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Saturday, November 22, 2008

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The Tailor Institute: Creating Unique Pathways for Unique Individuals

THE TAILOR INSTITUTE

Turning Potential into Reality for many Individuals with High-Functioning Autism

Autism, a series of developmental disorders of the central nervous system that result in potentially debilitating social and communication problems, appears to be approaching epidemic levels. According to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, depending upon the criteria being considered, between 1 in 500 and 1 in 150 children currently suffers from an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

In the past, most adults within the “autism spectrum” spent their lives homebound or in institutional settings. Now, however, early intervention programs enable many of these individuals, potentially as many as fifty percent, to graduate from high school or college and become partially independent or even capable of living independently.

However, for many teens and adults with autism, the dream of independence often becomes a nightmare. The social inadequacies, impaired communication skills and sensory issues that are hallmarks of autism often make acquiring and keeping a job nearly impossible. Surprisingly, approximately ten percent of individuals with autism have “savant” skills, remarkable talents in specific, defined areas of cognitive function. These skills often express themselves as giftedness in computer programming, art, mathematics, memory, music and other areas, yet most of these extraordinary people remain unemployed, in minimum-wage jobs, or on welfare.

What does The Tailor Institute do?

The Tailor Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with high-functioning autism or Asperger’s Syndrome (a condition sometimes referred to as the “highest functioning” form of autism) who exhibit areas of giftedness. Founded in 2003 by the father of an individual with high functioning autism, The Tailor Institute was designed to provide gifted individuals on the autism spectrum the tools they need to live and work as independently as possible.

The Institute identifies the specific skills and talents of these individuals and develops strategies for employment and independent living. We match such individuals with employers who can benefit from the presence of employees who possess such remarkable abilities. Once we establish a match between a participant and an employer, we provide support for our participants and their employers in an effort to facilitate successful long-term employment.

How does The Tailor Institute accomplish this goal?

The Institute identifies promising candidates through referrals from schools, Regional Centers, appropriate state facilities and organizations. The Institute then administers a series of assessments to analyze each individual’s gifts and talents to best determine how those gifts can be “harnessed” in an effort to translate them into a successful long-term career. We contact a wide variety of employers and government agencies in the region to locate workplace settings that have a need for individuals with these specific and very defined talents.

We provide intensive training to foster mastery of the self-help, career, communication and social skills needed for employment while addressing each participant’s specific needs and deficiencies. We offer employers in-depth training in how to deal with issues related to autism, and when candidates are ready to being work at the jobsite, we provide job coaches to help them “learn the ropes.” Our student interns/support staff and job coaches remain readily available to address issues that may arise in the workplace.

The Tailor Institute staff, working in concert with student interns/support staff and educators from Southeast Missouri State University, conducts training sessions using a program designed specifically for the Institute by autism experts Alan Lincoln, Ph.D., and David Krug, Ph.D., modeled in part on a successful program devised by Trevor Clark, Ph.D., Director of Education & Research of the Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect).

How is The Tailor Institute funded?

The State of Missouri Division of Workforce Development has provided the initial funding for the Tailor Institute. Empowering an individual with autism not only enhances that person’s quality of life, but also creates employment opportunities that have the potential of eliminating an individual’s need for social welfare support. The prospect of creating taxpaying, gainfully employed persons who no longer need support from the state is an idea with great appeal. The prospect of giving those individuals lives with greater meaning and purpose is the most appealing idea of all.

The strategic plan of The Tailor Institute currently involves expanding its services and efforts to:

· build strong relationships with employers and public institutions

· create strategies for “harnessing” the savant skills of individuals

· develop and refine educational and vocational interventions that will allow individuals with autism who possess savant skills to enhance their career potential and independent-living skills

· introduce high functioning autistic individuals who fit the parameters of the Tailor Institute program to employers who need and value their talents and accept and understand the limitations presented by the autism spectrum

· provide employer training, onsite job coaching and other interventions to enhance the potential for successful long-term job placement

· develop and implement strategies for community outreach to efficiently and effectively identify individuals and employers in need of the Tailor Institute’s services

· develop a training model that can be shared with other service providers and communities throughout the U.S. and around the world

· use web-based, electronic and print media to disseminate the information and strategies we have evolved

Currently we are enlisting the aid of private and corporate donors who can help us continue and expand our efforts to include:

Funding for practice employment of participants for the purpose of work force skills training and independent living skills training

Funding for the publication/production/dissemination of print, web-based and electronic media

Funding for additional student interns/support staff,credentialed staff, job coaches and therapists

Funding to develop additional community outreach projects

Funding to provide publication and presentation of our program state-wide

How will individual donations help persons with high functioning autism?

Every donation “expands our reach” and increases the number of people that we are able to serve and enhances our participants’ opportunities for success and a greatly improved quality of life.

Current estimates are that it presently costs approximately 3.2 million dollars to provide lifetime care for each individual with autism or Asperger’s Syndrome who cannot achieve independence. The cost in wasted potential, particularly for individuals who exhibit giftedness and savant skills, is incalculable.

Individuals with high-functioning autism are often viewed as a drain on government and service agency resources rather than as potentially talented individuals whose skills, in the proper settings and with the proper support, far outweigh their shortcomings.

The goal of The Tailor Institute is to foster an evolution in understanding and create new opportunities for individuals whose potential has heretofore been untapped. Your contributions can help The Tailor Institute give these individuals new hope for the future while greatly reducing the burden on overextended government services.

The Tailor Institute is a 501(c)(3) organization, all donations are tax-deductible

                           What can I do for The Tailor Institute?



·          Tell a friend about the program

·          Refer a candidate

·          Refer an Employer

·          Volunteer my services

·          Make charitable donations

         You can help The Tailor Institute gives these individuals new hope!

The goals of The Tailor Institute are deceptively simple, yet extraordinarily challenging. Nothing of this scope, with this focus, has been attempted in these ways before. The work of the Institute has the potential of creating meaningful lives and helping individuals with autism share their gifts with the world by fostering social and occupational opportunities where none currently exist.