Steven is a young man with Autism. When you meet Steven, you see a young man in constant motion, rocking back and forth or pacing. When speaking with Steven, he frequently repeats what you say (echolalia) and uses short sentences to answer any questions you might ask.
Steven’s goal when starting to look for a job with his Career Resource Specialis was to work in a retail environment. Steven has been successful working in the receiving department at Home Goods where he is responsible for unpacking boxes of new merchandise and placing the merchandise on shelving units according to a code number. Steven works closely with manager, Scott, his CRS from Work Opportunities Unlimited, and assigned co-workers to meet the productivity expectations required for this position. Every month Steven, manager Scott and CRS meet to review Steven’s progress or problems on his retention plan which lists his goals to be successful in his position. Scott recently said that Steven has the highest productivity in the Home Goods processing department of all the employees. Steven’s job is to take home decorating items out of the boxes, tag them and put them carefully on a rolling cart for another associate to put on the sales floor. When Steven started this position he was very shy and wouldn’t talk to anyone, but with help from his CRS, Steven now communicates regularly with his coworkers.
