Ausome Karma Services: A life-skills business for teens and young adults on the autism spectrum

After seeing a gap in services for his daughter, a Toronto father has started a skills and experiences program for autistic youth.

Shawn Kendal has spent the last four years working as a life skills coach for teens and adults on the autism spectrum. He left a job in corporate sales to start Ausome Karma Services, which focuses on one-on-one coaching and group social programs.

Its purpose is to help individuals live more independently by teaching them about nutrition, shopping, self-care, recreational activities and searching for a job.

“I have a daughter with special needs, and she inspired me to want to do more, make an impact, and [have] a meaningful career,” Kendal explained. “So four years ago, I started a summer day camp for teens 15 and up, and it really spurred into a business.”

He said the activities are designed around participants’ needs.

“One of the biggest issues is the need for these individuals to have friends and build their social skills. So we do a weekly cooking program called ‘Strive,’ and it’s all about coming up with an idea of what we will make as a group,” he said. “There are about eight of us. We go grocery shopping. There are some excellent skills in there; picking out the ingredients, coming back and doing the cooking.”

After the cooking wraps up, they eat together and hang out. “We play board games. We do Rock Band. We watch sports. It’s a nice opportunity for both skill development, but also the social aspect.”

Shawn Kendal, pictured, believes his clients, and others on the autism spectrum, would make great employees and programs like this give them the skill set. Photo: Ausome Karma Services.

With the national worker shortage, Shawn believes his clients — and others on the autism spectrum — would make great employees, and programs like this give them the skill set. The challenge is often getting employers to see the opportunity.

“A lot of the jobs that are out there for my clients are kitchen support, cooking, prep,” he said.

“The biggest challenge is that employers need to be more accommodating. They need to understand that autistic workers are amazing. They have great skills and abilities and hyper-focus and are ok with repetitive tasks but need support and accommodations. For corporate Canada, the biggest challenge is just being more open, understanding and inclusive.”

Angela Brandt, president of Ontario Autism Coalition, says the benefits of hiring someone on the autism spectrum will always outweigh the accommodations.

“A lot of people with autism have a difficult time finding employment. Right now, roughly 80 per cent of the autistic community is unemployed, and it’s a massive struggle,” she said.

“For these people in the community to be able to find work, they need to be taught the skills that employers are looking for. So, programs like this are extremely critical.”