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OK - this is going to be a crazy suggestion. Do you have any storytelling or entertainer chops? How do you feel in front of small audiences?
I am a part-time magician. (Thus my user name.) I started at about age 40, with a minor interest in magic, which grew over time until I started going pro. It hasn't supplanted my regular job, but I currently get as much work as I can handle, and then some.
I joined a local club, the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM), but there are other groups: Society of American Magicians, Fellowship of Christian Magicians, and others. They are all over the world and in most major cities, holding local meetings.
You can become a strolling magician with a small repertoire of solid close-up tricks. I literally took one of my first close-up tricks out of the Mark Wilson's Course of Magic - a beginner's book. But most beginner's magic books have a couple or more of hidden gems in there that are powerful stuff. There are absolutely amazing tricks that require no sleight-of-hand whatsoever. You can launch a complete career out of a beginner's book. I use some in my own pro repertoire. Note that, magic is about 95% storytelling skill and acting, and only about 5% special effects.
After probably not enough preparation on my part, a friend asked me if I wanted to do walk-around magic at an after-prom party for a little money. That started me off. After that, I developed a few more tricks for a stage/parlor act. About 3-7 tricks can make a parlor act, depending how good you are at the communication/acting stuff. I've seen magicians entertain with one trick for 20-30 minutes, and it works.
Here is a step-by-step plan for an entertainer part-time-pro career path:
I can give more details if anyone is interested. AMA.
Edit to add: I don't know to what degree your kid has autism, but I'm come across an autistic fellow that became a magician, and uses his autism in his act. He uses magic to bring autism awareness. He's a heckuva nice guy, too. Check out magician Cody Clark in the Louisville, Kentucky area - from the same magic club that Mac King and Lance Burton came from! Cody tours nationally.
A very interesting idea. Not something any of us can do. We aren't what you call people persons. And none of us are good a practicing even the things we like. But that part is a longer story. Thanks for the suggestion though.