I'm a parent of an autistic adult. My son, Nathaniel, was diagnosed around 3 years of age (he's now in his 30's), but as I look over some family movies (see March 30, 2011 post) I can see that he displayed many of the 10 signs of autism well before then.


His mother and I had only one thing in mind. What do we do?? In the early 80's there was little we could find about autism (no internet - what a lifesaver now!). We had his immediate needs to worry about. Was there a cure? Did he require medication? Childhood education had not yet come to mind. But with time, we needed to find out what resources were available around us.


Planning usually comes late for parents with autistic kids. We (well his mother and I) worried about his immediate needs and not the future. When Nathaniel reached 18, life as an adult posed many questions.


I hope that this can be a place where parents with autistic adults and children can communicate with those of us who have dealt with autistic adults. Yes, there are books and magazine articles about what to expect, and legal advice, but I have yet to find a place where experienced parents can share these experiences, give advice, and help parents of young children cope with the future of their child.


Jul 28, 2012

A recent comment made here has asked for specific questions. I don't have a forum set up for this site as I don't update it very often. I more prefer to use my Facebook page to keep in touch with fellow parents of autistic kids. Services are drastically different from state to state and it is difficult to respond specifically to many questions. Certainly planning for retirement and estate planning is important as the state can pretty much take everything if not protected in a discretionary trust.I would suggest to anyone to look at your states social services website and see if they offer residential services If you want to plan for your child after your gone (and if they have no siblings) this is the place to start.
Posted by Dave at 6:13 PM

4 comments:

Tammy said...

Great advice. I need to start doing estate planning. I like to think that I have plenty of time, my son is only 13, but I know that age doesn't matter. Something could happen to me and my husband tomorrow, and where would that leave my kids?

August 12, 2012 at 9:47 AM
Stewart Hitelman said...

I have been looking for forum to discuss the issues. I am a sibling of an autistic adult. Do you have information on where I can go? Thanks.

August 13, 2012 at 9:14 PM
Anonymous said...

I am looking for ideas to help my son who is 39 and has regular periods of becoming static mainly by nott getting out of the car after being out. has anyone else had experience of this behaviour and if so how do they geal with it. I would really appreciate if someone could help.
Chris

April 10, 2013 at 5:09 AM
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September 10, 2014 at 2:48 AM

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