How to use the talents and abilities of autistic people
Most people with autism have some latent talents and abilities in particular fields. Parents need to discover and use those latent talents and abilities to make them self-sufficient. If the talents of autistic children can be properly detected, they can be trained to hone their skills and make them excel in that field. People with autism are also very effective at their jobs if they are motivated to do so. They can perform any job like a robot. So if we can get them involved in their preferred jobs, they can definitely perform exceptionally well as they are never dishonest, fake or deceitful.
We know that autism is a lifelong disability, it cannot be cured. But we can bring some development in their lives. So our first task is to provide a total effort to bring about some improvement in your life. After a child is diagnosed with autism, they should be given appropriate treatment and therapies to lead as normal a life as possible. Then we must find out about his latent talents and abilities. After discovering his talents and skill level, we should focus on that area. This will help improve their lives, keep them busy and make them self-sufficient.
According to the DSM-5, there are different levels of autism, Level 1 (requires support), Level 2 (requires substantial support), and Level 3 (requires very substantial support). They have different types of disabilities and abilities depending on their levels. First of all, we have to categorize children according to their disability and ability, and then provide them with general education and vocational training according to their talents. There are also some autistic children who can produce miracles with their latent talents and abilities if we can nurture them effectively.
Identifying the talents and abilities of autistic children is a great challenge for parents, caregivers, and teachers. An in-depth study of the child is essential to discover her talents. It is a long time process. After the identification of your latent talents, it will be easier to manage it. Since autistic children have multiple disorders (spectrum disorders), these must be taken into account when evaluating their latent talents and abilities.
In this article, I would like to discuss the different fields of employment for autistic people based on their talents and abilities.
Some of the autistic people are found to have exceptional talents which are called autism scholars. Autism scholars are exceptionally skilled at math calculations, memory feats, artistic skills, and musical skills. However, we will talk about autism scholars in a different article.
Education for autistic children.
normal education. Level 1 autistic children, who require support, may be able to study in the normal stream of education. I know some of the autistic children who are studying in different schools. They may not be as good as normal children. But you can continue your education up to a certain class. Even some of them can be put into the normal flow of education. From the statistics, it is found that about 102 children with special needs have been transferred to general education from different branches of Proyash, a special education school. There are some other students who have passed the elementary, middle and high school level. The total image of the country can be better in number. My son Ferdous Mahi passed the Proyash High School Certificate (JSC) exam and is now studying in class IX. One of the special needs children, Md Eram, has been transferred into the normal flow of education through his talents and abilities and is now studying at Faith International School.
I work part time or full time. After leaving any level of education, an autistic adult can be placed in some office jobs or in the mall, gas station, food courts, etc. according to its capacity. But everyone should cooperate with them in carrying out their work. Md. Shamiuzzaman Tusar, a person with special needs, is serving at International Chain Shop KFC, Bangladesh in Banani Branch, Dhaka. Another child with special needs is found to be working as an office assistant at Exim Bank, Gulshan branch. Large corporations, commercial companies and other social conglomerates should come forward to rehabilitate autism talents.
Different fields of work for autistic children
Level 1 (require support) and Level 2 (require substantial support) autistic individuals who are unable to continue in education or deploy in any of the jobs listed above, may be able to have their skills assessed, receive vocational training, and do some of the following: jobs according to their abilities.
Making Crafts. Many autistic children are capable of good crafts. If they are trained and committed to the job using their skills, they can be very productive. If their interest grows in any job through different types of incentives, they can become an effective workforce. Many of the schools and autism centers are providing this type of vocational training to autistic children and selling their handmade products and paving their way to self-sufficiency. Here we can see some of the eye-catching crafts made by people with special needs.
Elaboration of Bread and Cakes. Autistic individuals can be trained to make cakes and bread on a limited scale. Autism Forum, Bangladesh is doing this type of training to autistic children to make them self-reliant. Here we can find some of the children with special needs who work in the Bread and Pastry factory.
Artworks. There are some autistic people who are very good at art. They can be trained by the efficient trainer and perform works of art for them. Some of the organizations like ShilpoProbha can come forward to value their work and inspire them. Different banks, corporations or governments may come forward to represent autistic children’s artwork in their magazines and yearly calendars. The Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh did a great job in outlining the artworks of autistic children on her invitation cards from different programs. My son Ferdous Mahi is very good at art. One of his artwork is already published on the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s invitation card and he has been awarded an honorarium of BDT One lac.
Cultural programs. There are some people with special needs who are very good at different cultural elements like dance, music, etc. This is one of the fields in which these children can do very well if they are given proper training. In fact, it is a great pleasure that a group of people with special needs from the KARISHMA cultural group of the Parent Forum for People with Disabilities (PFDA) Vocational Training Center has participated in ‘Autistic Talent Gala 2017’ by an International Education Foundation Hong Kong and won the ‘Best Visual Effect Award’ in the Group category of the Competition. KARISHMA performed ‘Beautiful Bangladesh’ (Amar Desher Matir Gondhe: The Smell of My Country’s Soil) reflecting the culture and heritage of rural Bangla. Bioscope, kite flying, farmers work in paddy field, flute playing, doi (yogurt) vendor, village wedding rules, hadudu game, picking raw mango during kalboishakhi, etc., reflecting the beauty of Bangladesh that we keep in our heart. About 13 countries participated in the competition.
computer typing. There are some autistic children who are very good at typing on the computer. They can be provided with sufficient training and can be implemented in office work for computer training only. My son Ferdous Mahi is very good at typing on the computer. He can type in both English and Bengali efficiently. Autistic people like him can be deployed in this work. Autistic people can be given jobs in the different government and non-government organizations to make them self-sufficient.
Different jobs in IT. Also, some of the autistic individuals are skilled in other IT related jobs. Some of the autistic children can even learn the work of graphic design, Photoshop, Facebook marketing, and programming, etc. If they receive the proper training, they can be deployed in different IT-related jobs in different IT farms. There are some examples where some brilliant autistic children have kept the mark of their talents and abilities through their work in this field. Md Rafid, one of Proyash’s autistic children, is very good at MS Office, web design and computer programming. He has now become an IT icon of the country and has been awarded a laptop from the IT Ministry’s ‘Earning and Learning Program’. He also participated in a competition in China as a representative of Bangladesh.
Games and Sports. Some of the autistic people are very good at games and sports. They are even found to participate in special Olympic marks of their talents and abilities. Many of Bangladesh’s special needs people have earned the name and fame of the country. Miss Sadia Akhter Urmi is one of the special needs people who has autistic features. She is exceptionally good at games and sports. She is only 19 years old. Until now, she has won 10 Gold Medals and 3 Bronze Medals in different International Athletics competitions.
conclusion
Autistic individuals of different ages have different latent talents and abilities. If we can nurture them through proper training, they can become assets of the country. Some of the people with special needs have already demonstrated this through their extraordinary performance at the national and international level. The government of the country has the responsibility to make the people of the country aware of autism. If the owners of the different organizations show up to sponsor their training and deploy them in different works.