I want you to think about something. I want you picture in your head someone with autism. In all likelihood, that person was a child.
Those kids are going to be adults. Every year 50,000 kids age out of the system of care set up for kids with autism. And some of those, like Moe, are going to need around the clock care. Think about that. For the rest of Moe's life he is going to need someone to take care of him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
According to the Autism Society San Francisco's website:
California's adult autism population is exploding, expected to double in the next five years and triple over the next ten, according to Department of Developmental Services data. California now counts 80,000 autism cases in the Developmental Services system, up from about 3,000 in the early 1980s. All 80,000 will be adults within 15 years, and in need of lifespan support from a system designed to serve just a few thousand.I recently attended a conference on housing and support for autistic adults. I'm going to write about that in more detail, but for now, I want to leave you with a trailer for an upcoming documentary that was shown at the conference. It paints a grim picture of autism - one that some, including many autistic adults, don't like shown. But it is also one of the most honest portrayals I've seen of the challenges some, though certainly not all, parents face.
The movie is called Aging Out. Check out their website and facebook page. And I've included the trailer below.
