Fit for the job: Employees with autism thrive in roles

The school day ends, the classrooms clear out, and Matthew Laudie, 19, goes to work.

Laudie is a full-time employee in the maintenance department at Jackson school district, earns benefits, contributes to his pension fund -- but it took a lot of work by a lot of people to bring this about.

Laudie has autism, as do two other employees in the maintenance department: Andrew Villalobos and Joseph Lowes.

They're not part of a special program. In fact, custodian supervisor Jefferson Fox said they're among his best employees.

"Everyone you hire is unique," Fox said. "We don't use the term 'special needs' here."

Joseph Lowes cleans a glass showcase in a hallway of Jackson High School on Feb. 24. Lowes is an employee of the Jackson School District.KASSI JACKSON

The idea of "special needs" isn't particularly useful for the jobs Fox hires people to do, he said.

"I don't think in terms of medical history, of diagnosis," Fox said. "I focus on what I need."

What Fox needs is someone physically capable of muscling around cleaning equipment, including an industrial vacuum and floor waxer, but also someone who can focus on the task at hand and work through a routine in a timely fashion.

Workers also need to be able to be a good representative of the school, Fox said.

"If they meet my requirements, I'm in," Fox said.

For Lowes, being distracted from his routine can throw him off, he said, so, at first, Fox asked the other workers not to pull him off his tasks.

But that's a nonissue now, Fox said.

Andrew Villalobos said this is his first job, and he enjoys having a routine to follow. He's gotten faster at it, he said, and Fox pointed out that's true of any employee.

"The bottom line is, everyone is different," Fox said. "Diagnoses don't change that."

Laudie and Villalobos are friends, and have been for several years, they said.

Villalobos is the more outgoing of the two, where Laudie is more apt to keep to himself, said Laudie's mother, Jennifer Casey, a registered nurse.

"Thank God for Jefferson Fox," Casey said. "He took a chance, and that's what it takes for people with issues like Matthew's, is for someone to take a chance on them.

"Matthew's a great worker," Casey continued. It's a challenge of the population of people with autism, she said -- her son is responsible, takes pride in his work and has a quirky sense of humor.

But potential employers don't always see that, she said.

And Laudie's sometimes-imperfect understanding of social mores can get him in trouble, she acknowledged.

He doesn't always know what jokes are inappropriate, she said, and that can be a real problem.

Anticipating consequences is tough for him, she said.

But the point is, "you have to see the value of a person, how unique and great and fun [they are]," Casey said.

And it can be hard to see past an initial impression, Casey said.

It was a struggle to get Laudie into a job, Casey said, but that statement doesn't express the magnitude of the work that she and several other people undertook to get him ready for it and into it.

One big hurdle faced by several people who have autism is the ability to drive.

Public transportation in Cape Girardeau isn't reliable enough for travelers to get to their jobs on time every time, Casey said.

Riding a bicycle is risky, and not practical in bad weather.

For her, that means she has to drive her son everywhere he needs to go, and she works full time. She has other obligations, to her mother and grandmother.

Casey is an only child, as is Laudie.

"You have certain expectations, when your child is born and growing up, you know?" Casey said.

The autism diagnosis meant certain avenues wouldn't be open to her son, Casey said. She'd worked as a pediatric nurse. She knew.

"But the diagnosis was the only way to get access to certain services for Matthew," Casey said.

The two of them lived in St. Louis until Laudie was in middle school, when they moved to Jackson, Casey said, and the therapists, guidance counselors, special education teachers were all "incredible."

"The people with the school district could not have been better," Casey said, working with Laudie to bring him along in his understanding of social skills, to help him better articulate what he was feeling.

He struggled with that in his childhood, and still does, to an extent, she said. He would get extremely frustrated because he couldn't express what he was feeling; those feelings would overwhelm him, and he'd need to go take a break.

He'd take about five minutes, not the full seven he was allowed, Casey said.

Because he needed five minutes.

Casey said she could describe the challenges she and Laudie faced while he was growing up, she could talk about having to help him fill out the electronic form to be considered for a job application, his struggles with vocational rehabilitation, his hard work to improve his eye contact and to hold a conversation during the job interview; she could even talk about driving him to the interview and debating whether or not to go in with him -- "because how can I prove to the interviewer my son's a good worker when he has to bring his mom to the interview?" -- but for an even better idea of how her son's mind works and what that means for the people interacting with him, she'd direct people to books and videos by Temple Grandin.

Grandin, a woman with autism who is very skilled with animals, is inspiring for Casey and Laudie both.

"Matt likes animals," Casey said, and might someday want to study to be a veterinary technician.

Or maybe not. He could stay with the school indefinitely. "Who knows?" Casey said.

But he'll have the option.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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