Friday, March 11, 2011

Providing Structure and a Paycheck


ELGIN, Ill. — It’s a Friday morning, and Robert Larios and Leonard "Tucker" Banks are trying hard to concentrate on their work. The task: match up 10 large nails on a sheet of paper to outlines of the nails, then place the nails in plastic containers.
Their duties come with a purpose beyond packaging hardware. The young men, both in their 20s, are among a dozen or so participants in a new program for adults with autism spectrum disorders that the Association for Individual Development began this year at the organization’s Elgin and Aurora facilities.
Such duties give participants a sense of structure that helps builds their life skills, AID staff said. They also are being paid for their labor.

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