Wednesday, March 27, 2024

High Functioning Autism Living Independently

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Transitioning To Adult Care

A Higher Functioning Form Of Autism | Cuan Weijer | TEDxDunLaoghaire

Recent estimates indicate that autism afflicts an estimated 1 in 150 children, which means that most internists will encounter individuals in this patient population. A decade ago, the frequency was thought to be 1 in 500.

There’s been a huge increase in the diagnosis of autism, and these people will go into adulthood and need medical care that’s now being provided by pediatricians, said Bernard Rosof, MACP, now senior vice president at North Shore-LIJ Health system.That transition needs to be made with a knowledge base about caring for adult special needs.

There is no standard for when the transition from pediatrics to adult primary care occurs, noted Dr. Rosof, former chair of ACP’s Board of Regents, and community practices and resources may be the dictating factors. In females it may be the beginning of the menstrual cycle, but it’s more up in the air with males. The transition probably should occur with high-functioning individuals at least by college age.

Researchers generally agree that a significant proportion of the adult autism population remains undiagnosed. Even experts, Dr. Bregman admitted, might miss some. At 1 in 150, you can be absolutely sure you have patients with autism in your practice, he said. And I can look back five to 10 years and think about some people I didn’t diagnose who in retrospect, I now know had autism.

Life Skills And Autism

For people with autism, learning life skills is essential to increase independence at home, at school and in the community. By introducing these skills early and building block by block, people with autism gain the tools that will allow him or her to increase self esteem and lead to more happiness in all areas of life.

Our life skills strategies and ideas will help our community get started and provide tools to support continued learning through the transition from school to adult life.

Group Homes Create Families

Barbara Fischkin also helped create a home for her son Dan. She first shared the story of his miracle group homefunded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and run by the Nassau County Chapter of AHRC, a nonprofit grouptwo years ago. Then, she described it as a newly renovated house on Long Islanda place I call the frat house. Actually, it is a beautiful and smartly designed home that could be a model for such endeavors nationwide. And the guys, who are in their 20s and 30s, are all at the age when leaving home and family and striking out on your owneven if you need lots of staff to helpis something one yearns to do.

Two years later, she reports that Dan, now 24, and his three housemates become more like a family all the time. The guys look out for one another. Dan is still not verbal and has an aide most of the time but is making great progress with independent typing.

Laura Shumaker is another parent who has successfully transitioned her autistic son, Matthew, whose childhood and adolescence she recounts in her memoir A Regular Guy: Growing Up With Autism. Matthew, now 25, lives in the Camphill Community in Santa Cruz, a supported living program Shumaker describes as flexible and dynamic.

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Autistically Speaking With Terrilee Tatum

I had a lot of problems growing up because I felt socially awkward and did not fit in with my peers. My challenges mainly were with social issues. Getting along with people, reading facial expressions, and body language all seemed completely foreign to me.

I was finally diagnosed with High Functioning Autism/Aspergers Syndrome when I was 17 years old. Most people in Texas didnt know what Aspergers Syndrome was at that time. Ill be 32 in December so over ½ my life I didnt even know I had Aspergers. Since then I have learned how to function in a world with people.

Help For Parents Of Children With Autism

Autism Treatment News

If you have a child with autism, it is important to get support. The day-to-day care of children with autism can be stressful. Making sure your child get the help they need can also pose a challenge, depending on whether quality support services are available in your area. At the same time, you are likely to have ongoing worries about your childs prognosis and long-term well being. For all these reasons, you need to take care of yourself, as well as your child. Make an effort to reach out and find the support you need.

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Challenges Within The Autism Community

Autism awareness has risen dramatically over recent years, resulting in more information and resources available to address the needs of the autism community. Children with high functioning autism certainly benefit from these resources, with access to necessary intervention services from infancy through the schooling years. On the other hand, adults with autism do not have nearly as many resources as do children but in the past several years, more research and support has been dedicated to serving these adults.

Impairment In Social Skills

Someone with severe autism has extreme difficulty interacting with other people. The child or adult might completely exclude interacting with others and prefer to be alone. The individual may not be aware of what others are saying or doing, and it may take significant effort to gain his or her attention.

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Ten Ways To Build Your Childs Independence

1. Strengthen Communication

If your child struggles with spoken language, a critical step for increasing independence is strengthening his or her ability to communicate by building skills and providing tools to help express preferences, desires and feelings. Consider introducing Alternative/Augmentative Communication and visual supports. Common types of AAC include picture exchange communication systems , speech output devices .

2. Introduce a Visual Schedule

Using a visual schedule with your child can help the transition from activity to activity with less prompting. Review each item on the schedule with your child and then remind him or her to check the schedule before every transition. Over time, he or she will be able to complete this task with increasing independence, practice decision making and pursue the activities that interest him or her.

3. Work on Self-Care Skills

Introduce self-care activities into your childs routine. Brushing teeth, combing hair and other activities of daily living are important life skills, and introducing them as early as possible can allow your child to master them down the line. Make sure to include these things on your childs schedule so he or she gets used to having them as part of the daily routine.

4. Teach Your Child to Ask for a Break

5. Work on Household Chores

6. Practice Money Skills

7. Teach Community Safety Skills

8. Build Leisure Skills

9. Teach Self-Care during Adolescence

10. Work on Vocational Skills

Disclosing Your Autism To Others

What is High Functioning Autism? | Kati Morton

I frequently hear that receiving an autism diagnosis provided a sense of calmness. After all less confusion about who you are and why your acting that way leads to less stress. You arent left with lingering questions about why its so hard for you to fit in, have a conversation, or why certain sensory things make you really uncomfortable.

Now, you have to decide if and how to disclose your autism to others. If youre an adult, this decision is totally up to you. If youre under the age of eighteen, its up to your parents to decide. Often this decision is made to receive an IEP or individualized education plan. Regardless, the therapists at Open Doors Therapy, encourage you to disclose your autism when its appropriate. We call this a mini-disclosure. Over time, you will learn how to disclose your autism so others can assist you in being the best you can be.

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Can A Person With Autism Spectrum Disorder Live An Independent Adult Life

The simple answer to this question is yes, a person with autism spectrum disorder can live independently as an adult. However, not all individuals achieve the same level of independence. The focus of intervention services is to help the individual achieve their highest possible level of independence, and that wont look the same for everyone.

Because ASD is variable , treatment plans should be individualized and focused on each persons passions, interests, and skillsets. With the scientifically-validated Applied Behavior Analysis treatments available at Therapeutic Pathways, your family member with ASD will develop skills that will help them tremendously in navigating everyday life and meeting goals.

There are various degrees and stages of independence. Depending on how early your family member was diagnosed and began treatment, you should treat the journey to independence as just that a journey. It wont happen overnight it will take patience and perseverance to help your family member become more independent.

How Does Aba Therapy Help Prepare Children For Adulthood

ABA therapy works predominantly with children but can be applied at any age. It aims to overcome many of the issues that clients face as they progress from childhood into adulthood. As every clients needs are different, ABA therapists will adjust and fine-tune their treatment accordingly.

The process starts with an assessment that includes exploring the clients direct skills, interviewing caregivers, teachers and parents. That information is used to identify where the therapy will initially focus, and what ABA programs will be used. For example, therapy may start with improving the clients ability to stay seated or participate in reading time.

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Normal Verbal Skills But Difficult Communication

High-functioning autistic people have normal verbal skills but find it difficult to have normal back-and-forth conversations with others. Their tone of voice can also appear robotic or odd.

Individuals might also struggle with functional use of language. For example, he or she might know several synonyms for “beverage” but find it challenging to ask for a drink.

Independent Living Skills For Adults With Autism

High Functioning Autism Living Independently

Since each individual is unique in terms of their abilities, struggles, and goals, its important to seek a personalized program that tends to your needs or your loved ones needs.

For example, if you want to work towards finding a job, you will need to develop a wide range of skills, focusing on both your strengths and weaknesses. Since working provides the first step towards greater financial independence, this is an excellent starting point. Whether you wish to build communication skills or want to develop more job-specific skills, the vocational training program at the Adult Autism Center changes lives.

Another common goal among adults with autism is to move into their own place. However, there are many considerations before you or your loved one moves away from home. From self-care to home living skills, money management to cooking and nutrition, this can be a complex step.

These are important skills that all adults need to learn not just those with autism. However, when living with autism, certain aspects of this learning process can be more challenging than others.

Just some of the core skills you may focus on include:

  • Self-help and self-awareness skills
  • Domestic and personal care skills
  • Money management and budgeting
  • Employment skills

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Improving The Quality Of Life

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental condition which many people experience throughout their lives. Some children with autism make significant developmental gains with treatment, losing some, or even all of the traits and symptoms associated with autism as they age. While studies have found that some children diagnosed with autism no longer fit the criteria when assessed later in life, many retain the traits of autism as they develop into teenagers and through adulthood. Many children who lose autism-related traits as they age experience other challenges with mental health or behavioral and language development. Since autism is so varied in presentation, their need for skill development and support can vary greatly. Acquiring such skills is a vital goal in order to improve ones quality of life and meet personal, emotional, and social needs.

High Functioning Autism Symptoms

  • Fixation on Particular Subjects or Ideas
  • Linguistic Oddities
  • Focus on Self
  • Unusual Movement Patterns

Diagnosis rates for autism continue to rise, especially as parents and professionals become more familiar with the symptoms of high-functioning autism. Many patients are getting the assistance they need to live full, productive lives because their unusual behaviors are no longer seen as simple social awkwardness or eccentricity. As more caring medical and mental health professionals learn to recognize the most common symptoms of autism, the number of interventions available to people with autism will rise.

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Day Programs For Young Adults Who Remain At Home

Easterseals offers day programs for people with autism so they can enjoy socialization and recreational opportunities and participate in the community. While people with autism who participate in Easterseals day programs might need some supervision, they need only minimal assistance with activities of daily living.

What Percent Of Autism Can Live Independently

Why everything you know about autism is wrong | Jac den Houting | TEDxMacquarieUniversity

As compared to peers with other disabilities and those with anautic spectrum disorders, young adults with autism are more likely to have living arrangements in their parents homes than they are to independently live after graduation.Between the ages of 21 and 25, only 17 percent of the spectrum has been able to live independently for most of their lives.

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% Of Adults Diagnosed With Autistic Disorder As Children Are Incapable Of Living Independently

With few exceptions, adults with autistic disorder lacked capacity to work or live independently.

Forget all the hype about autism as a superpower. A new study out of South Carolina following 187 people diagnosed with autistic disorder found their long-term outcomes to be overwhelmingly negative. A team under Roger Stevenson of the Greenwood Genetic Center published the paper, Autistic Disorder: A 20 Year Chronicle, in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders in June.

The subjects were followed over a course of 20 years. They had been enrolled in the study during a three-year period from early 1995 to early 1998, and were between the ages of 1 and 21 at that starting point. All were receiving services for autism from the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs. The subjects included 153 males and 34 females, representing a 4.5:1 malefemale ratio. Sixty-six percent had white ancestry, 32% black ancestry and 2% other ancestry, numbers that parallel the population in South Carolina. Of the enrollees, 84% had co-occuring intellectual disability. The average IQ in the cohort was 49. Twenty years later, at the average age of 27, the investigators ascertained their outcomes.

The study findings also underscored enormous unpopularity of the neurodiversity philosophy: fully 95% of parents or caretakers who responded to a study question relating to treatment overwhelmingly desired a cure if one were available.

Young Adults With Autism Less Likely To Have Jobs

Surveys looked at life after high school for 20-somethings with various disorders

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 18 — Young adults with autism are less likely to find work or live on their own than their peers with other kinds of disabilities, two new studies show.

The studies detailed the fates of a national sample of 20-somethings who had received special-education services in high school.

The first study focused on employment. Researchers found that only about half of those with autism had ever held a job since high school, and only about a third were currently working.

Even worse, young adults on the autism spectrum were less likely to be getting a paycheck than people the same age who had other kinds of disabilities. More than 80 percent of those with speech and language difficulties reported having at least one job, for example, while 62 percent of those with intellectual disabilities had ever been employed.

When kids with autism did find work, they made less money. On average, young adults with autism earned $8.10 an hour, while those with other kinds of impairments — including low IQs, learning disabilities, and trouble speaking and communicating — were paid between $11 and $12 an hour.

The second study focused on living arrangements. Researchers found that only 17 percent of young adults with autism, who were between 21 and 25 years old, had ever lived on their own.

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Why Mild Autism Isn’t A Thing

This follows immediately from autism being a spectrum and not a gradient. You can’t have a mild version of a spectrum. The very concept is nonsensical .

When people talk about mild autism, a bedfellow of high-functioning autism in many ways, what they’re really talking about is people who can pretend well enough and mask their presentation to the point where on the outside they can more or less pass as neurotypical.

The problem with this is you can’t possibly see what I and others like me have to do on the inside to make that outside presentation possible.

And when you describe my autism as “mild” what you’re telling me is YOU experience my autism mildly .

More to the point, if your difficulties are more pronounced in areas which are less obvious, then, by definition, they’re going to be less obvious. But this in no way makes them mild.

And on top of all this there are the the diagnostic criteria themselves. There’s a current fashion among the uninformed to believe psychiatrists and psychologists are handing out autism diagnoses arbitrarily like sweeties at Halloween.

As with many strongly- and sincerely-held opinions not backed up by experience or knowledge…

… this is untrue.

The Diagnostic Criteria For Autism

Adventures of T

To be diagnosed as autistic you have to experience persistent, substantial, and significant difficulties and deficits across a broad range of criteria .

You don’t just roll up to the doc’s feeling a bit autistic that day and waltz out of there with a diagnosis .

Maybe it’s just me but if you’re experiencing persistent, substantial, and significant difficulties and deficits across a broad range of criteria, that is in no way mild. If it does feel like a walk in the park every day, chances are you’re not autistic and you’ve perhaps been misdiagnosed .

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