John has been doing Ceramic Painting with his Dad for about 6 years. In pursuing this weekend hobby, John has improved tremendously in his fine motor skills, learnt many techniques in painting and attaining independence in completing his works. John has participated in Art Exhibitions and won numerous awards at the annual Canning Show in Perth. He has also exhibited his works at public events organised by Creative Connections, As We Are Art Awards and Belmont Art Awards.
For many years John has been a good kitchen help at home, capable of cleaning and cutting ingredients for meals preparation. For the past 2 years, he has learnt to cook independently and now insists that he does the full works, from preparation to cooking and serving on a daily basis. Nowadays, he does the shopping with me, marinates the meat and with some guidance, plans the menu for the week. He only asks me to wash the dishes after dinner!
After finishing high school, John attended Work Training at a Supported Employment Centre for about 3 years. John possesses good working attitude and is productive, despite still having some self-stimulatory behaviours commonly associated with ASD. He has since then been employed as a staff, doing packaging and simple assembly work. John is happy and passionate about going to work.