Transition in Norway

  In The Politics of Autism, I discuss international perspectives.

From Eric Benninghoff:

For the past year I have traveled throughout Norway, exploring the transition to adulthood for a variety of often-marginalized groups, including people with intellectual disabilities or learning challenges. Along the way, I have met several organizations aiming to improve the situation for this population, including a largely government-funded but privately run group called Helt Med.

Helt Med has developed a work inclusion model across Norway to help employ individuals with intellectual disabilities in the mainstream workforce. More recently, they have also been trying to expand a smaller pilot program called Ung Jobb, which aims to create a smooth school-to-career pipeline for some of these students.

As of spring 2023, only about 40 high school students have gone through the Ung Jobb program, which is primarily in Agder County in southern Norway. But Agder government announced it will be tripling its current investment in the program starting in the 2023-2024 school year. This comes as Helt Med aims to expand the Ung Jobb project to other parts of the country.

This video report takes an in-depth look at Helt Med’s school-to-career program in Agder County, exploring its potential as one solution to better support students with intellectual disabilities in their transition from school to working life in Norway.

 

Inclusion in Norway and the United States

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss international perspectives.

Eric Benninghoff at Dagsavisen (Norway):

Work is about more than a salary. With the proper supports, it can provide a path to socialization, community participation, and self-realization. When I asked a young man with autism in Oslo why he likes his job, he told me: “I like feeling useful, and by working here I feel that I am useful.” I get a similar answer nearly every time I ask a young person with a disability that question.

But as it stands now, many adults with ID and developmental disabilities who are capable of working are missing out on this sense of purpose and inclusion. That comes at a cost to the individual’s health and the society’s economy.

As part of my project in Norway, I tell the stories of those who have beaten the odds and found work, as well as organizations, like Helt Med, that have built models to help them do so. I’ve visited workers across the country at nursing homes, fire stations, government offices, grocery stores, and horse-riding schools. Face to face, I have seen their passion for work, desire to contribute, and ability to excel when properly supported.

I just hope that others in Norway, the U.S., and beyond, will start to see this too. After all, you can’t break a vicious circle of low expectations, without first seeing potential.

Full text  here (use Google translate for English)

New Prevalence Data

Science Daily presents a news release on a Norwegian study:

A sub-study of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) headed by Ms Posserud was conducted as part of the "Barn i Bergen" (Children in Bergen) project. The study shows that the diagnosis of ASD may apply to as much as one per cent of the population.

ASD is a collective term for diagnoses such as autism (childhood autism), Asperger's syndrome, atypical autism and other autistic traits. The classic signs of autistic behaviour include communication difficulties, poor social skills, repetitive behaviour and narrowly focused interests.

A study conducted in 1998 found that autism occurred in 0.05 per cent of Norwegian children. The figures from the "Barn i Bergen" project could therefore be interpreted to mean that the incidence of autism has risen dramatically. However, Ms Posserud thinks it is important to downplay the difference in results.

"It is difficult to know whether the differences in these studies reflect a genuine increase in the incidence of ASD. Our conclusion is that the rise in ASD can be explained mainly by the use of more thorough mapping methods and, consequently, that we are not seeing the emergence of an autism epidemic," says Ms Posserud, who is a doctor and researcher in the field.