Does Autism cease to Exist after the 12th grade?

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The question is rhetorical with a great deal of cynicism. I just called the only center for autism research, evaluation, and treatment that exists in my state to ask if they offer any services for adults on the spectrum. They proceeded to inform me that they exclusively see children and school age clients up to the twelfth grade.

Every time I've contacted or spoken to someone in Nebraska about the possibility of an adult assessment for autism or Aspergers syndrome they regard me as if what I'm asking for is asinine. Just seems like if you don't get diagnosed before you're 18 you better just give up on anyone taking you seriously. I wish more people would realize that my (Our?) struggles are real even if I was born before people even had much idea of what autism is.

Anyone experience similar or feel the same?

YES!! !! !

And I love this one. The first question I always get is, "How old is your child?"

Yes, this is an especially cool thing for the aspies that are brilliant enough to skip grades!
We could end Autism by teaching faster!!

Apparently so. My eldest son is three years off of 18 and I still don't know what we're going to do exactly. Waiting lists for the residential homes (the only place that will do any child care for me other than a respite worker which I can't afford anyway and also dont want as I want him around other people) is 8-9 years they said. He's been on the list since he was 8, so hopefully he gets a spot by next year. Waiting lists for everything for adults is like 10 years. I mean I guess it's possible he won't have autism when he turns 18 but I'm not going to count on it!
All of his current therapy stops at 20 at our centre so that buys me a few years.

Autistic aging out is a HUGE problem in this country. In a sense I am glad that we who are older did not have any help programs growing up. One less thing to be kicked out of.

^ LOL good point!

Yep, the next time I hear something like that I'm tempted to reply, without any hesitation, "31," just to hear what their reply would be.

When I was searching for a diagnostician for Asperger's Syndrome (AS), the first one who I called asked why I was seeking a diagnosis. When I replied that it was mostly for "curiousity's sake," the professional said promptly that she didn't "diagnose for curiousity's sake" and wished me well in my search for someone who does. I knew immediately why she declined; her one-person office lives or dies by how much cash she can get through her door. One time diagnoses for AS or high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) pay well, but nowhere nearly as well as once or twice a week "patients" seeking this therapy or that.

Since adults with AS or ASD have usually learned well enough to adapt to their lives already, they are much less likely to need or want the lucrative business of therapies. To be a little more fair to professionals, however, I imagine most of them had no education, instruction or certification to work with AS or ASD in adults because it is a relatively new phenomenon (though, knowledge about adult AS or ASD seems to me to be easily transferable for any professional with adequate knowledge of childhood AS or ASD; only the severities would differ).

But, I believe that, overall, that money is the force behind the ongoing paucity of professionals who know adequately about adult AS or ASD diagnoses. We just aren't a growth market for the therapists, pharmacists and other camp followers.

We're going to have to take a page from civil rights organizations, from disability rights organizations, from LGBTQ organizations and these might have the most direct applicability,

and build our own organizations,

as difficult as this is.

For example, we could recruit and vet volunteers, set up housing, we could challenge local HR departments on broadening hiring practices,

and we could provide the seed money for entrepreneurial businesses, knowing full well that the baseline statistic is that 80% of new businesses fail.

=======================

And I favor a strategy which is AND BOTH.

BOTH doing our own organization AND lobbying for increased public services.

Plus, the UK might be ahead of where we are now.

Last edited by AardvarkGoodSwimmer on 07 Aug 2014, 5:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

As I understand it here in Texas, anyone can attend high school up until they're 21.

So, a special needs student can be 20 years and 364 days old and still receiving services.

Nope. Where we live, school may go up to 21, but it's on a case-by-case basis. We've spoken about this with the school and they do not think he'd get approved because he doesn't do academics. He doesn't read or write, do math, none of it, so it's a bit like daycare. If he "didn't learn anything" in 13 years, what's the point of doing another 3? (that's their thinking). I'm not as worried about my younger son because he's likely to be approved and go until 21.

I always do that. I just say my age and they look at me like I am from another planet and then go. "Oh, it's you." I guess people don't understand that Autistic children actually grow up to become Autistic adults.

In the eyes of a lot of NTs, yes. Fortunately, where I live there is a greater level of recognition for adults on the spectrum, at least among government agencies, but the general public is only starting to recognize it.

am amazed this attitude is still going.
autism doesnt die off any sooner than neurotypicality dies off,they just say it does so they can spend less and hog the funding and therapies for kids,there shoud be exceptions for people who are at least in their mid twenties or older to get assessed for HFA as they had no chance of getting a diagnosis when they were kids.
america needs to follow the UKs path and focus on the care of adult autistics to,as an adult have recieved everything from SALT,to sensory integration therapy, to ABA, to extreme ABA, so it is possible for adults to still get therapies,the problem is they need to be making sure even those mildly affected all over the country get access to it and not just lucky people in specific areas, though we are very lucky compared to our neighbouring country;ireland who are very behind us in autism support and diagnosis.

there are pockets of support unevenness all over the spectrum;even in the UK have personaly known fellow severely autistic adults and kids from the same borough lose their entire respite funding because they werent considered complex needs enough.

I was diagnosed in my mid-forties and it was the best thing I ever did.

If I didn't go down that road I'd still be charging along and pissing a lot people off and not knowing why.

Yes, autism is an issue for all age groups. The last thing I want to be doing when I'm ninety is having to participate in the 'sing-a-longs' in the dining room at the old folks home.

Apparently so. I've had a few people say "how did you get Autism now?" (just was recently diagnosed at 27) like it should have worn off by now or something. I've even had a few people suggest that I "cure" it, like there's a cure.

Honestly, NT's knowledge of Autism is shockingly bad and flawed. Most people don't know what ASD is and those that do seem to have flawed knowledge of it, causing them to act different around people with ASD.