Try, Try Again
Over the course of time we began to realize that it may be hard for Travis to become gainfully employed. Many individuals (including Travis) on the autism spectrum have impairments in executive function. These individuals have the inability to plan and prioritize, the inability to assign attention to competing stimuli; poor judgement and weak organization skills.
Now think about a few of the jobs you have had along the way. I cannot think of a single job that I have had that I did not need to plan and prioritize, multi-task, use good judgement and have good organization skills. Not one.
In fact, most of us probably hit upon these items as strengths in our cover letters and interviews.
Travis also has a learning disability. And significant mental health issues.
Through our research, and later experience, we learned that individuals on the spectrum may exhibit exceptional concentration when engaged in their special interest. We decided to hang on to that tidbit of information and began to explore employment options with Travis early on.
We did find that Travis was better able to focus when the topic was of great interest to him. Travis loves animals. In a previous blog I talked about an internship that I had arranged for him with our local veterinarian. I had noticed over the years when I brought our dog in that different teenagers would be working in the business. And some of the teenagers working there had special needs. Because the veterinarian and I were both business owners in a small community, she knew our family. So she was quick to say yes about giving Travis an internship opportunity.
If you read that previous blog, you know that position was short-lived. Before I remind you what happened with the internship, let me remind you of a few of the other characteristics an individual on the autism spectrum might possess, and that Travis does possess:
Lack of social skills
Limited ability to have a reciprocal conversation
Cannot read body language
Less aware of personal space
Dominates social interaction
Difficulty not interrupting
Not motivated by desire to please
Chaos and uncertainty are intolerable
Difficulty with cognitive flexibility - one track mind, rigidity in thinking
Difficulty with perspective taking
The point I guess that I am trying to make is that it is simply not going to be enough to have a special interest in a topic. Because in most jobs you have to deal with people in addition to your interest.
Travis had a difficult time not interrupting the doctor as she spoke to clients. And he thought he had a better way of doing things so he shared with her what she could do to improve her business. He was unable to follow directions. As he carried dog food out to a car for a client he told her that her dog didn’t have any manners. Could he have her address? He would come over and teach her dog.
Keep in mind that Travis is a teenager at this point. Not of small stature. You cannot see his disability. So the client was a bit rattled.
Part of the uniqueness of Travis is that he says most everything that he is thinking out loud. Now I would like you to think again about those few jobs that you’ve had in the past. And imagine saying everything you were thinking to your co-workers. And to your boss. How long do you think that job would last?
Probably about as long as this internship lasted. The veterinarian shared with me that Travis would need 1:1 support to maintain the internship and that her business was not set up to offer that level of support. I appreciated her diplomacy. Yes, we are still friends.
If you’ve been following our story, you already know that Travis attended school at The Joshua School for three and a half years. (If you are new to my blog you will have a better understanding if you scroll to the first one, “The Origin Story” dated December 31, 2018, and read in order.) During Travis’s time there he participated in several internship opportunities. Revolving around areas of interest. One at the Denver Zoo. Another at the Ferret Rescue. Perfect experiences for the animal lover.
Travis also helped in another classroom. Because he has a heart for his friends with disabilities.
In every instance, no matter the position, Travis had great difficulty following directions or staying on task without a great deal of support.
Tracy came up with a different idea. Tracy and I both owned our own businesses. What if Travis were to have his own business? That would take co-workers and bosses out of the equation. But what? We would need to start with something small and see how Travis handled it.
Tracy found a used pop machine for sale for $200 in April, 2008. Travis was just shy of fifteen years old at the time. We explained how the business would work to Travis. He seemed excited by the idea of earning money. We were his bank. We loaned him the $200 for the machine, an addition $10 for a roll of quarters for the machine to give change, and $42.81 for the first pop purchase. (Yep, I still have the spreadsheet. Because not only did I save every piece of paper ever regarding Travis, but I am also an accountant!)
I referred to the spreadsheet often with Travis. Because every time he took money out of the machine, he thought it was his to spend. So after counting it, I applied it to his balance with the bank. The bank of mom and dad. And don’t get me wrong. Every now and again I would let him spend a few dollars.
Honestly, the only thing Travis enjoyed about the business was getting the money out of the machine. Obviously, the intent was for him to earn the money. He was going to need to do the work. The pop machine was placed in Tracy’s office. During this time Tracy was doing the transporting of Travis back and forth to Denver for school. Tracy’s office was in Denver.
I would watch for sales on pop. We would stock up when we could find it for .25 per can. The machine charged the buyer .50 per can. I would take Travis to the store with me. I wanted him to take the cases from the shelf and put them in the cart. Then go through the line and purchase it with me. So that he would learn how his business worked. Then help me load it in the car.
It was never that easy. Travis wandered off. He was distracted by a movie. Or a remote control car. Or a video game. Most times I loaded the cart and then went to find him. And again most times it did not end well when I said no to the item he wanted. I reminded him that his pop machine business would enable him to earn the item he wanted. He wanted the item now. And he would pay me back later. Nope.
From there I was usually on my own to load it in the car. Because he was angry with me. This same story played out again and again. Parents, you all know what happened from there. Right?
I stopped taking him to the store with me. I just bought his pop on a separate receipt when I was already at the store. Alone. Because life is already hard enough. I know my readers with kiddos on the spectrum understand. Actually, all parents probably understand. Shopping is just easier without our kids in tow. Mostly on the budget. And for me, much faster when I am alone. And if you’ve been following our story you already know that I always brought Travis shopping with me when he was younger. I highlight one of our experiences shopping in my blog, “Teachable Moments”.
Travis would spend an hour or two at Tracy’s office after school until they headed for home. So the next step in the pop saga was to get it from my car to Tracy’s truck. Most times we could get Travis to help with that portion of his job. Because when we were at home we had the luxury to ask him again and again. Some times we would forget and Tracy would be running late to head out, so he would move it himself.
After school Travis was supposed to unload the pop from the truck and bring it in the office. Then check his pop machine and refill it if necessary. The bottom line was that Travis was less than agreeable after making it through an entire day at school. Oftentimes, if he was able to hold it together for school, he would unload later with us. He needed constant support with his pop machine tasks. Which was hard for Tracy to give when he was supposed to be working himself.
We kept after it. We were hopeful. Travis paid the pop machine off in February, 2009. Tracy purchased a second used pop machine for $200 and placed it in another business nearby. We explained to Travis that he would be able to pay this one off much faster because he would be using the sales from two machines.
Travis did pay off the second machine by October, 2009. But by this time our school district was busing Travis back and forth to Denver. And Tracy had sold his business. He was unable to have Travis at work with him any longer. In the end Tracy was doing all of the loading and refilling, and I was doing all of the shopping. Our lesson about earning your money in return for work was a failure. In the end we sold the machines. I cannot even remember what Travis spent the money on.
There may not have been co-workers or bosses to deal with. But there was also no exceptional interest in selling pop.
On to the next idea. Because if at first you don’t succeed? Try, try again.
“If at first you don’t succeed, and you think there is no end in sight…Just go and try, and try again, until you get it right.” - Author Unknown
