勃发展，因为该产品现在已在七个州的130家商店中销售。丹尼尔（Daniel）的妈妈将业务的成功归功于其当地社区的大量支持，并获得了职业康复的企业赠款，该康复提供了首次企业主的基本工具来启动和运行。凯瑟琳说，现在JT Firestarters正在增长，她希望他们能很快开始雇用有偿员工，并为其他人提供有意义的工作。

“我们为丹尼尔（Daniel）的身份和他的成就而感到自豪。 He has worked with his job coaches for the past five years to make JT FireStarters the success it is today. If we can learn anything from Daniel it’s that everyone may face problems and struggles, but in time, you can overcome them with the right support system. We couldn’t be more grateful for everyone who has helped us along the way.”

在此问答中了解有关丹尼尔和他的自闭症之旅的更多信息：凯瑟琳的话：

是什么促使您将丹尼尔诊断为自闭症？

丹尼尔没有进行眼神交流，没有说话，也没有回答他的名字。

当他被诊断出他时，什么想法首先浮现在您的脑海？

老实说，我不敢相信丹尼尔患有自闭症。  This was not supposed to happen to us.  He was the first child with a disability born to our families (including extended family members). His diagnosis was VERY difficult to accept. 

收到诊断后，让您的儿子提供他需要的服务和支持的下一步是什么？

诊断后，丹尼尔在早上和下午开始了3岁的学前班。  He had additional outside therapies for speech, occupational therapy and physical therapy.  Our life was filled with appointments.

请分享丹尼尔因自闭症而挣扎的一些事情。

多年来，我们面临着丹尼尔（Daniel）的许多挑战。 He did not like loud sounds, and he would NOT go into public bathrooms that had hand dryers.He did not like eating in crowded restaurants. He would crawl under the table. Consequently, we stopped eating in restaurants for a few years. In high school, Daniel thought the lunchroom was an "all you can eat buffet."  The lunch ladies were not amused to say the least. Daniel had a phase where he would turn on water faucets and let the water run. This was short-lived thankfully. In his late teens to early 20s, Daniel wanted people to dress symmetrically. This took quite a while to overcome. 

现在，丹尼尔喜欢常规和可预测性。  He struggles with change. He is not able to vocalize his needs. Family and staff must read his body language and gestures. He has had access to a multitude of communication systems, but Daniel is reluctant to use them. 

请分享他擅长的一些东西。

丹尼尔（Daniel）擅长拼图，图案，并找到不秩序的东西。  Lately, he has adapted well to change.

您是否觉得自闭症患者可以获得与神经型人相同的工作机会？

丹尼尔（Daniel）可以获得工作机会，但很明显他不会成功。他可以申请许多工作，但不会被雇用。  I feel that our society is just at the beginning stages of hiring people with disabilities. It is easy to fill a job if the employee requires a few accommodations, but it’s challenging to find a position for someone with multiple physical and/or sensory needs.  We (parents/advocates) need to hear about success stories of others who have paved the way in employment. As a parent, I often feel as if I must work twice as hard to accomplish something for Daniel. 

就业市场和工作场所可能有哪种方式更具包容性并适合自闭症患者？

在爱荷华州，残疾人需要更多的工作指导时间。  Hours are capped and individuals are only able to work 2.5 hours per day.  This is not acceptable.  People who can work should be allowed to work more hours.  People are worth the financial investment and can be productive members of society, even if accommodations are needed.

您将为自闭症社区中的其他人提供什么建议，他们准备开始求职或准备进入劳动力？

阅读本文圣殿格兰丁。您的兴趣和技能是什么？  What do you enjoy doing?  Market yourself.  Think outside the box.  Have an advocate assist you in your search. Accept advice during the interview process and have your advocate monitor your progress at work.  Make sure your advocate helps you navigate the challenges and obstacles that may hinder your success at work. Employers and co-workers must be educated about the needs of individuals with disabilities. Work breaks may look different for neurotypical individual – some need a break to take a walk or drink coffee - people need breaks for different reasons. The goal of employer and employee should be to tailor the work environment to best meet the needs of all involved. 

最能描述您儿子的五个词是什么？

勤奋，聪明，持久，驱动，有福