HEALTH & WELLNESS
The Next Chapter on the Spectrum Preparing your child with ASD for his or her transition into adulthood should begin early BY DWAIN HEBDA
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harlie* is the employee of any retail store’s dreams. He’s on time, happy to be here and fastidious about his responsibilities at the resale store where he works. Tell him to straighten a rack of clothes and he won’t stop until it’s perfect. He knows the store better than the manager does and can direct any customer to any item seemingly without having to think about it. He’ll tell you with a smile that he’s saving up for a new video game system. According to Autism Speaks, an estimated 50,000 teens on the autism spectrum enter adulthood every year, aging out of school-based autism services. Where they go from there, how they support themselves and how they reach their maximum level of independence and personal happiness, is a concern for parents from one end of the United States to the other. As Dr. Valerie Paradiz, vice president of services and supports at Autism Speaks, said, “Life for all adults, those with ASD or not, is very much about this ongoing process of identifying and making adjustments when they need to be made. Every person with ASD has a path, making the adjustments is the journey.”
34 APRIL 2020 | SAVVYKIDSAR.COM
