Spring 2014 Volume 1, Issue 3
NEWS IGNITE is a program of the Autism Society of North Carolina, with founding support from the Evernham Family Racing for a Reason Foundation
Story of Success! Mike Hauck graduated high school in 2007. He became certified in A+ (basic computer repair), MCP (Windows XP), and N+ (Basic Networking). Then Mike sat home and played video games and read fan fiction for 6 years. Mike had never been invited to a party or had friends come over to his house. He didn’t have any real belief that he could get a job, either, so there was no point in trying. He did volunteer at The Bin once a week from a connection made through his mother, just to get out of the house.
IGNITE is a unique ‘peer-topeer’ community center for young adults with highfunctioning autism (HFA) or Asperger syndrome (AS) offering activities, skills training, and educational workshops that foster social, financial, educational, and employment independence for its members. More importantly, IGNITE offers a social environment where members can connect with others and experience a sense of community.
Mike joined IGNITE at its inception in January of 2013, and his life has changed dramatically. Initially, Mike was reluctant to talk in a group, and needed to sit on the floor in the corner with his treasured computer in front of him (almost like a barrier) at all times. Mike’s attention was always on the discussion in the group (he is someone who rarely misses details), and he had very insightful answers when called on for his thoughts; but his eye contact was fleeting, he spoke very quietly, and he rarely smiled or laughed. Mike is a different person now, just over a year from his initial entry into IGNITE. His days are now spread between three part-time jobs in addition to his continued volunteerism at The Bin; he interviewed and was hired by Bumbalooza, a gluten free baking company in Charlotte (www.bumbalooza.com), and also works for the Autism Society of North Carolina, who snapped him up as an office assistant at IGNITE once they saw how his skills matched the needs of the center. Mike has also established a positive reputation running his own business providing computer maintenance, repair, and teaching computer skills to others. His IGNITE friends drop by the house regularly, and he has vacationed away from family with those friends - for the first time on his own. He and another IGNITE member are looking for an apartment together, and although he is now adept at accessing public transportation, he will soon begin driving instruction, and looks forward to going back to school to gain more certifications.
Page 2 Mike Hauck is a young man with a brilliant mind, a quick sense of humor, dedication to getting any task done efficiently and completely, and now has a bright future. Mike’s parents are relieved and proud that he has the skills and opportunities to support himself when they are no longer able to care for him; and that he is now unlikely to become dependent upon state or federal support when they are gone. How much is that year of IGNITE’s service worth? One year. That’s all it took for this individual to cross the bridge into the adult world, using his Aspergerdriven skills to his advantage, and with support and confidence in him provided by IGNITE. Perhaps we should ask Mike’s parents the value of their peace of mind, and Mike himself says, the value of friends, work that he loves to do, and a chance for an independent life is, “worth more money than the world has to offer!”
What’s in a Job Description? Sometimes, employers create job descriptions, or set lists of qualifications, required tasks, and personality traits they look for in potential employees, that are inflexible. This is especially true of large or national corporations, where consistency is important in measuring productivity from site to site. That means, however, that the job description for the Best Buy Geek Squad in Torrance California would be exactly the same as the job description in Portland Maine, regardless of the local needs or job pool. It is the lack of flexibility in job descriptions that can create a barrier to potential employees with high functioning autism or Asperger syndrome, who may be highly motivated and have many of the skills needed to perform the job, but may have difficulty with one or more expectations such as interfacing with customers, or working in a rushed deadline type of atmosphere that are part and parcel of the job requirement. Job Carving allows the employer to maximize an employee’s time at work to be devoted to the strengths of that individual. This then allows other employees with opposite skills to spend more time at what is their strongest personal skill. Let’s say Company 1 and Company 2 both provide travel services to corporations. Both have an open position for a travel consultant. Both companies are presented with two applicants – one has very strong people skills and works well under pressure, the other excels at computer research, but needs a quieter environment and doesn’t have a ‘salesman-like presentation’. Company 1 hires the’salesman’, who then spends half his time, not in front of clients where he belongs, but on his laptop researching the best fares (which is not his forte, consequently taking him longer than would be optimum). Company 2 splits the tasks between the two applicants – one in the backroom researching fares, hotel locations, and booking travel arrangements, the other in the storefront, who can now service more customers since the tedious research is being conducted by someone else. Rarely will one find a single individual highly skilled in all needed skill areas, and good business sense would dictate that each employee spends the majority of their time at whatever they do best and enjoy doing, since that would be the most profitable for the business. Call IGNITE Director Stacy Hultgren to discuss how IGNITE members can help your business succeed and provide members with valuable work experience.
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Prevalence Rate of Autism Spectrum Disorders The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently announced new prevalence rates for Autism Spectrum Disorders. Since 2000, prevalence rates are measured biannually for a sample population of 11 states and communities, and monitored through the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (ADDM). The prevalence rate of ASD is now estimated to be 1 in 68, a 30 percent increase since the 2012 report, which showed it to be 1 in 88.
A subset of the data was specific to NC and indicated a new prevalence rate in our state of 1 in 58 children. This is an increase of 17 percent from the 2012 data. (The data were from an 11-county sample in central NC totaling 37,783 children.) No one yet knows the cause(s) of the increase. What we do know is that early identification and intervention, special education specific to ASD, and support in adulthood work to create a brighter future for those with ASD.
Business Spotlight In the words of Jessica Sokal, owner Blue J Beads, http://www.bluejbeads.com
It all started with Blue. My younger brother Steven, or as I call him—Blue—was diagnosed with autism when I was four. If you know me, you know that Steven is my absolute world. Nothing makes me happier than seeing him happy, whether that means traveling, cooking, or just joking around with each other. We have done everything together since the beginning, and even decided to move to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2012. It was shortly after that I realized it was time to make another move… That is how Blue j Beads came about. I have a passion for three things: God, my loved ones, and fashionespecially handmade jewelry. Not everyone is able to do something they love for someone they love, but Blue j Beads allows me to do just that. With each piece of jewelry I make, I hope to spread awareness about the ones with such a pure and innocent heart like Steven. A portion of the proceeds on my creations will go towards helping people with autism, like my Blue. Despite all of the hardships Steven has faced, he has such an accepting and loving spirit that makes me want to be a better person. Steven inspires me every day, and I look forward to doing something I love that will benefit him and the autistic community.
IGNITE wishes to express our sincere thanks to Jessica for her support of IGNITE and the Autism Society of North Carolina
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IGNITE would like to thank the following local community supporters: Bailey Middle School
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet
Best Buy
Our Town Cinemas
Blue J Beads
Robin Barnes & Ann Lee Bressler
Bumbalooza
Ron Pratte
Davidson College
RUSK Eating House at Davidson College
FUEL Sports Management
Sherwin Williams
Furniture Row
Summit Coffee
Ingersoll Rand
Toast Catering
Kilpatrick Townsend, Attorney at Law
TrueCraft Builders
Levelor Window Fashions
Carlisle Companies
Mark & Cynthia Sokal
Carolina Custom Installations
Martin Truex, Jr. Foundation
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Foundation
MSC Industrial Direct Co, Inc.
And, of course, we thank The Evernham Family Racing for a Reason Foundation, without whom IGNITE would not be possible!
CONTACT For more information: Stacy Hultgren, Director IGNITE 704-897-8982 Shultgren@autismsociety-nc.org Website: www.ignite-davidson.org www.autismsociety-nc.org You can donate to IGNITE online, or send a check made out to the Autism Society of North Carolina to: IGNITE 209 Delburg Street, Suite 134 Davidson NC 28036