Employment Services
Little Friends offers a variety of Employment Services to meet the unique needs of the individuals we serve.
Connecting Adults with Communities
Connecting Adults with Communities bridges the gap between post-secondary neurodiverse adults and competitive integrated employment within underrepresented sectors of employment like technology, data analyst, logistics, manufacturing, and more. Through experiential learning our program instills confidence, creating independence!
This program’s goal is to prepare each individual for competitive employment through individualized assessment, extensive career exploration, and skills development leading to on the job training. Throughout this individual development program, young adults will gain the necessary skills to secure and maintain meaningful competitive employment within their communities.
For more information, contact Program Director, Cassidy Kaput, 630.929.2725
Connecting Adults with Communities bridges the gap between post-secondary neurodiverse adults and competitive integrated employment within underrepresented sectors of employment like technology, data analyst, logistics, manufacturing, and more. Through experiential learning our program instills confidence, creating independence!
This program’s goal is to prepare each individual for competitive employment through individualized assessment, extensive career exploration, and skills development leading to on the job training. Throughout this individual development program, young adults will gain the necessary skills to secure and maintain meaningful competitive employment within their communities.
For more information, contact Program Director, Cassidy Kaput, 630.929.2725
Skill Development
Individualized Assessment and Career Exploration
Through individualized assessments and career exploration, CAC staff assist neurodiverse young adults in employment planning to better understand their interests, talents, and what kind of training they might pursue to lead them to competetive employment.
Experiential Learning
CAC uses national best practices and educational opportunities through our partnerships with HAAPE and other organizations to offer neurodiverse learners education and certificate programs in technology related fields to support opportunities for competitive integrated employment.
Little Friends has invested in technological resources (virtual reality, job readiness applications, etc.) in order to best understand our clients unique strengths, interests, and abilities. Our partnerships with community businesses lead to job opportunities for neurodiverse young adults.
Young adults with a formal diagnosis that falls into the category of neurodiverse
Ready for post-high school experience, obtaining a high school diploma, certificate, or equivalent
Desire to competitively work in the community and interest in maintaining a job
Ability to access transportation independently
Ability to take direction, follow professional code of conduct
Functional communication skills
Independent ADLS and medication administration
Little Friends Connecting Adults with Communities program hosted its first Skills Development cohort this Spring, helping neurodiverse young adults bridge the gap between educational services and post-secondary integrated employment. We were excited to catch up with one of the participants, Natalia, who is interning in the front office at Little Friends Center for Autism.
What part of your internship do you like the most so far?
The part of my internship that I like the most so far is spending time in my office preparing materials for the kids and creating and organizing files.
Is there something you learned while at CAC that has helped you so far in your internship?
Something I learned while at CAC that has helped me so far in my internship is requesting reasonable accommodations and taking breaks to make my work more productive.
What advice would you give another young person who might be considering participating in a program to work on skills like CAC?
It’s helpful for you to consider taking and completing assessments because those assessments will help you figure out your strengths and narrow down your employment job choices. Also, figuring out your own unique personal strengths that you feel a workplace could benefit from.
What is your dream job?
My dream job is a receptionist.
Supported Employment
Little Friends Supported Employment Program helps adults with disabilities find jobs in businesses throughout their community and provides training, in the form of job coaching, to assist the individual to learn the skills to become independent at their job. Our staff helps individuals identify suitable employment opportunities, looking at a range of factors such as interests, skills, past work experience, and available transportation. Each person is then assisted in finding a job that suits their interests and abilities.
Once an individual is hired, staff work closely with employers so that they can comfortably and efficiently train their new hire. Individuals in our Supported Employment Program work in a variety of settings, including restaurants, hotels, retail stores, manufacturing plants, offices, and more.
