Autism Awareness Month: Final Thoughts
April is Autism Awareness Month, and I’ve written all month how awareness is not enough. Individuals with autism and their families need understanding, acceptance and inclusion in society. Individuals on the autism spectrum (ASD) need various levels of support to become as independent as possible. This type of support can’t be provided without funding.
Here’s a sobering fact- “In the documentary, Autism: Coming of age it is reported that in the next 10 to 15 years, an estimated 800,000 children with autism will age out of the school system and transition into adulthood. Then, they will look to ill-prepared state and federal governments for the support services and resources to meet their many needs — a situation autism experts refer to as the “coming tsunami.”
Slapping an autism awareness ribbon on a car, isn’t enough anymore. Individuals with autism need various levels of support, and a person centered planning (PCP) to prepare for adult life.
“Wikipedia defines person-centered planning (PCP) as a set of approaches designed to assist an individual to plan their life and supports. It is most often used for life planning with people with learning and developmental disabilities, though recently it has been advocated as a method of planning personalized support with many other sections of society who find themselves disempowered by traditional methods of service delivery, including children, people with physical disabilities, people with mental health issues and older people. PCP is accepted as evidence based practice in many countries throughout the world.”
Person Centered Planning (PCP) is individualized. It can help identify opportunities for employment, community participation/enrichment activities and living arrangements for adult life. PCP can be done with the school IEP team, to prepare the student for a bright future based on their strengths and needs.
Autism is not going anywhere, the wave is coming in hard. There is a staggering amount of families on waiting lists for state funding who are aging out of the school system. My son Nick is 25 years old and has a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism (DS-ASD). He required a high level of support. Currently, Nick attends an adult developmental training program that is covered by funds through a state waiver. All across the country thousands of families are on long waiting lists, to seek such funds to support their child with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. The conversation to advocate for individuals with autism must continue well past April before that tsunami wave hits the shore!
That’s what is in my noggin this week.
~Teresa
Follow Nick on Social Media:
Facebook and Pinterest @Down Syndrome With A Slice Of Autism Check 4/27 Facebook post to watch the documentary, Autism: Coming of Age
Instagram @nickdsautism
Twitter @tjunnerstall
Down Syndrome with a Slice of Autism 