Ben Hair would rather be designing games for Nintendo than doing basic kitchen chores for the Hilton Garden Inn.

But as someone with autism, albeit a high-functioning form, he's glad for any chance to prove he can be a good worker.

So far, the Allen High School student has mastered the art of prepping cookie and muffin trays for baking. And he's done various other tasks, including washing dishes and folding towels.

Through it all, Ben's kept his sense of humor.

"You've got to keep testing that the bacon was made right," he said during a break in which he polished off about a rasher of such strips.

The Allen Independent School District has stepped up efforts to help students who have cognitive delay issues (everything from mental retardation to autism) move from school to work.

The district has long arranged for such students to have brief exposure to a variety of workplaces. But this fall, Ben and eight others are in a new program that offers something close to a full-fledged, unpaid internship with a single employer.

"We wanted to give them an opportunity to go out in the community and work like any employee would work – an extended job stay," said Patti Bono, transition specialist for Allen ISD.

Ben and another student work three mornings a week, three hours a shift, in the kitchen of the Hilton in Allen.

They don't get paid, apart from the occasional treat fresh out of the oven. But they've bolstered their résumés, picked up skills and developed a fan club in the Hilton kitchen staff.

"We've had zero problems," said Jan Loov, executive chef. "They have a better attitude than most workers. They say 'hello' and it's really hello. They love being here."

Ben certainly seemed to fit in. Wearing an apron and rubber gloves, he methodically filled muffin tins and wrappers with Karpuccino Muffin Batter.

"You like cappuccino, Ben?" asked Yaneth Gelvez, a breakfast server who had popped into the kitchen.

Ben noted that his taste buds weren't used to coffee-flavored muffins. Then he let the whole kitchen know his high regard for Gelvez.

"She's the best of the best," he said.

Long-term studies show that unemployment rates for young people coming out of special education programs run about 55 percent to 60 percent, even in a good economy, said Paul Wehman, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.

Kathy Clayton, Texas state director of special education, said there's a trend toward programs like Allen's. She believes they are crucial toward improving employment prospects. Wehman agreed.

"The more individuals with disabilities can be seen as being competent, the greater their employment chances," he said. "You're getting plenty of hours of real work, even if you're not being paid. It's not like you're sitting in a workshop, making bird cages or potholders."

The Hilton has yet to offer Ben or the other student a paying job, and they're allowed to work only 90 hours for free at a particular workplace. Loov said that as impressed as he's been by their dependability and work ethic, they require close supervision with all the potential hazards of kitchen work.

"Financially, it wouldn't make sense" to hire them, he said.

But Loov is certain they could move right into something like a shelf-stocking job, and he's willing to recommend them.

Ben has an interview with a grocery next week. A young woman in the Allen ISD program already is working for pay at a local church's day-care center and recently got her first check.

"That's our ultimate goal, to get them all paying jobs," Bono said. "I have to know we've done everything for these kiddos when we let them go."