CIP Long beach Archives

One of parents’ most pressing concerns is helping their kids who have learning disabilities and developmental delays transition from high school to college or the workforce. Two local programs, The Help Group and College Internship Program (CIP) Long Beach, have made part of their mission to help young adults build vocational pathways.

In addition to its educational and counseling services for neurodiverse young people, The Help Group’s Bridgeport Vocational Education Center has formed a new partnership with community colleges wherein students can obtain vocational certifications while in high school. They currently offer six career pathways, including agriculture, arts media, child development, construction/manufacturing, fashion design/business marketing and hospitality. Their mission is to guide and support students with special needs in reaching their full potential toward independence during the transition to adulthood, focusing on education/training, community participation, and employment. To learn more, contact The Help Group’s admissions office at admissions@thehelpgroup.org.

Local programs can help young adults with learning differences create vocational opportunities.

CIP Long Beach has been helping young adults who are on the autism spectrum and have learning differences find success in college, employment and independent living in its centers across the U.S. since 1984. Its vision is to challenge the norms of what people with learning differences can achieve.

Students ages 18-26 with autism spectrum disorder and learning differences receive comprehensive and individualized support as they:

Expand their independence in a supported apartment-based living setting
Pursue higher education at their choice of several college and vocational options
Put their skills to work with the support of CIP’s career continuum

Visit the Long Beach website for more information.

We recently sat down with CIP President Dan McManmon to discuss transition tips for students with autism and other learning differences. CIP Long Beach is part of a national organization that serves teens and young adults with autism, ADHD, and other learning differences.

How can parents best prepare their child for the transition to adulthood?

Parents can work to create strong structure and routines around activities of daily life (laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning) and social activities. A social mentor who can work with the student to fine-tune their social skills can also be very helpful. Volunteer and internship opportunities in a student’s area of interest can work well, too.

How can parents best prepare themselves for this transition?

Parents of students with unique needs have had to manage many aspects of their young adult’s life out of necessity. This becomes counterproductive when the student reaches adulthood. Providing the right amount of independence and allowing for small failures and the accompanying learning lessons that come with them is often difficult but necessary.

What are the most common challenges young adults face?

This varies greatly, but we typically see social issues that become more complicated with age, and the older a person gets the less compassion or understanding they receive within society. Social isolation and mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression are not all that uncommon.

What are parents most concerned about at this time?

At CIP, we see that most parents want their young adults to have the greatest chance for success and opportunities for them to make friends, identify a productive path to full or part-time employment, and learn to live more independently.

What is the one piece of advice you would like to give parents who are facing this transition?

Each families’ situation is very different. Trust your instincts and keep an open mind as the landscape of options and opportunities for students with learning differences is continually changing and evolving.

CIP students receive support as they transition to adulthood.

CIP Long Beach is a transition program for young adults with autism, ADHD, and other learning differences. For information about Long Beach and their other year-round and summer programs across the US, visitwww.cipworldwide.org or call 877-566-9247.

Building Inclusive Career Paths for Young Adults

L.A. Parent