COLLEGE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, INC.
MELBOURNE, FLORIDA

Our Mission is to inspire independence and expand the foundation on which young adults with Asperger’s, ADHD and other Learning Differences can build happy and productive lives. Founded in 1984 to help young people with Asperger’s, ADHD and other Learning Differences make successful transitions from adolescence to young adulthood CIP’s Transition Programs for autism and learning differences provide real-life experience and skill development in areas such as social skills, executive functioning, sensory processing and wellness Each student’s vision and goals are explored and help to determine their individualized services and supports Mploy is designed for young adults with ASD and LD ages 18 to 26 who are interested in entering the workforce and transitioning to independent living. Participants develop employment readiness skills, learn self-advocacy, develop friendships and take part in activities designed to help them prepare for their future. I am the founder of the College Internship Program (CIP), a program designed to help young people with Asperger’s syndrome, ADHD, and learning differences make successful transitions from adolescence to young adulthood. CIP gives young adults the tools to become productive members of society. By enabling these young men and women to deal productively with the challenges they face, they are able to move forward with their lives. Self-knowledge about their differences is the first step to achieving self-acceptance. It is the foundation for developing the unique and considerable talents and gifts each one possesses and then for learning how to function “in” and contribute “to” society using these attributes. The College Internship Program is the result of strategies I have developed over the many years that I have spent working with hundreds of young people on the spectrum. Helping them master basic life skills in order to succeed in college or career training and then helping them prepare to start working in the world has been a privilege. I believe that all of us with Learning Differences are: “Made for good purpose and are inherently valuable.” CIP’s National Offices are located in Massachusetts and support staff across the country through training and development programs and national admissions and financial offices, which process paperwork and assist families so that CIP center staff are more available to fully support students and meet their programming needs. Research shows that students with learning differences achieve the greatest levels of success when enrolled in individualized programs that address their unique strengths and challenges. Take a look below to see how our alumni and students are doing. In order to provide as normative an experience as possible, those with Learning Differences must live in environments where they learn to do all the things a typical adult does: shop, cook, clean, pay bills, etc. All teachings take place in environments that will generalize to life experience afterward. Since 1984, the College Internship Program has expanded into five national centers of excellence with full-year, summer and Mploy program options. We made a commitment to give the services we have stated and that we provide in our materials. We continually look at what we have written to make sure it reflects the program as it has evolved. We try not to make promises we cannot keep. We take our mandate very seriously and devote our resources to assisting students in reaching their goals. We understand the trust that families have put in us, and want to fulfill our obligations to provide the very best services possible. The Professional Advisory Board is composed of Authors, Lecturers, and experts in the field of learning differences. They provide input on the program’s vision, curriculum development, and overall development. We describe this by using the analogy of an apple computer vs. and IBM computer. An apple computer can do graphics and visual creative work. It can also be used to create music. IBM computers (PCs) virtually run the business world. We rely on them everywhere we go daily. When we say that we are inherently valuable, we mean that we don’t have to do anything to become valuable, we already are. This may seem trivial, but it is a huge realization when fully understood. Most of our students have been misdiagnosed, tested, treated, dragged to therapy, been given remediation, medication and anything else their families could try to get them help. Finding their good purpose and accepting who they are is the first step to becoming healthy self-actualizing adults. Self-awareness and self-acceptance are the keys that unlock the door to a happy and productive life. It’s like the difference between giving someone a fish to eat and teaching them to fish for themselves. They can easily end up being 35 in an apartment on a SSI check isolated from former friends and family members and under-employed or unemployed. Many of them can work for people that should be working for them. They often are the most knowledgeable person on a job, but have the least amount of power, salary or job security. This is the crux of our philosophy in dealing with them. They need to understand this very clearly and be given the assistance to learn the social competencies necessary to not only survive, but also flourish. CIP has relationships with local businesses which provide a wide selection of internships opportunities. Each students special interest is pursued in the form of an internship with the intention of obtaining a job. Examples of internships include computer repair technician, florists assistant and landscape designer. All apartments are fully-furnished. Students bring bedding, cooking utensils and dishes, bathmats and other personal items to help make themselves at home. Most beds are twin sized with extra long beds available. A TV (in the common area) and wireless Internet access are also provided. CIP provides comprehensive postsecondary transition support programs for young adults with Autism, ADHD and other Learning Differences