Please help a young man that has come so far!!!!

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

If you receive this it is because in some way, shape or fashion, Autism has

affected your life or someone you care about.

I am sending this out on behalf of someone else whose son has Asperger's and

will be graduating with Honors from NJIT with a Biomedical Engineering degree in

a few weeks. Unfortunately, as you all are aware, one of the deficits that

comes with Autism/Asperger's/HFA/PDD-NOS is a deficit in social skills. Often

that means that just like some people do not test well, our children may not

interview well. This isn't a gauge of our children's' abilities or knowledge,

but a reflection of the challenges they face. The world of Asperger's Syndrome

is very gray. The social deficits are often subtle enough, especially when they

are able to excel at some things like academics, that they don't look

" disabled " - they just appear rude, shy, uncooperative or even lazy.

How many of you know someone that is where they are today not because of their

skills or knowledge but because they can BS their way through? Our children may

just need a " break " . A way for their abilities to shine through.

This young man has already been accepted to Graduate School to pursue a Masters

in Biomedical Engineering. He anticipates completing the program within three

semesters.

In the meantime, he is looking for an internship in his field with or without

pay in order to gain some practical experience and apply his knowledge within

the field.

I can only hope that one day my son can accomplish what this young man has

accomplished despite all of the challenges that come with a diagnosis on the

Autism spectrum. This young man as well as all our afflicted children may not

be able to effectively take opportunities to network and display their skills.

Therefore, I am asking that all of you help our children by communicating and

networking for our children. Surely, someone out there understands that he/she

may easily be in the same position with their child someday and would love to

have resources among the Autism community to help them when the time comes.

Please pass this along to anyone that may be able to help give this Biomedical

Engineering graduate, , an opportunity to prove himself and help him get

started in his career.

resides in southeastern PA and attends NJIT in New Jersey. He may be

reached at kfwinters1@...

Thank you for your time,