Wisconson teen with Asperger's finds his dream job in bakery

From The Leader-Telegram in Eau Claire, Wis.:

Brandon Sorenson (pictured) waited patiently as his co-worker unwrapped a 2- to 3-foot-long chocolate roll and cut it into pieces.

Tracy Purser frosted extra chocolate onto the roll, and then gently dropped it into a plastic container. That's when Sorenson, wearing an apron, carefully wiped extra chocolate from the sides of the plastic container with a white, sterile cloth.

Sorenson, 19, of Eau Claire, never thought he would obtain his dream job of working in a bakery.

Not only is finding employment difficult in this soft economy, but Sorenson, a 2008 Memorial High School graduate, was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome - a form of autism - while in elementary school.

The disorder is associated with individuals being socially awkward, speaking loudly with high-pitched inflections, possessing good verbal skills and tending to collect things, according to the Autism Society of America.

Sorenson has a tendency to speak a bit loudly, and his voice does have a higher inflection. It's clear he has good verbal skills, and he could be seen as a book collector, as he reads whenever he gets a chance. He even admitted to co-workers he currently is reading five books and is able to keep them all straight.

Before starting work this summer at Dairyland Delights, a privately owned bakery on Broadway Street, Sorenson had difficulty finding a job.

One of his teachers at Memorial High School suggested he work with Aurora Community Services, which provides community-based services to people with disabilities.

Josh Blaeser, a vocational coordinator at Aurora, began working with Sorenson in January. Blaeser initially found temporary work for Sorenson at the Mega Pick'n Save West bakery on North Clairemont Avenue.

In a state-funded program, Aurora offers 40 to 60 hours of free labor with no contract and no obligation from the employer except a letter of recommendation - if the employee is deserving - after the work is completed.

"The objective is to try to get a foot in the door for hire," Blaeser said.

If a job is available after the temporary work ends, the employee often will be hired full time, he said. But Mega Pick'n Save West had no open position after Sorenson's temporary employment ended.

During the next seven months, Blaeser pounded the pavement trying to find a bakery in need of an ambitious employee.

Then in August, Dairyland Delights advertised in the newspaper for an employee. Aurora had worked with Dairyland Delights in the past, and Blaeser was confident Sorenson would be a good fit for the business.

He contacted bakery owner Melissa Overby, and she agreed to give Sorenson a trial run. Two weeks after he started, Overby knew she had to hire him full time.

"He's a very pleasant man to be around," she said. "He's a hard worker."

It was a dream come true for Sorenson.

"Ever since I was little I was taught to bake," he said before a shift at Dairyland Delights in early November. "I just love baking."

Sorenson's face lit up when he talked about baking breads, dessert bars, cakes and cookies with his mother when he was younger.

"I love trying to come up with something new," he said. "I just drool over it."

Sorenson became interested in bakery work after taking a food preparation course in middle school. His mother also worked in a bakery and told her son it was a fun job.

Sorenson's bosses, Overby and bakery operations manager Holly Hermann, raved about his work ethic and his personality.

"Brandon (Sorenson) is really a valuable employee," Hermann said. "Not everyone can work and talk at the same time and get the job done."

For fun, he and the other employees make up contests, she said.

Sorenson's disorder does not affect his job performance, Hermann said, noting he takes direction well. However, she and Overby initially worked to determine the best way to communicate with Sorenson based on his strengths and weaknesses.

"Having that (communication) coming in the door was really good," Hermann said. "There is no pretense with Brandon. He just comes in assuming that he's going to like everyone."

Sorenson said he knows he's different from other people, but he doesn't let it change his personality.

"I may have a disability, but I cope with it the best I can," he said.