Mother Searching for a Home

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Has anyone seen the recent article in a current issue of People Magazine about the aging Wisconsin mother searching for a home for her 38-year old Autistic son? The article is heartbreaking... and just another indication of the lack of services addressing the needs of adults living with Autism and the Autism Spectrum Disorders.

So much emphasis in society is focused on the evaluation and treatment of children; yet, children do not remain children forever. Does anyone ever consider what will happen in five, ten, fifteen years from now when the number of adults with Autism
and Autism Spectrum Disorders grows exponentially as these children grow up?

I hope this aging mother in Wisconsin finds the loving home her 38-year old Autistic son needs.

Link?

I do not see us having any sort of "exponential growth" in autistic people--the numbers do show an increase; but we also have a corresponding decrease in "mentally ret*d" and "schizophrenic" people. Diagnosis is changing...

We are definitely seeing more disabled people, though, because now there is better health care, and they are living longer lives. Also, we have a large age group of people getting older and retiring, and most of them will become disabled at some point.

Root of the problem, as I see it:
--People focus on children; children are cuter! It's easier to raise money with a cute poster child...
--People don't think of autistic people as adults at all.
--People are too focused on cure and not enough worried about good resources
--People expect families to take care of disabled people, without realizing that many have no family
--There is not nearly enough education for adults
--The education children get focuses too much on normality and not enough on learning to do things for yourself.
--Many who could be independent with only minimal help aren't getting that help, and end up living in group homes, nursing homes, and other institutions

</soapbox>

that is bad,and not fair to either family or him-as his mum will not be around for ever [whether through illness or death],and he needs to be able to make a slow change now rather than a sudden one with lots of changes-later.

am find it confusing and not good,how one country offers access to residential homes,group homes,support in own home,and sheltered living,but another may have no options at all,leaving the autie or aspie stuck with their family,the lucky ones maybe get offered respite once a month at the most.

one of dads sisters' was telling him the other week on the phone that her friend from the us had come to stay with her for a holiday [his family also,and all were paid for by his work],the mans son is twenty one and has autism,he has been trying to find a supported place for him for a while but hasnt found one.

after watching that programme with the french [might have been german? or somewhere like that,cant remember name of her] autistic lady-seeing her sister having to start her own residential home so her sister had somewhere to live,am think this is probably the way to go in places that offer no support at all.
families need to team up,get funding,and donations,and campaign at the same time for the need of supported living,get awareness out there that this is as much a need for autists with high support needs just as breathing is.