Developing job skills is a vital part of our program at SEEDs for Autism. Our dedicated staff work closely with our participants to help them create resumes, fill out job applications and prepare for interviews through a series of role plays. These talented individuals are capable, employable and excited to become a valued part of the work force! Please join us in congratulating Talia on her new job at The Mellow Mushroom!
This article was featured in an issue of the SEEDs for Autism Newsletter. If you would like to subscribe and hear more stories from SEEDs participants, please visit our website. Thank you!
As part of our exciting online programming, SEEDs for Autism created a series of virtual groups, workshops and clubs where adults on the autism spectrum can connect with their peers through shared interests and opportunities. In the Kindness Club, SEEDs participants come together and find ways to cultivate kindness in our community! Last month the Kindness Club worked with Ashleigh at the Arizona Humane Society to make toys for the shelter cats!
SYDNEY K. After we finished making the toys, Ashleigh gave us a zoom tour of the Humane Society and showed us all the animals they have as well as the rooms of what they do there. The type of animals they take are dogs, cats, guinea pigs, ferrets and some other animals. They bring in animals when their family can no longer take care of their pets, if they are abused, brought in by law enforcement, sick and injured, emergencies etc. For the animals they do take in they spay and neuter them, give them food and shelter and take care of their injuries. After the animal is healthy they go to foster homes or get ready to be placed for adoption. Before they get adopted they need to be able to eat and drink on their own. Also they make sure to place them in a safe home and give them a second chance at life with a new family. The Humane Society is always looking for volunteers. They are a non profit organization and always looking for donations, as well as other things that they have on their website.
To learn more about the Arizona Humane Society and find out how you can help, please visit their website azhumanesociety.org
This article was featured in an issue of the SEEDs for Autism Newsletter. If you would like to subscribe and hear more stories from SEEDs participants, please visit our website. Thank you!
We are happy to announce the return of in store shopping at SEEDs for Autism! Developing Job Skills is a vital part of our program, and through the production and sale of our beautifully hand-crafted home and garden products, participants learn how to process payments, fulfill orders, provide excellent customer service, manage inventory and more.
Shop at SEEDs and enjoy a wide selection of high quality home and garden products created by our team of talented young adults on the autism spectrum.
Please visit seedsforautism.org/shop to keep up to date on the growing selection of new items from the participants at SEEDs for Autism. Gift cards also available!
This article was featured in an issue of the SEEDs for Autism Newsletter. If you would like to subscribe and hear more stories from SEEDs participants, please visit our website. Thank you!
For those on the autism spectrum, social interactions and new experiences are often a source of struggle. At SEEDs for Autism, we utilize Role Play as a powerful tool for social skill development. This effective technique enables participants to become familiar with different types of situations and empowers them with language and actions to appropriately participate in real life situations. Here, SEEDs participants engaged in a series of job interview Role Plays to help them prepare for entering the workforce. We asked them to share what they learned.
Playing the role of the “Hiring Manager” Chris greets Francis as he arrives for his interview.
DEVONTE The best way to prepare for a job interview is to take a shower, make sure that you have a clean appearance, and are dressed in professional attire. Then, you should make sure you feel motivated to do well during the interview. Have a mock interview with someone you know and ask them to give you constructive criticism about your performance. Make sure you eat before you have the interview, so you don’t have an empty stomach, and then brush your teeth. After that, think about the questions that you might be asked and have a list of reasonable answers ready. Double check everything to make sure that you are one-hundred percent ready, then head out for the interview.
Body language is important because it tells the interviewer whether you are interested in getting the job or not. If you have a positive and professional posture then it tells them that you are excited to be there and genuinely want to get the job. Likewise, if you have poor posture then it tells them that you just don’t care about getting the job and would rather not be there. If your body language tells them that you don’t want the job, then they simply won’t give it to you. However, if your body says that you want the job, then you are much more likely to be given it.
DUSTIN Take a shower, comb your hair and brush your teeth and wear clean clothes like a nice shirt and nice pants for a job interview. It is important to have a positive attitude, stand up straight, look at the person who is talking, have a good handshake and smile. These show that you want the job.
After a successful job interview, Chris and Angel shake hands.
ANGEL I learned that you have to be prepared for the interview and be professional. What I do is take a deep breath and think positive. During the job interview, I focus on staying calm, clear the mind and be polite, honest and respectful.
BRIAN T Positive attitude is the most important thing when you get a job. You don’t want to use a bad attitude cause you won’t get a job or earn money with a bad attitude.
Brian T demonstrates the importance of attitude during a job interview with his example of what NOT to do.
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This article was featured in an issue of the SEEDs for Autism Newsletter. If you would like to subscribe and hear more stories from SEEDs participants, please visit our website. Thank you!
Don’t carry your mistakes around with you. Instead, place them under your feet and use them as stepping stones.
We all make mistakes, but in every mistake there is an opportunity to learn. At SEEDs for Autism, we work with our participants to develop problem solving skills to understand what went wrong, and to find ways to prevent it from happening again. We asked SEEDs participants to share their thoughts on how mistakes make us GROW.
CHRIS M. Can Mistakes Help You Grow? Let’s face it, almost NO ONE wants to make mistakes one time too many. It can be overwhelming for someone to keep going. Should they just give up on what they’re going for? Real answer: NO. Here are some reasons why you should never give up on your dreams and goals, even when you make some mistakes along the way. I’ve had some moments when I, too, get overwhelmed by making mistakes on my projects. At times, I’d grow more impatient and want to quit. But over the years, I’ve learned to take a break every now and then to calm down. I’d even regenerate my idea engine as I take some time to relax. When I’m done with my alone time, I would eventually go back to whatever my project is. That would be how I’d grow: to take some alone time to relax and regenerate. Whenever I take a breather, I would listen to music that I enjoy to blot out the outside noises that make me feel negative. This would be my advice for those who make mistakes and get overwhelmed by them. Also, mistakes can help you get better at what you do best if you keep practicing and studying that particular subject you want to work on. Remember, never give up! You can do it.
SONJA It’s important to keep trying when we make a mistake because if you don’t keep trying you won’t know what it feels like to achieve the goal. Mistakes can help you grow because you do what you can do to improve next time. I learned from a mistake when I broke something in the kitchen and I felt bad. I told my family, said sorry, and helped clean up the mess. It was good nobody was hurt and it made me feel good to tell them what I did.
JUSTIN M. When you make a mistake try again until you succeed. My advice is never think ahead of yourself. I will think before I do it. It makes me feel happy.
SYDNEY L. You’ll learn from your mistakes and do better next time. Mistakes teach us to do better and learn new skills. I made a mistake by going camping and not bringing water. Also, at the first camping trip, I threw up because I ate twice the amount of food I should have. The second time I made sure to bring a water bottle and cut down on the food.
ANNA Mistakes make you grow because a mistake is something you did wrong and if it was your mistake, you can learn why it was wrong and grow from it. An example of a mistake helping me grow is when once I escalated a situation when I had an argument with my Dad. I was angry even after my Dad had apologized, but the argument went on because I was silent, refusing to forgive him. This caused the argument to go on longer. I learned from this mistake that if it was something small, like it was in this case, I should have accepted the apology. Because now I know that I made the argument longer. Now if a petty argument happens, as it happens in life, when things get stressed, I know just to accept and apologize and I feel more of an adult when doing so.
DANIEL N. Hello, I’m Daniel and today I’m going to be talking about my experience at United Parcel Service. I got timed out by the sign out pad for failure to sign fast enough for the pad to accept my signature. Now I sign for packages faster and the machine accepts my signature for packages when I’m required to sign them out of the pickup location. I ask the staff to check the mail for picking up at the store. The result is I learned and now the process goes more smoothly. I feel confident.
CHARLEY Why is it important to keep trying when we make a mistake? It is important to keep trying when we make a mistake so that we can learn to do better & do it right. By learning from our past mistakes, we in fact become wiser and more successful in the future. A couple of days ago, I forgot to fill the dog’s water bowl when I fed him his dinner. The result was the dog was very thirsty because his water bowl was empty. That made me feel bad. In the future, I will try to be sure to fill his water bowl when I feed him. Then he’ll be sure to stay hydrated.
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This article was featured in an issue of the SEEDs for Autism Newsletter. If you would like to subscribe and hear more stories from SEEDs participants, please visit our website. Thank you!
As part of our exciting online programming, SEEDs for Autism created a series of virtual groups, workshops and clubs where adults on the autism spectrum can connect with their peers through shared interests and opportunities. In this popular class, SEEDs participants improve balance, increase flexibility and relieve stress as they practice chair yoga together. We invited class attendees to share their experiences.
JACOB B. I can do breathing exercises. Yoga helps me relax. It helps me feel better. I can stretch my arms and legs. I felt peaceful and restful.
CHARLEY I was interested in attending the Chair Yoga group to keep myself well exercised. I found the Chair Yoga session to be quite interesting indeed. I learned that in Chair Yoga, flexibility is key. I enjoyed the fact that it loosens the muscles. It made me feel calm, peaceful, relaxed & unwound.
CHRIS M. When I first started out, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the experience. I’ve been known to be restless as well as ansty in everyday life and have never attended yoga before. I was nervous about giving it up on the first tryout. Once I gave the class a try, I began to relax while taking my time breathing as I followed Katrina’s (Instructor) workout in front of the class. I would also practice slow movements while I watched her perform. Since then, I’ve been attending more yoga classes to get myself more exercise as well as to learn tranquility so I could do better in life.
SONJA I was interested in joining the chair yoga because I wanted to do some exercising in the morning to start my day. My experience in it was fun and I got to see my friends and wish them a good morning. I learned the different positions to help stretch certain parts of the body like the legs, arms and torso. I enjoyed seeing Katrina (Instructor) it’s always nice to see her and seeing everyone else trying their best. It made me feel great to stretch and have a great start to my day.
SYDNEY L. I participated in the chair yoga class. It has been fun. I learned different exercises and breathing exercises. It made me feel tired.
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This article was featured in an issue of the SEEDs for Autism Newsletter. If you would like to subscribe and hear more stories from SEEDs participants, please visit our website. Thank you!
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. – Helen Keller
Optimism is a powerful tool when it comes to achieving goals, overcoming obstacles, or just being happy in general. At SEEDs, we help our participants recognize the importance of a good attitude in life. With the challenges faced through the past year, it is more important than ever to remain focused on the positive, to keep pushing forward and meet every day with a smile. We asked SEEDs participants to share their thoughts on why optimism is so important.
FRANCIS It’s important to be optimistic to be hopeful, happy, and joyful. I chose to be optimistic when I felt I was not succeeding. I choose optimism because it makes me feel good.
SONJA It’s important to be optimistic because we need to stay positive during the ups and downs of life and not let the negative feelings take over. During this weird time I have tried to stay optimistic instead of letting the negative thoughts come into my head. The result was good. I have been able to stay positive thanks to my family’s support. It felt good to be around positive energy. Everyone around me felt the same way.
JUSTIN M. It is important to be optimistic in life to show hope & confidence. My friend Gabe was feeling sad because his flag football team didn’t win the tournament & he feels like a loser. I decided to cheer him up & encourage him to never give up. Gabe felt much better & thanked me for cheering him up. I feel very confident. This makes the people around me be in a good mood.
SYDNEY L. You will get further in life if you are optimistic. I was dating someone for the first time. His name was Robert. Bit of an age difference between us, but we didn’t care. A year later, he cheated on me. I chose to remain positive because there were plenty of better options out there.
CHARLEY The reason it’s so important to be optimistic in life is because it keeps everyone going even if everything keeps going wrong. Back when my mom & I were attending our family reunion at the Grand Canyon, I was able to keep myself constantly optimistic despite the fact that weather was bad & we had trouble making the proper arrangements. When we got to Bearizona, I was optimistic & cheerful & we had a great time. The result was that my constantly, optimistic attitude encouraged everyone to push through such troublesome difficulties & ultimately have a wonderfully fun time. It made me feel so good to know that I helped my relatives to have such a superb reunion. It made them feel so wonderful to know that I was looking out for everyone that I actually cared about.
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This article was featured in an issue of the SEEDs for Autism Newsletter. If you would like to subscribe and hear more stories from SEEDs participants, please visit our website. Thank you!
I do my bathroom room and my room. I use a vacuum and mop my bathroom. I make my bed and tidy up. I use Comet for the toilet and disinfecting wipes for the container and the toilet. I water the plants that need to be watered. I do laundry every Saturday. I load the dishwasher and empty it, too. It makes me feel good to get things done and I feel better about myself. I think I like cleaning them all now because it will help us. It’s important so we aren’t sloppy and you can learn from it.
At SEEDs for Autism, our participants create a wide variety of high quality home and garden products which are sold into the community. Every purchase helps support this life-changing program and provides opportunities to further encourage and empower our students.
To learn more about SEEDs for Autism, please visit our website: seedsforautism.org
I like watching the Harry Potter movies. There are many fascinating characters and animals. My favorite character is Luna Lovegood. She has a funny, odd, and unique personality that separates her from the rest of the characters. I Like Luna because she isn’t afraid of being herself even with all of her quirky traits. She’s not one of the main characters, but I like her because she matches my personality.
Luna is first introduced to the audience in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” when Hermoine introduces her to Ron, Harry, and Neville and accidentally calls her Loony Lovegood instead of Luna. Loony is the nickname that people used because they thought she was crazy. Luna doesn’t seem to be bothered by what people say. She ends up becoming friends with Harry. I thought Luna should’ve been the one to get married with Harry instead of Ginny.
Luna reminds me of myself because I was also the odd one out during school and other social gatherings. I was always trying to do stuff I wouldn’t normally do so that I could fit in. Watching Luna’s character made me realize that it’s ok to be different. Luna’s character also made me realize that good people will be my friends because of my real self rather than who I think people want me to be.
Luna’s character is played by the actress Evanna Lynch. Lynch told a story about fan mail she received from people on the autism spectrum in an interview for insider.com. She explains, in her interview, her reasoning for why she thinks people on the Autism Spectrum feel a connection with Luna’s character. “She’s [Luna] just a little bit off-center and more of a misfit, yet she manages to accept herself despite being ostracized for being ‘weird.’ That to me was so inspiring growing up. I feel that might be what fans with autism are connecting with as well.” Reading Evanna Lynch’s theory, helped me understand more of why I liked Luna, and I learned that I wasn’t the only one who liked Luna.
In conclusion, I like Luna because she inspires me and is funny.
At SEEDs for Autism, we always encourage our participants to share their experiences. It helps us connect with others and the world around us.Below, Justin M. shares what he did on Christmas.
On Christmas Day, I got Paper Mario: The Origami King for the Nintendo Switch. Then we went to Benihana for dinner.
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