The INFUSE project had the overall objective to improve transversal and basic social skills, as well as more specific and technical skills of autistic adults necessary for job placement in the agricultural field through the design and implementation of the INFUSE Training course. Specifically, the project objectives were: -O1: Fostering the social inclusion of autistic adults through the creation of education opportunities, exchanging experiences among organizations working with autistic people; -O2: Improving job accessibility of people with autism through a training and job placement path in the agricultural activity of officinal products; -O3: Improving communication and relational skills of autistic adults, as well as competences in the officinal herbal cultivation and in the production and selling processes. -O4: Improving the competencies of educators to improve effectiveness of adult education, promoting better and innovative teaching methods in the agricultural field. -O5: Promoting equal opportunities especially in the access to education, training and work. Partners shared knowledge and experience and directly involved the end users, i.e., young adults with ASD and their educators, throughout the entire project-cycle.
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are one of the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. Autistic People often experience scholar difficulties, which reflects on their personal development, leading to school failure or early leaving and consequently to adulthood unemployment. Today, only 15% of autistic people have a full or part-time job, compared to 31% of people with other disabilities, even though 61% of them declare to be willing to work [National Autistic Society]. To date, there is a great number of associations that assist and provide support to people with autism in the developmental age, but there is a significant shortage of associations and protection groups aimed at targeting adulthood with ASD. In addition, there is a lack of adequate training for educators to successfully work with autistic adults and their related problems (i.e., job placement). The scientific community agrees on the fact that the lack of appropriate services and interventions prolonged in adulthood has serious negative impacts. This leads to the need of providing supporting methodologies such as those developed by the INFUSE project, that really allow autistic adults to achieve a good level of personal, social and working autonomy.