Sharing awareness of autism

By Tanya Connor
 The Catholic Free Press

SHREWSBURY – Autistic individuals are usually excluded from religious services and other social events, and have difficulty getting a job, Gregory Rosen told fellow Knights of Columbus on Autism Sunday.
Mr. Rosen is trying to improve things for people who, like himself, have autism, which he described as a developmental disorder that affects communication and social interaction. A member of St. Mary Parish and warden of Adelphi Council 4181, he advocates for autistic people in a variety of ways.
Last Sunday he gave a brief talk at the Knights’ Superbowl party at their headquarters on South Quinsigamond Avenue.
Autism Sunday, the International Day of Prayer for Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, falls on the second Sunday in February every year, Mr. Rosen told The Catholic Free Press. He said it started in Great Britain about 20 years ago.
This year the Superbowl fell on Autism Sunday. Knights and their guests were getting together to watch the football game, and Mr. Rosen thought that would be a good opportunity to speak about autism, said Grand Knight Nicholas Todisco, of St. Anne Parish.
In addition, Mr. Rosen helped publicize the day of prayer at St. Mary’s and St. Anne’s, the parishes of Council 4181, by requesting bulletin announcements and prayers at Mass.
“He’s done a lot,” said Mr. Rosen’s pastor, Msgr. Michael F. Rose. He said St. Mary’s social justice ministry publicizes the Autism Superhero 5K that Mr. Rosen promotes, and usually some parishioners participate.
This walk, race and family event is scheduled for 8 a.m.-1 p.m. April 22 at Polar Park in Worcester. Mr. Rosen said people can register that day or ahead of time on the website www.autismresourcecentral.org/superhero/. He said the event to promote awareness and acceptance of autism raises money for programs and employment opportunities through Horace Mann Educational Associates in Franklin.
Among beneficiaries of the Knights’ charities are people with special needs, and autism is included under special needs, Mr. Todisco said.
One in about 44 people, mostly males, have been diagnosed with autism, and the numbers are increasing, in good part because of early detection, Mr. Rosen said in his talk.
He said the unemployment and underemployment rate for autistic people is very high.
“Studies estimate a staggering 50-75% of the 5.6 million autistic adults in the U.S. are unemployed or underemployed,” says a 2021 article on Forbes.com that Mr. Rosen shared. “Nearly 50% of 25-year-olds with autism have never held a paying job, despite having the skill sets and expertise to excel in the workplace.”
Persons with autism are weeded out when job interviews focus heavily on social questions, Mr. Rosen said. He explained that when a potential employer says, “Tell me about yourself,” an autistic person can feel overwhelmed and confused, leaving the interviewer with the impression that this applicant cannot do the job.
This lack of employment costs U.S. taxpayers more than $200 billion per year for services for unemployed and underemployed autistic persons, and that figure is rising, Mr. Rosen said. He said much money is also taken out of the economy when autistic persons’ parents quit or cut back on their jobs to care for their sons and daughters.
In Massachusetts “we have been able to get several successes,” as companies work with Horace Mann Educational Associates to employ individuals with autism, he said. He said employers can get tax credits for hiring people with autism. Mr. Rosen said he serves on the Massachusetts Autism Commission, on the subcommittee on employment and transitional assistance.
“I was one step away from being put in low-income housing … and being put on welfare and food stamps for the rest of my life,” he told The Catholic Free Press. But he knew he could work, and now has a job with Empower Retirement – and a passion to work for employment and other opportunities for other autistic persons.