Resources by State Are Not the Same for People with Special Needs

Young adults with autism may qualify for assistance when they begin looking for jobs, but many of these resources are not having the effect that people would have hoped. This is not true for every state that offers assistance to people with special needs, but it happens often enough to be of concern.

Four states were having much more success helping those with autism, and they were Alabama, Washington, South Dakota and Nebraska. On the state level, authorities were able to place young adults with autism in vocational rehabilitation services, and they managed to become employed at a 70 percent rate. These states would be excellent models for the ones that aren’t enjoying as much success in this area.

On the state level, resources were being used extremely well in Pennsylvania. It seems that 90 percent of special needs people in need of assistance received it in this state. In New Jersey, it was a very different story. Only about 50 percent of those eligible for these resources received them.

The same thing can be said of special needs resources that kids with autism can qualify for in high school. In Montana, only 10 percent of teens with autism received vocational rehabilitation, but 77 percent of kids with autism received vocational rehabilitation in Oklahoma.

Researchers noticed that there were several differences between those who received assistance and resources and those who did not. There were differences between these people and whether or not they could find jobs. On the state level, kids with autism received vocational rehabilitation, but two-thirds of this group were not able to find jobs.

Researchers are still unaware of why kids with special needs did better with assistance in some states. It’s possible that there are differences on the state level that are making this happen. For example, some institutions may be spending more money on the state level than the ones that aren’t achieving as many results. They may also have fewer kids on the autism spectrum to help than other states.

Vocational rehabilitation helps young adults with special needs prepare to enter the workforce and keep their jobs.