I'm autistic and was diagnosed at 31, so I was in all mainstream classes. I graduated from high school in 2001, and college in 2006 (with a Bachelor's in Social Work). I work three jobs in human services. I haven't faced any discrimination or unfair treatment due to my diagnoses (I also have ADHD, OCD, and anxiety). In fact, I feel I am an asset to the field because of my lived experience. I work with others who have developmental disabilities and mental illness.

When I went to the National Autism Conference a few years back, I remember one speaker who worked with autistic adults as employment support. He said one of the most important skills to teach is how to eat politely and neatly. When he would talk to employers and coworkers, messy eating was their biggest complaint against their autistic coworker. It may not seem that important to us, but it makes a difference for assimilating into the adult world.
A has been very successful in her job as a graphic designer. Her employer's one suggestion to her is that she learn to modulate her speech volume. She is very loud. Luckily, she seems fine with taking correction.
My kids never went to high school. They will accept accommodations when necessary in college, though. Mostly, they just learn to do things differently. A is dyslexic, but she is very well read, thanks to audio books, for example. She uses technology to her advantage wherever possible.

We have a transition meeting at the end of this school year...she goes to HS next year. My goal is to start her off with a regular dipolma program because we can scale back if she's not successful but it's harder to start with the other options then try to change to the gen ed diploma. Context she has been taking gen ed classes with some para support since 7th grade we have increased to all "out classes" this year to see if she can handle it. Hope this helps.

My daughter is 11 and in special ed classes. She won't get a diploma just some piece of paper showing completion I guess. "66% OF ADULTS WITH AUTISM ARE UNEMPLOYED" says it all. No other disability comes close to this level of unemployment.

https://www.thehrdigest.com/66-adults-autism-un...