http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/opinion/sunday/adult-autistic-and-ignored.html
This is a discussion of a soon-to-be more prevalent problem: autistic people and other people with developmental disabilities growing up, but not being able to live independently. While I wish everyone on the spectrum was like me in that I did finally learn to do everything for myself, that is not always the case.
Being an adult and doing things like taxes, health insurance, full time job (or multiple part time jobs), keeping track of car repairs, and the like... is incredibly complicated and difficult. Never mind all the daily stuff I have to do, like keep to a special diet, exercise regularly, keep food in the fridge, wash dishes, etc. This stuff all builds up, and it's overwhelming. Even to me. Some people can't do that. It doesn't make them less of people, it just means they need help. Everybody needs help sometimes.
"State funding, it seems, remains keyed to the idea that the same maturational curve applies both to 'neurotypicals' and those with disabilities, and apparently relies on a magical-thinking belief that these young adults will somehow smoothly make the transition into adulthood without special guidance."
Can I get an amen? Seriously, this is a thing, and it's blatantly false if you look at the data or ask some parents. We don't usually grow and mature cognitively and emotionally at the same rate our peers do. I'm 27 now, and at present I consider myself roughly 16 years old, emotionally. Not quite as full of uncontrolled bursts of temper and emotion as a 13-14 year old, but definitely not as settled, emotionally, as a 20 year old should be. I was probably 12-13 emotionally when I was in college, with a big unhealthy dose of "emotions are stupid, keep them away."
The article concludes with an appreciation that at least the author's brother is well taken care of, thanks to his mother's tireless efforts. But that isn't the case for a lot of folks, and I really do worry that we won't have enough information to ease the transition between childhood and adulthood for the next generation of autistic people: the kids of today.
This is a discussion of a soon-to-be more prevalent problem: autistic people and other people with developmental disabilities growing up, but not being able to live independently. While I wish everyone on the spectrum was like me in that I did finally learn to do everything for myself, that is not always the case.
Being an adult and doing things like taxes, health insurance, full time job (or multiple part time jobs), keeping track of car repairs, and the like... is incredibly complicated and difficult. Never mind all the daily stuff I have to do, like keep to a special diet, exercise regularly, keep food in the fridge, wash dishes, etc. This stuff all builds up, and it's overwhelming. Even to me. Some people can't do that. It doesn't make them less of people, it just means they need help. Everybody needs help sometimes.
"State funding, it seems, remains keyed to the idea that the same maturational curve applies both to 'neurotypicals' and those with disabilities, and apparently relies on a magical-thinking belief that these young adults will somehow smoothly make the transition into adulthood without special guidance."
Can I get an amen? Seriously, this is a thing, and it's blatantly false if you look at the data or ask some parents. We don't usually grow and mature cognitively and emotionally at the same rate our peers do. I'm 27 now, and at present I consider myself roughly 16 years old, emotionally. Not quite as full of uncontrolled bursts of temper and emotion as a 13-14 year old, but definitely not as settled, emotionally, as a 20 year old should be. I was probably 12-13 emotionally when I was in college, with a big unhealthy dose of "emotions are stupid, keep them away."
The article concludes with an appreciation that at least the author's brother is well taken care of, thanks to his mother's tireless efforts. But that isn't the case for a lot of folks, and I really do worry that we won't have enough information to ease the transition between childhood and adulthood for the next generation of autistic people: the kids of today.
No comments:
Post a Comment