May 24, 2012

As I was reviewing over my past blogs, I realized there was one question I had that I did not answer. My question was, what happens to children who are diagnosed with autism and thrown into the adult world? I know that I have discussed different group homes that are available and how some states offer programs but, I began to wonder what happens to adults with Autism? I found this article in the New York Times, and was immediately drawn to what it had to say. The writer made the statement, "with some 200,000 autistic teenagers set to come of age in the United States over the next five years alone, little is known about their ability to participate fully in public life, or what it would take to accommodate them." The writer talks about a boy, Justin, who is trying to find his place in the adult world. The family shares interview experiences and how his teacher from school accompanied him to the interviews. Because of his habits, it was hard for Justin to find a job; a job that understood Justin and what he was capable of.  As stated before, there is around 200,000 autistic teenagers coming of age, are all of them going to benefit from having a teacher help them to find jobs, or help them through the interview process? I wonder what families do while preparing for this time in their child's life.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/us/autistic-and-seeking-a-place-in-an-adult-world.html