Somerset Hills Learning Institute Announces Plans to Launch Center For Career Advancement For Adults With Autism
-Providing Opportunities For Career Training and Meaningful Employment
BEDMINSTER, N.J., Aug. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Somerset Hills Learning Institute, a non-profit program for students with autism, took the next step in launching its Center for Career Advancement by purchasing Three Meadows Farm. This makes the Institute one of the few in the country that is endeavoring to impact the 80% unemployment rate for individuals with autism. A recent study (Wehman, Schall, McDonough, Kregel, et al., 2014) found that 87% of young adults with autism who were given assistance to find a job were able to secure one, but only 6% were able to secure a job without this help. The Center will help people with autism lead fulfilling lives by achieving meaningful employment, as well as create opportunities for careers and community involvement for people previously marginalized in society. Three Meadows Farm will be one of Somerset Hills Learning Institute's local partner business locations, which also include Staples, Wee People Daycare and the Morris County Courthouse, who provide job skills training to students with autism.
According to the CDC prevalence study, 50,000 adults with autism enter adulthood each year, at which time many do not receive further treatment. This leaves parents in a difficult situation, needing treatment for their adult son or daughter, which fully meets his or her needs. Somerset Hills Learning Institute's mission of providing a broad spectrum of services to children, adolescents, and adults with autism is furthered by creating the Center for Career Advancement to help with this societal need. Founded in 1998, the Somerset Hills Learning Institute has continually improved its ability to serve its students. The Institute provides one-on-one services to people with autism, including full-family at-home instruction, based on the science of Applied Behavior Analysis. The Center for Career Advancement will begin serving students in the fall of 2016.
"We at Somerset Hills Learning Institute are proud of achieving our mission of providing meaningful services to children and adults with autism, and giving them the opportunity to lead fulfilling lives through employment opportunities," said Dr. Kevin Brothers, Executive Director of the Institute.
In addition to offering career training and employment opportunities, through Three Meadows Farm, Somerset Hills Learning Institute will provide the surrounding community, local stores and restaurants with fresh produce, year round, through sustainably-grown hydroponic farming. The Institute is running a capital campaign to help fund this initiative. To learn more, visit www.somerset-hills.org.
About Somerset Hills Learning Institute
Somerset Hills Learning Institute is a private non-profit program that offers a broad spectrum of services to children, adolescents, and adults with autism. The Institute exists to provide science-based treatment and education to people with autism. Somerset Hills Learning Institute prepares professionals as future autism intervention resources, and through its research, pioneers comprehensive intervention models that may be used nationally and internationally for the benefit of people with autism. Visit us at www.somerset-hills.org or on Facebook.
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SOURCE Somerset Hills Learning Institute
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