For neurodiverse young adults, the journey to independence can be full of stumbles and false starts. Having an intellectual or developmental disability raises the stakes of succeeding in college and the workplace. This time can be very stressful to parents, too, as they navigate the transition with their teen into, hopefully, independent living.
Families in Los Angeles are fortunate to have a number of organizations that help provide a road map with guidance, resources and tools. Here are some wonderful programs in our community that meet this challenge and help neurodiverse young adults fulfill their potential.
The Help Group
Based in Sherman Oaks, The Help Group’s Vocational Programs and Services Department offers numerous programs. Through Advance LA, young adults ages 18 and up are given one-on-one life skills coaching. Clients gain tools that include time management, job skills and college planning. A social group, club l.a., meets once a month for a fun event and gives participants a nonjudgmental, safe place to develop friendships.
One of the many vocational programs is “We Can Work,” offered through the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR), for students 16-21, which helps them gain work experience training under the direct supervision of work experience specialists, according to Kyle Kerfoot, director of vocational services. Students develop resumes, gain interview expertise and work at local businesses. Kerfoot says, “The fact that our clients are able to wield a greater level of self-confidence, self-advocacy and overall autonomy when navigating the workforce, while knowing that they are able to return to DOR or The Help Group for assistance should they need it in the future, has primed them for a greater chance of success.”
The Help Group’s Bridgeport Vocational Center for ages 18-22 has a curriculum that is geared toward internships with local businesses, including Smart and Final, Walgreens and Sharky’s. Students are also responsible for all operational aspects of Lulu’s Cafe on campus. According to Pamela Clark, vice president of school administration, “We are demonstrating to businesses that our students can definitely be assets to their companies at several levels, including dependability, independence and a passion for fulfilling their job responsibilities.” Some of these students reside at The Help Group’s Project Six, located nearby, developing their independent abilities.
Vista Del Mar
Vista Del Mar’s 18-acre campus in West Los Angeles houses Vista School, where students 18-22 from the Los Angeles Unified School District and other local districts are enrolled in a certificate track program. Assistant Principal Edie Bartnof says, “The focus is how we get these students out into the world.” This is accomplished through n2y, a curriculum serving learners with unique learning needs and the Workability program, which offers vocational skills with a career counselor and job coach, both on and off campus.
Social and living skills are addressed with enrichment activities, including a horticultural specialist who helps students work in the campus garden and to prepare produce for sale. Students bake and wait on customers at Vista Cafe and sell items at the popular coffee cart. They take field trips and learn to navigate the Metro, building their self-esteem. There is a strong performing arts and music program, as well.
This year’s graduates went on to enroll in programs at West Los Angeles College, Performing Arts Studio West, Pathways Programs and Job Corps. “When our kids leave, I’m feeling very confident that they are going to quality programs we can be proud to say that they’re in,” Bartnof says.
In addition to Vista School, another thriving program called Nes Gadol gives young adults a sacred space to experience Jewish life with music, art and movement. And next year, the Vista Autism Center will offer classes for adolescents and young adults to help prepare them for their integration into the general and work environments.
The Ed Asner Family Center
The Ed Asner Family Center, a Studio City-based nonprofit founded by Matthew Asner and Navah Paskowitz-Asner, offers a wide range of expressive arts classes and career programs.
TEAFC Academy provides a weekly day program three semesters a year, with classes such as improvisation, voiceover, film and video and animation. Career programs include resume building, mock interviews and basic computer skills. Life skills classes offer cooking, hygiene and social appropriateness. The center also provides mental health programs with low-cost counseling services for the entire family.
The organization’s goal is to partner with corporations such as Funko Hollywood, where students volunteer with a job mentor. The founders are thrilled that this year, three of their students were offered employment with Funko Hollywood.
There are also camps, after-school classes and the popular Dating Spectrum course. All of these programs promote self-confidence, independence and balance. As Asner says, “To see the students’ personalities grow after they’ve been here, to see them become these thriving creative people, is a tremendous joy.”
Golden Heart Ranch
Golden Heart Ranch sprawls across 22 acres in Agoura Hills, providing programs to young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Rose van Weir Hein founded the non-profit ranch to help others like Justin, her son who has autism, with programs, classes, seasonal camps and events to foster independence.
The “ranchers” enjoy a weekly day program during the school year, with activities such as hiking, swimming and community-based volunteering. An organic garden provides job experience, and the ranchers gain life skills with grocery shopping and cooking class, not to mention the fun of caring for goats, chickens, rabbits and a cow named Rosie. Van Weir Hein says, “Everyone has meaningful work and projects. For any person, neurodivergent or not, that’s what feeds your soul.”
Rounding out the activities are yoga, art, dance and a social living club that helps young adults to develop friendships. According to Jeni Pierce, director of Programming, “One of the things that really makes the ranch stick out is the Camp Coyote Ridge program,” an overnight camp that builds independence. “For a lot of ranchers, this is the first time they ever spent away from their home.”
The Miracle Project
The Miracle Project, a performing arts non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, is a fully inclusive program founded by Elaine Hall. She has created a dynamic neurodiverse community focused on building communication, job and social skills.
Students with autism and all abilities rehearse for life through expressive arts and social skills classes. Hannah Warren, program director and clinical supervisor, says, “We use improvisation, roleplay and theater games to help students practice skills for positive social interaction.” Students take into the world increased self-esteem, confidence and self-advocacy.
The classes at The Miracle Project, which partners with the regional centers, include “I Can Do That,” which exposes adults ages 16 and up to a career in the entertainment industry. “Miracles in Action” allows young adults to give back to their community in art-based ways and a social-skills group for women 18 and up hones in on social dynamics women experience in the workplace. As Hall says, “Students find their voice, discover their talent, reveal their authentic selves and live their dreams.”
For neurodiverse young adults, finding a program that helps them put the steps in place on the road to independent life is a dream come true.
Jennifer Gay Summers is a journalist, author and ADHD mom blogger whose work includes essays published in ADDitude, Adoptive Families and Chicken Soup anthologies. She can be found at jennifergaysummers.com.
