What can a young adult with autism do after school's done?

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Hi, I recently joined this site in hope of hearing from people who have similar situations or experiences that can help my family. My younger brother is about to be 21. We live in Florida and this is his last year of school. He's very independent and requires little supervision but
even with that being said there really aren't place for him to get a job or work on continuing education. Does anyone have any suggestions? I think it's important that he has social interaction and his day are scheduled/structured, which helps him. My family is trying to figure out what would be good for him. I've had a hard time researching programs for autistic adults in the Tampa bay area, so any insight would be wonderful. Thank you

I think one mistake you're making is assuming the answer would be the same for anyone with autism. He is an individual. What are his special interests? Do any of them lend themselves to his learning more about them, volunteering in those areas, or even becoming an independent consultant in those areas? (I do understand a lot of special interests aren't the sort most people are going to hire a consultant over, but in a few cases, it might be the answer.) We live and think outside the box, and so to find answers that work for us, you often have to think outside the box.

I was actually going to just look through any posted suggestions and see which ones apply to him. As far as interest go, he enjoys building things (Legos , woodenly crafts with manuals) also most things media oriented.

Sorry I so forgot to include that he only really speaks as needed (to inform us or ask permission) and does not hold conversations. He's very happy but also very to himself.

What it really comes down to is, can he work? The more able he is to learn a job skill, whatever it might be, the better off he is. If he hasn't been already, he needs to be assessed with this question in mind.

Well, I sit at home doing nothing all day.

I have tried a few things but I still dont know what I want to do its been like 2 years.

For us on the Spectrum, I think there really is an inverse relationship between "easy" jobs and "hard" jobs.

In many entry level work places, we're more likely to be recipients of bullying behavior.

In more professional work places, our differences sometimes play to strength and we're more likely to experience acceptance and appreciation.

I really hope he can find something good to do with his time. But the others are right--it really depends on who you are, what you want to do.

What kind of transition planning has he had in school? Has he looked at possible employment options? Does he have the academic ability and desire to go to college or a certificate program? Someone mentioned apprenticeships; that's an option too. Or he could get career training designed for disabled people, and go into a job based on that.

Have you looked into the vocational rehab department in your area? They often help disabled people get jobs. One thing to remember is that "autistic" is not the same thing as "intellectual disability", and that means you can't treat them equivalently when looking for a job. Autistic people often have sensory problems that people with ID don't struggle with nearly as much, and we tend to burn out more easily on socially-oriented positions; but we tolerate repetition better and pay much more attention to detail. It's a completely different skill set, so don't let them just throw him in with non-autistics. It's got to be specialized, so he can actually do what he's good at instead of being squished into a Generic Supported Employment type of job.

Leisure--well, what are his hobbies? Your hobbies are a great bridge to friendship if you can find other people who enjoy the same things. As an autistic person and apparently an introvert, he needs a lot of alone time to recharge, but being completely isolated wouldn't let him practice interacting with others.

What's his transportation availability like? Can he drive or use the bus? If he can, he's got lots of options, especially if you live in an urban area. The library immediately occurs to me, because that's where I'd go, because I'm an absolute bookworm. But there are many options.

Building things, as in designing, or the mechanical aspects of following a blueprint, creating patterns, etc.? The first is an artistic thing; the second is more of a visual-spatial thing. There are a lot of factory jobs that involve assembling things if he's good at that. Unfortunately it's hard to find a job as an artist, but that doesn't mean he can't have fun. Legos are awesome.

Are you and he close? Do you hang out a lot? If he's socially isolated after he graduates, he doesn't necessarily have to suffer for it, if he has family who enjoy spending time with him. Even one person who treats you like an equal and genuinely enjoys your company can be a godsend when you have a hard time communicating.

Get your brother over to WP if he's interested in chatting with us. We can always use another person's viewpoint around here, and maybe he could bounce ideas off us to see if anything appeals.

The problem is that we know nothing of your brother. We don't know his strengths, weaknesses or even his actual diagnosis. This site has people from the entire spectrum of autism. This means you may have someone like me who is self diagnosed and sits somewhere between ADHD and a mild case of Asperger's or you may have someone who is relatively low functioning with profound disabilities and a professional diagnosis of low functioning Kanner's (or classic) autism. As far as it goes, I am what is sometimes called "active but odd". I talk-A LOT- but have a difficult time relating to people who do not share my interests. As for what I do, I would prefer to be a mechanical engineer but I deliver pizza instead. Then there are aspies who, unlike me, are almost non-verbal and withdrawn from society. Remember that, as many people are fond of saying, if you have met one aspie or autie, you have met one aspie or autie. We are all VERY different people with different ways of seeing the world, different levels of ability and disability and different personalities. What works for one of us probably won't work for another. Just remember that people who are autistic spectrum are human beings, not a label.