Most people with autism have some latent talents and abilities in some 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 in their jobs if they are motivated to do it. 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 achieve some improvement in your life. After a child is diagnosed with autism, they should be given the appropriate treatment and therapies to lead them to as normal a life as possible. Then we must find out about his latent talents and abilities. After finding out 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 (requiring support), Level 2 (requiring substantial support), and Level 3 (requiring 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 effectively nurture them.
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 identifying your latent talents, it will be easier to manage. 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 adept at mathematical calculations, feats of memory, artistic abilities, and musical abilities. However, we will talk about autism scholars in a different article.
Education for autistic children.
regular 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. Some of them can even be put into the normal flow of education. From the statistics, it is found that around 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 Secondary School Certificate (JSC) exam and now studies in class IX. One of the children with special needs, Md Eram, has been transferred to the normal stream of education through his talents and abilities and is now studying at Faith International School.
I work part time or full time. After dropping out of any level of education, an autistic adult may be placed in some office jobs or at the mall, gas station, food court, etc. according to your ability. But everyone should cooperate with them in carrying out their work. Md. Shamiuzzaman Tusar, a special needs person, is serving at International Chain Shop KFC, Bangladesh at 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 enterprises and other social conglomerates should come forward to rehabilitate autism talents.
Different fields of work for autistic children
Level 1 (requiring support) and Level 2 (requiring substantial support) autistic individuals who cannot continue to study or be deployed in any of the jobs listed above, can 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 autism schools and centers are giving 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 striking 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 appreciate their work and inspire them. Different banks, corporations or governments may come forward to represent the artwork of autistic children in their annual magazines and calendars. The Honorable Prime Minister of Bangladesh did a great job in outlining the artwork of autistic children on her invitation cards of different programs. My son Ferdous Mahi is very good at art. One of his artwork is already posted on the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s invitation card and he has been awarded a BDT One lac fee.
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 Different Abilities (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 Competition category. KARISHMA performed ‘Beautiful Bangladesh’ (Amar Desher Matir Gondhe: The smell of my country’s soil) which reflects the culture and heritage of rural Bangladesh. Bioscope, kite flying, farmer work in paddy field, flute, doi (yogurt) seller, village wedding norms, 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. Sufficient training can be provided to them and they 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 both English and Bengali efficiently. Autistic people like him can be deployed in this job. Autistic people can be given jobs in the different governmental and non-governmental organizations to make them self-sufficient.
Different jobs in IT. Also, some of the autistic individuals are experts 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 get proper training, they can be deployed in different IT related jobs in different IT farms. There are a few examples where some brilliant autistic children have kept the mark of their talents and abilities through their jobs 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 Ministry of IT’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 the special Olympic markings of their talents and abilities. Many of the people with special needs in Bangladesh 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. So far, 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 a responsibility to make the people of the country aware of autism. If the owners of the different organizations show up to sponsor their formation and deploy them in different works.
