We all remember these moments—our first job, our first time living away from our parents, our first paycheck. The transition from adolescence to young adulthood is a difficult but critical time. For youth on the autism spectrum this time is even more challenging. An abundance of research indicates that they are more likely than their peers to experience low self- esteem, lack of confidence, and low motivation. Historically, interventions for kids on the spectrum have been deficit-based—focused on fixing what is deficient—or wrong—in a person. Across a lifetime, an individual with autism is told repeatedly what they should not do and cannot do.
Thanks to your support, Helen M. Genova, PhD, associate director of Kessler Foundation’s Center for Autism Research, is developing and testing innovative solutions to help adolescents on the autism spectrum improve awareness of their own personal strengths and their ability to advocate for themselves across multiple contexts—school, relationships, job interviews, and employment. Dr. Genova’s approach is based in positive psychology—focused on improving wellness by cultivating strengths, as opposed to fixing weaknesses. “Evidence-based tools that take this approach in autism are not common use. With your support, my team and I are working to change this,” says Dr. Genova.
For youth on the autism spectrum, a big challenge is getting and maintaining employment. Your support enabled Dr. Genova and her team to first develop and evaluate a positive psychology intervention, KF-STRIDE Into the Interview!, a web-based tool to improve job interview skills by teaching youth on the spectrum about their strengths and how to convey them to future employers. Dr. Genova has found KF-STRIDE Into the Interview! To be effective in improving interview skills and strength identification. Plus, the kids who’ve participated have reported that it was enjoyable and helpful.
Now, with a new grant from the Alfiero and Lucia Palestroni Foundation, Dr. Genova is developing and testing an app to complement KF-STRIDE Into the Interview! The app will prompt users to record how they used their strengths on a daily basis, helping to build on what they’ve learned and use it in daily life.
Once they’ve obtained a position, individuals on the autism spectrum can have significant difficulty maintaining a job and communicating with colleagues. With new support from the Dean Janeway Endowment Fund at the New Jersey Health Foundation, Wakefern Food Corporation, and two anonymous donors, Dr. Genova is also developing and testing KF-STRIDE Into Work! This new intervention will assist young adults with autism identify their job-applicable assets and talents to enhance work satisfaction, productivity, and well-being. KF-STRIDE Into Work! will teach individuals strength-based strategies to apply when stressed, frustrated, or overwhelmed.
“Many employment interventions teach the same skills to everyone, even though autism is a spectrum and people with autism have different abilities and skills,” says Dr. Genova, adding, “Our interventions take an individualized approach based on the unique strengths of each person.”
“The support of our donors has been critical in helping us move these promising programs forward. Because of you, the future for people on the spectrum looks brighter. We are expanding our work using the latest technology to offer a wide range of training for transition-age youth so they can maximize their independence and inclusion,” says Dr. Genova.
