Autism: Aging Out | Documentary offers helpful info for those with ASD beyond childhood

[@robertafierro5592]

Its tough, but when I see that poor guy sitting in a day room all alone, I feel it's my duty to help him out and teach him new things..i have. He knows how to take a bus, he knows just how much money to put into the automatic money catcher on the bus, whatever you call that thing, but I've taken him all over New York City. Just me and him. We are dear friends for over 20 years..I will always have time for him. He hasn't got a mean bone in his body. He's like a nephew to me now. I gained and HE gained. Friendship is a special.and beautiful thing.

[@mariekatherine5238]

Thank you for being a true friend to someone who has it tougher than you.

[@ninjabgwriter]

I remember my dad told the public school system that I needed more accommodation and support, because I was doing exceptionally, but he predicted I would be struggling significantly in a few years. They said if I wasn't failing yet, I didn't need any help at all. My family advocated for me to several doctors, since several people in my family were neurodivergent, but I was given the diagnosis of 'quirky' until my 20s when a psychological examiner finally took me seriously. I feel like autism is an identity, but for me and many others it's definitely also a disability, and I wish there were more resources with supports. I actively want to learn coping skills to help myself get less overwhelmed in very sensory stimulating or public environments, and how to cope with executive dyfunction, and whatever else I can possibly put in my toolbox to help myself. Just through my own research, I've learned a lot of things that significantly help me, but I found all of that by chance. How can you look up the coping skills to help you when you don't even know what they are? I'm fortunate enough to be articulate enough that people don't at least question my personhood (it's terrifying to me how often that happens with nonverbal people), but if you speak 'intelligently' and look 'appropriate', people think you're just dandy even when you're not. I'm not going to give up, but I really really wish I knew what it was I want to learn. I feel like I could be self sufficient with the support network of my family if I just had the skills to function in the adult world, to organize myself, regulate sensory input, figure out how to keep myself safe socially. I've seen so many 'so you think you're an adult with autism, now what', but I've already been diagnosed, and come to peace with who I am long before that. I see almost no 'so you've been diagnosed with adult autism, now what' things that aren't just 'buy a bunch of fidget toys and love yourself :)'. What if you do that and are still struggling? I wanted a diagnosis to pave the way to supports, and though the validation for the fact that there's a reason I'm struggling and I'm not just lazy is nice, I wouldn't have spent several months and a whole bunch of money for a shiny new paradigm.

[@WQED]

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts! While some of these may depend on your area, we do have a list of resources here that we hope may be of some assistance: www.wqed.org/autism

[@ninjabgwriter]

Ignace Alli, I'm happy for you and your son. I appreciate your interest in offering me help, but I don't think herbs are quite what I need. For instance, though I have also been diagnosed with ADHD and have received medication for it, I still struggle with many things. The medication certainly helps, but unfortunately doesn't fix everything. The things I struggle with are daily life skills, executive dyfunction, organization, social skills, etcetera. I need to learn skills so that I can cope better in my daily life, because growing up without a diagnosis or support, I struggle with or never learned many things that most people learn as children. My original comment was mostly in frustration about the lack of supports and treatment for adults with autism, though I'm beginning to try again looking for ways to learn the things I missed out on. Thank you very much for trying to help me, though. I hope that you and your son are happy and healthy, and I hope you have a nice day.

[@thomasa5619]

@@ninjabgwriterI hear you, sometimes it’s like trying to navigate a maze when everyone else seems to be on the footpath

[@duanegarcia7418]

57 autistic male now never married no children great information here really I see the quality of life is the community they live in. God bless them.

[@nvdawahyaify]

I'm autistic and I have no idea what kinds of support I need, because I am not even aware of what is available, or how to get it. No body ever taught me any of this. I've just been trying, and really falling short, by myself. I know how to get a psychiatrist from the county,but that took me years to learn. I have no idea how to get (and more importantly keep) a job, house/apartment, or new relationships. My family wouldn't teach me this. They just gave up on me. I ended up on the streets for 7 years. If it wasn't for one of my few friends I would still be homeless.

[@eskiemax5133]

May GOD Bless you!!!

[@coletteday712]

Have you reached out to the local SNAPS office? Are you on Medicaid? Who diagnosed you? There are supports specifically for you, please don't mask your autism. Lead with it. I wish you safety & comfort

[@nvdawahyaify]

@@coletteday712 Wait, the snap office has services that can help autistic people? I mean I knew that I go there to get food stamps and medicaid. But I don't know what else is available. I was diagnosed as autistic as a child, but I don't have records from then. I was diagnosed again as an adult by my psychiatrist. And also by a neuropsycologist that I saw at the referral of my neurologist. I wish I had known anything about these services.

[@coletteday712]

@@nvdawahyaify I'm happy to hear you already have medicaid & food stamps! Are you receiving supplemental disability income through social security as well then? They're two yrs backed up, but they can & will access your medical records. These foundational resources are the extent of what I know.

[@coletteday712]

@@nvdawahyaify What specific resources are you seeking? Autism is not a mental health diagnosis, but living with autism in our world is traumatic. I strongly encourage mental health counseling if for no other reason than access to someone who has access to resources

[@mariekatherine5238]

I was diagnosed a year ago at age 72. It’s really rather silly that I have to attend a twice a month workshop for social and job skills, but it’s worth to get the $180 per month. I think of it as another part time job. I am on my own for the last 38 years. The closest to my age is a 35 year old guy.

[@mariamgorjian]

At the rate people are diagnosed as autistic, our society is going to be faced with a massive health crisis in 20 years. All their caregivers will be gone and more autistic kids will be orphaned. This is terrifying.

[@aspiechan420]

We don’t all need caregivers

[@Stalemarshmallow]

@@aspiechan420I’m glad you don’t need a caregiver but please understand many do

[@shadowkyber2510]

I don't think there are any more severley autistic people now than there were 30 years ago. The rate's just higher because more high function people get dyognosed when they would've 30 years ago. And people are more open about it, back then autistic people would've been hidden away

[@BG-nm5xt]

Some people with Autism who need ongoing support can live in group homes. They don't have to live with their parents and sometimes parents are not able to provide care. But it is a concern that the numbers diagnosed with Autism are increasingly high.

[@BG-nm5xt]

Some states do a better job providing services to people, and some don't have enough funding and don't get enough services.

[@ventrust7507]

Autistic people can work way beyond food, flower and filth. We can work incredibly well Figuring out complex problems that neurotypicals would perish from existence without the autistic community. Everyone needs customized accommodations. Autistic people are a minority and the majority always gets there way built in to systems. The neurotypical community has to come around to seeing it’s in their best interest to see accommodations would help all. If you make it autistic friendly you make it better for all. We have to see we are beyond our sum of our production. It’s well established that neurology make-up is hereditary. You inherit neurotypical symptoms.

[@rockcandyxoxo]

It depends on the level of the spectrum. Some simply can't. I can; I'm low on the spectrum and a professor. But the most severe can really struggle. Calm down

[@ventrust7507]

@@rockcandyxoxo some autistic people work and some allistic people work not all.people. Not all people work for a pay check. I don’t know what you mean by severe.

[@ventrust7507]

@@rockcandyxoxo you think you are “low on the spectrum” and you say “ calm down”. Maybe you are not dealing with things in a healthful way and you use dismissal because it’s all too painful. Take care.

[@allythearts5439]

What do you do if your parents choose to not believe you and mock you? I'm an autistic adult and my parents don't teach anything about how to go out and live on my own. Live a normal healthy life. I can't stay in a toxic family environment.

[@WQED]

Hi Ally! We have some additional resources available here: www.wqed.org/autism. Please note, these are for individuals in Pennsylvania, but there should be resources and groups available for each region.

[@lizardme88]

Call your general practitioner doctor and tell them everything, that is what they are paid for. 😊

[@lucyhicks4344]

I live in California and my son had a completely smooth transition from school to an adult day program. My local regional center, who provides his services, was key!

[@homelessjesse9453]

You're lying. I've been trying for years to get any services in California. Nothing.

[@homelessjesse9453]

@@lucyhicks4344 For months I did in the SF Bay Area. They were all useless.

[@katherinetaylor9886]

@@homelessjesse9453I live in California also, and have lived in Northern California for the vast majority of my life. I also am on the autism spectrum. I now live on the Central Coast, and now have the best service available and possible. I will absolutely never forget those days when the North Bay Regional literally screw my family and especially myself over, at one point so severely that we had to file a fair hearing which lasted for over three years. When this occurred, I was 18 at the time, and was eligible to attend a supported living program here in the Central Coast, which I wanted to attend. Because North Bay Regional Center claimed that to transfer my case to the Regional Center here on the Central Coast claimed that this was out of their wheelhouse of funding to transfer (extremely illegal in the state of California, one of many reasons we sued), we filed that fair hearing, and eventually won… again, after three plus years. I pray that you will one day find proper services for your child with ASD. I have graduated out of that supported living program, but took a now dear, family who was the person that initially did the intake for me to get into this supported living program.

[@abhiam18]

My son is still in wait list for last 3 years. He is 5 yr old now.

[@garyt7232]

Unless you are a parent with a child on the spectrum, you can never truly understand what life is like. I have lost count of the sleepless nights, countless tears, and feeling hopeless. The feeling of guilt is the worse. I worry about what happens when my kid turns 18 and is out of school. Not many services available to young adults. If something happens to me or my wife, what will become of my child?

[@dailylifevlogs8861]

😢 I can understand. I also hv that fear

[@dariusparris2698]

@Ignace Alli I contacted the doctor through WhatsApp. He asked for a thousand dollars which is money that I don’t have. Can you explain more about him and his channel?

[@WalrusesAreTheOne]

I do understand because I'm autistic and no one helped me. I'm now writing a book on how people like me see suicide as the only way out because society isn't stepping up to provide help to autistic adults

[@Zorazora1234]

I understand, I have a 37 year old son, Asperger Syndrome My fear is what happens when I die, so many homeless folks I see ( Invisible People, KZbin) are on the spectrum, primarily caregiver dies and they’re homeless I’m tried of living but I gotta hang in there to get things in place to help him… It’s all so exhausting

[@dariusparris2698]

@@Zorazora1234 Im 25 years old with Asperger syndrome. I would never want to be homeless either. The government needs to step up to do more to help those that can't help themselves with programs and resources. I just gotta pray all the time to keep fear at bay. I live with my parents. Praise God that I have a place to call home and to live. I believe that good change is on its way to turning lives that are suffering. Let me know if you find anything. I know of autism speaks. Some states have autism chapters. There could be support groups where you live.

[@kabo0m]

I wish ASD supports were in place for girls when I was young. Instead, I was put down, bullied, belittled, made fun of, insulted, and fired. 2:00 She is lucky to have this opportunity. But I am not in PA USA. I am in ON Canada...

[@Elizabethpepper8]

I'm in ON as well and I've experienced the same. When my child was sent for an assessment, I requested one and the only thing our NP had to say was, "what would be the point of that?"

[@ruthhorowitz7625]

What about autistics who get diagnosed late in life, often in crisis, and there are no services for them.

[@WQED]

Hi Ruth! We have more info and a list of resources on our page here: www.wqed.org/autism

[@ruthhorowitz7625]

@@WQED thank you but it's just more services for children.

[@kabo0m]

Needs more for adults who are autistic themselves. I have been searching and not much info. I looked locally in my area (well I am in Canada but even in my area it is all at least 4 hrs up north as I live very very south near Michigan and Ohio) and it seems impossible. So many women were not diagnosed but know they are different and can't even get tested due to the shortages of medical help ever since Covi pademic :(

[@nipit_indabud]

I pulled my son out of school they were not teaching him, just complaining about him. Until they put him on half days then he came home bruised. I never took him to school again. There is no help. I am lost.

[@kabo0m]

I had one teacher take me out into the hall and kick me (this was in the 70's or 80's) because she said I was obviously not getting punishing meant at home because I was bad (I fell asleep in class). I was not diagnosed as a kid (in the process now at almost 50 as a woman which I find is still hard to get diagnosed) and this was before it was found out I had failing kidneys (explaining my tiredness). I hated school. I really hated school including recess. I hated it and used to escape out of the school yard to just be by myself but then the kids would tattle and all follow the school yard teacher who pulled me back into the yard .. ever time. I wished kids would just ignore me and leave me alone. I had no friends and hated others and just wanted to not be picked on. I don't know how school is today but it must be hard to be a parent. I never had kids. Never got married. I live alone on disability renting an apartment. My family still does not understand me but I am good at computers at least.

[@Krystal_Kitty7]

​@kabo0m I am sorry you went through that pain, unfortunately Autism was hardly known back in the 70s and 80s, there are thousands of other women out there who suffered like you in their childhood and are even still misunderstood and ignored to this day. My son is 10 and has Asperghers he loves computers as well, he spends his time making videos of things he does on the computer just a suggestion for you maybe try to expand yourself out into the world through social media if you haven't already make videos of what you're good at and hopefully it will open doors for you in many ways. Wishing you the best. ❤

[@OU812-j7v]

Thank you for this... My son will be 15. I will look at this for him. Hopefully college oneday! Big dreams ❤ Ty Ty Ty 😊

[@elyzsabethahne2116]

Yes, work IS supposed to make people feel good--however, most workplaces are not like this AT ALL--ESPECIALLY when there's bullying and harrassment allowed to continue against workers--PARTICULARLY affecting those with autism. "Disease burden" should be renamed "condition burden", as autisim is a condition--not a "disease".

[@brandonlee7382]

For sure it's a WIDE range. One thing we all have in common I think is we really enjoy our hobbies, and we are really caring.

[@claireh.7605]

You go for a walk on a Main Street, you get police called on you. They come and start questioning you and treating you like a criminal.

[@BubbleArcadia]

I've been treated like a criminal for looking weird and suspicious. I just dont like the police. I don't trust anyone with an armed weapon and you never know what people will do when they're angry and they're armed.

[@weebeedesigns]

And what if it's not ok? Because it's not. It's really hard to get what you need for your young adult on the Spectrum. What they need and what is available is not the same. For instance, my son wants to continue with Kung Fu training he had to stop because of a medical issue and now it's just not affordable for him. A simple thing like Kung Fu lessons is not paid for by waiver unless the provider has gone through an approval program to become an approved provider under waiver. What for profit business is going to bother with that for one or two potential students? I wish they had had more voices of the individuals than just the parents.

[@slidegirl9166]

One place to start is by contacting your local Goodwill Industries for job training. If they can’t help you, they may know of organizations that can.

[@MorganBennett]

I have medium functioning autism

[@ClaireCambridge]

Wow this video is amazing great work

[@Stormbrise]

I really hate the derogatory words that professionals use with any neurodiversity diagnosis. I do not see my traits as problems, a disorder, pathological, a disease, a comorbidity, etc. etc. I am who I am please stop using such negative words for people in the psychological/psychiatry field. Just because they do not meet your view of ‘normal’ we are who we are, please respect us.

[@coletteday712]

I think its important to make autism visible for those outside it. Non neuro typical is an invisible challenge too many don't even acknowledge yet it impacts everything.

[@savingday]

If you are offended you are not as severely impacted as these people.. these words aren't degradotory.. they simply describe a condition. You may not belong in the same group don't stop others getting the help and diagnosis they need

[@flowerpower3618]

Maddie is so precious

[@rockcandyxoxo]

​@@savingday well said

[@rockcandyxoxo]

They're not talking about you 😒 I'm also autistic and not offended at all. Get over your insecurities before you hate post

[@BubbleArcadia]

My mom still wants me to get a driver's license but I've tried to tell her time and time again that because I'm mostly nonspeaking, I fear our countries police system. I will have a meltdown or break down if I'm pulled over by the cops and then of course they'll only see me as acting suspicious and then they might shoot me. And what is our country known for but police brutality I just know I don't wanna get shot or killed because I was having a panic attack trying to figure out why the hell he pulled me over and if I go to pull out my aac app or tablet and it looks like a gun to him I just dont wanna get shoot it's so scary being autistic adult in this world that's very suspicious of different people. I try to always not make eye contact and I always do my best to appear non threatening whenever police are near by. I've even witness my 5th grade classmate in my special ed class get mock arrested for having a meltdown. He was crying and scared for his life. I just as much as I don't wanna say this....ACAB for the most part not all of them but a good majority of them don't have proper training with calming down autists. 😢 makes me so sad

[@haannguyen4402]

I appreciate you wanting to help yourself

[@davestambaugh7282]

According to the DSM now there is no difference between asphergers and the people who have severe disability. I do not see any spectrum between the two. There seems to be a sharp dividing line between the two. If that were not true then I would either have been been diagnosed or discovered it alone before I was seventy.

[@darthjader77]

Now is 22 years old now

[@zrienkersh1475]

Lol what school services… basically get nothing and nothing helps anyway.

[@roman2soiko2]

i am autistic I have a masters degree in internationaL human rights law in Queens University Belfast I have a beautiful Malawian girlfriend I am a published writer state winner of geographyin2004 i can speak Arabic Chinese English french Russian Spanish Portuguese Afrikaans Xhosa and ZUlu

[@roman2soiko2]

and because I know hte Maputo Protocol i know how to defend my African wife

[@PinkPulpito]

If you dont have support you end in in jail or on the streets.

[@nickwilliams430]

19:39 That is true but it shouldnt be an excuse for those who do things on purpose like Chris Chan or Daniel Larsen who are on the spectrum.

[@miguelangelrodriguez4377]

what center is this

[@WQED]

There are a few organizations mentioned: Autism Urban Connections Inc., Community Integrated Services, Autism Runs, and Achieva.

[@eScential]

😂😂😂😂😂😂 I was looking for help with widowhood, lifelong total support to zero. This stuff might have been helpful 6 decades back😮 What about seniors?😢

[@TheRoadGeek266]

I have autism