What kind of adults do autistic kids turn into?

If thats a crude way of putting it I aplogize. Are they higher functioning than before? Do they hold down jobs? have families?

SSA Registered Disabled PWD KING ♕♛2008-08-24T11:25:34Z

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People with High Functioning Autism (HFA) can and do hold down jobs, get married, and even have families.

To anonymous: Various persons with Autism highly resent the fact that Non-Autistic persons (Neurotypical (or NT) People) that think that people with Autism are broken and need to be "cured". Various persons with Autism call these persons "Curbies". Various persons with Autism do NOT want to be "cured" from their Autism and are happy just the way they are in being Autistic. Various persons who have Autism see themelves as being "normal" and see Autism as a "way of being" or as an "Autistic way of being".

beetlemilk2008-08-24T12:29:08Z

There are all kinds of variability. 20 percent will live completely independently, 20 percent live completely dependently. The majority 60 percent live with some kind of support. Temple Grandin is an author and is autistic. She has written several books, one of which is on this subject. I have a copy, it is developing talents. Listed in here are people with autism and their jobs. Included are computers, college professors (Stephen Shore) , jet mechanic, HVAC, art teacher, speech language pathologist, sped teacher, and many more. Some write books Stephen Shore, Temple Grandin (Thinking in Pictures), Donna Williams (Nobody Nowhere and the sequel Somebody Somewhere) , Liane Holliday Willey (Pretending to be Normal), Luke Jackson (only 13 when published) Highly recommend, good read "Freaks, Geeks, and Asperger's syndrome" by Luke Jackson.

Some are motivational speakers too.

Also, for those with LFA (low functioning autism) they do live in a group home and do have jobs. My SIL is LFA, in a group home wears depends, is nonverbal, but has a job. She works with a job coach 3 days a week for 4 hours a day in the laundry room of a hotel where she folds towels. She gets a paycheck. She also receives disability, and has medicaid. Her roomate also has a job and is LFA. She works in a restaurant, same hours. She groups the silverware in a napkin and puts the paper napkin holder around it. Also, I know of another LFA person who works for the government. He has a high security clearance despite being completely nonverbal, doesn't sign, can write, does wear depends. He works on a computer, has a job coach, but the coach does not have the security clearance and has to wait on a different floor. They call him on a walkie-talkie if there is a problem. This LFA does make really good money 60k. He works more hours. He is faster and more accurate than what can be meaured by humans, they say he is a savant, and a human computer.

bct2008-08-24T11:53:31Z

They turn into various kinds of adults. Some function highly and hold down jobs and have families. Those that function highly may resent the idea of being "cured". If they do the things the rest of us do there is nothing to "fix". Wikipedia states that 12% of people with high functioning autism have stable full time work. Some people with autism do not function at a high level and may need support their whole lives. They feel that the anti-cure movement ignores the degree of autism's affect on them. It isn't a universal agreement. Outcomes for people with lower functioning people are better than they were in the past with early interventions.

?2016-05-24T12:24:01Z

People generalize to much about these sorts of things. I have autism, and I can talk, I can date, I can have a job, I can live on my own. Other people can not do any of these things. Do not assume that your child can not be successful, but do assume that he'll need help, because, he will. If he's three, learning social skills isn't necessary yet, but you could start teaching him how to learn or figuring out how he learns. One of the things is to say exactly what he is supposed to do. When I was two and three, I didn't hold my sippy-cup, and because I never picked it up, people would hold it for me. One day though, someone told me to hold the sippy-cup, and I did ever since then. I just had know what I was supposed to do, because I couldn't copy, and it never made sense to me that I might try doing what other people did. For middle and high school, I went to a very small school for people with various learning disabilities, and I was taught communication skills there. Really the best thing you can do is to tell him exactly what, socially, is expected of him, and be prepared to know why! As I said, though, there are so many different types of autism- don't assume anything he will or won't be until he is or isn't.

?2008-08-24T10:14:45Z

Autism comes in varying degrees, so the adults cope in various ways. It helps if the autistic person finds what they excel at, develop those skills and can then get employment in that field.

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