Whenever an individual is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the individual and the family members often wonder what the future holds for them, and the diagnosed individual. Although there is no statistical evidence on the life expectancy for the community of people with ASD, most premature deaths that do occur are related to the lack of care in an institution, infection, and/or poor medical supervision (Van Hecke, 2010). Premature deaths can also be linked to suicide by individuals in the ASD community, often those with a less severe version of the disorder. Suicide can most commonly occur when the individual develops a mental illnesses, often as the cause of a disconnect from society. Common mental illnesses associated with ASD …show more content…
Transitioning to adulthood can be an extremely hard time for individuals diagnosed with ASD. Adulthood brings about new responsibilities and many lifestyle changes that can not be made smoothly unless the individual has been pushed to develop and grow properly, and given the opportunity to thrive. Families often succumb to the stress of trying to raise a child with a disability, which can lead to abuse, neglect, and overall lack of care of the individual. There tends to be a higher divorce rate among families with ASD. In fact, the divorce rate is five times higher than those families with “normal” childhood development (Van Hecke, 2010). This can be due to the added stress ASD can cause on the family. Added stress can come from confusing, often contradicting interventions that doctors often recommend to the family. On average, children with ASD are put through seven different intervention programs at one time, which clearly puts financial strain on most families (Magro, 2016). Sibling relationships also tend to deteriorate over time as they get older and are not able to keep bonds …show more content…
Those with the IQ of 70-75 tend to do well in adulthood, however even those who have an IQ above this may struggle with financial issues. The transition to adulthood is especially hard for children with ASD because adults with ASD are “socially disadvantaged and tend to be unrecognized” (Henninger & Taylor, 2014). Fortunately, Dr. Paul from Autism Speaks organization recognizes that there is research for people with ASD that shows that with the right amount of training and support, individuals with ASD can work a variety of jobs in their own communities. Ted Talks speaker (Kerry Magro from TED Talks Seminar) was diagnosed with ASD at the age of three, but says he overcame all odds with intensive therapy, support groups, and speech therapy. It is very important that an individual with ASD has the proper support group in order to be successful in the transition to adulthood, and organizations like these can be useful in that. In a recent survey called “Family Perspectives on a Successful Transition to Adulthood for Individuals with Disabilities” it explains that the most important factor for transitioning to adulthood in the ASD community is to have a job or role in the community (Henninger, 2014). Just like all people, it is important to make sure that a person with ASD has the opportunity to do what they love in life. This can be facilitated by parents helping to keep
Will they like being out of services? After transitioning out of school services, what happens next. Finding new services or activities might be a struggle for families as well, since services for adults with ASD are very
Research designs will be a mixed measures design such as a combination of a typical experiment and other forms of non-experimental designs. Procedures will be used in this research will be audio and video recording, audio and video editing, researchers and confederate will observe children and their families, in addition to ask open and closed ended questions to children, parents, teachers, and school administrators. Younger children would benefit from play therapy, whereas older children would benefit from written and spoken journals in addition to additional learning time in respite care. What are the necessary steps, procedures, and funding to help these children, teens, and young adults with ASD to become overachievers in academic, vocational, and professional settings?
Children with ASD develop differently from other children. They must overcome challenges in interacting and communicating with others. These challenges can affect their development, learning and future trajectories of their lives. This diagnosis is particularly difficult on low income families and minority groups as well as for parents with low educational attainment and those living in rural areas who may not have the financial means, suitable knowledge or access to resources to care for their children’s needs.
By helping other professionals and families to adapt and evolve their understanding of ASD, you help the nation’s understanding of mental conditions grow and boost the prospects of more research in this field. Inspire the people around you for positive change.
My grandmother was busy at the stove , presiding over a pan of stir fried vegetables that were being subjected to the fierce scrapes of her spatula. “ You must knead the dough with woman's hands and a woman's touch”, she instructed me over the piercing cry of the pressure cooker . I stopped and examined my hands , the same hands that had played with dolls only a few hours ago .
This study will involve three male high school students who have a diagnosis of ASD. Students will have an IQ of 80 or above with a first-grade reading level. Students will be able to demonstrate listening and comprehension levels of the first grade as well the ability to communicate using both verbal and written forms. Using
In contrast to help received as an ASD child, services and overall well-being as an ASD adult are lacking. In the article “Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorders,” the authors describe that there is limited support and interventions for individuals with Autism who are over the age of 18 (Howlin and Moss, 2011, p.275). Howlin and Moss state, “The findings indicate that, as adults, many people with ASD, including those of normal IQ, are significantly disadvantaged regarding employment, social relationships, physical and mental health, and quality of life” (2011, p. 275). What makes the situation worse is there is little research being conducted to aid Autistic adults, especially ones over the age of 30 (Howling and Moss, 2011, p. 275). It is
While sparse, there are colleges and universities that are skilled at providing accommodations for students with ASD. Unfortunately, students with ASD have decreased graduation and employment rates, and they are more likely to develop mental health disorders during their college years when compared with other students with disabilities (Hees, Moyson, & Roeyers, 2015). Challenges the students with ASD will face in college include organizational and time management difficulties, lacking self-advocacy skills, sensory overload, and problems meeting academic demands (Hees, Moyson, & Roeyers, 2015). It is important for a primary care provider to provide anticipatory guidance to the adolescent and their family of what to expect of postsecondary school if that is what they choose for the next step.
The ability for families to remain strong and thrive during difficult, emotional experiences in raising a child with ASD is new to ASD literature (Whitehead, et al. 2015). Families show individual coping responses such as avoidance, disengagement, self-blame, denial, and emotional venting (Whitehead, et al. 2015). In comparison, action oriented strategies include planning, acceptance, and positive transformations (Whitehead, et al. 2015). The combination of behavior and emotional problems exhibited by children with ASD are major contributors to family and caregiver stress (Whitehead, et al.
To answer this question I found an article to review from the Journal TEACHING Exceptional Children. Two major problems children with ASD face are that fact children with ASD have “persistent deficits in social communication as well as “restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior” affecting both their ability to communicate socially and function in general (p. 147). Another complication for these adolescents is they often have to change location, causing anxiety. This anxiety creates an inability to adapt to change, which is yet another struggle children with ASD experience that children with other disabilities do not experience. Another problem with advancing their IEP is contingent on their ability to express their wants, needs and goals. As this communication is often limited, if available at all, it is particularly challenging to help plan, long term, for children becoming adolescents with ASD.
The transition to adulthood always seemed to be some momentous or celebratory event; something which everyone should be able to look forward to. While that's what is brought to mind when the transition is brought up, that isn't always the reality. I became an adult more than ever as a 15-year-old in the second semester of my freshman year.
Adolescents, in particular, seem to be especially aware of the social difficulties they face and report feelings of isolation, rejection, and bullying (Laugeson et al., 2009). Especially for high-functioning individuals with ASD, the effects of having a social disability may be perceived more keenly during adolescence (White et al., 2010)
The impacts on the family tend to vary according to the severity of the individual with ASD (Seth, 2011). The first major impact on the family is the struggle of adaptation to the child’s behavior and communication. In their comprehensive study of the stress and quality of family life in the parents of children with ASD, McStay et al. (2014) found that more severe levels of symptoms and less social support led to higher stress and lower quality of life for the father. This also is an indication of the differences in stress among parents according to their gender. Maternal stress was higher when there were lower levels of family sense of coherence (FSOC) and higher levels of the child’s external behavior. McStay et al. (2014) also concluded that further research needs to be conducted on the effects on the parents of the time spent caring for a child with
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (2017), ASD is a group of developmental disorders that impacts 1 in 68 children and includes “a spectrum” of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability. Individuals with ASD may face challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, language and communication, and learn differently than
The community night program for the adults with ASD will focus on social skills in real-life settings and possible job preparation for those who qualify. This session will also include adult community volunteers. They will be leading programs that will encourage participation in real-life social settings, that involve spoken language. If these adults with ASD are rehearsed and practiced in life like settings, they will become more prepared to face the same situations in the real world. Depending on the severity of the adult with ASD they will be placed in a specific group, they will also be monitored to find out what activities they are mostly interested in. The first half of the session will focus on life skills. These will include classes on self-care, safety procedures, and home economics, to provide the opportunity for them to become as independent as possible. For the adults with ASD who qualify to receive job