8689 Autism Adulthood: Insights and Strategies for a Fulfilling Life

Saturday, July 16, 2016: 10:15 AM-11:30 AM

Studio 8 (New Orleans Marriott)

Many of us believe that stepping into autism adulthood is like falling off a cliff. In this presentation, families, caregivers, and self-advocates can learn how others already living with autism in adulthood are creating their own meaningful lives in terms of housing, finding staff, relationships, work, and play.

Why do so many autism families, caregivers, and self-advocates fear autism adulthood? What can they do to prepare for life post-22? What have other families, caregivers, and people with autism done to create meaningful lives, given the shortage of funding, programs, jobs, and information?

This presentation addresses all of these questions by presenting real stories and processes of those living autism adulthood right now. As an author, public speaker, educator, and most of all, autism mom, I have put together true stories and information that will resonate with an audience struggling with creating a purposeful life with autism in adulthood. My own son’s story is woven throughout the presentation, along with captivating family slides illustrating the different issues he has encountered in autism adulthood.

In preparing for this topic, I have interviewed nearly 50 people – autism parents, staff, professionals, and of course, adults with autism – to learn how they went about putting together living arrangements, day programs and employment, or how they manage relationships, or health and safety concerns. In the spirit of full disclosure, I must mention that my new book (Autism Adulthood: Strategies and Insights for a Fulfilling Life) focuses on all of these topics, but my presentation will only use that as a jumping-off point for an in-depth look at meaningful adult life with autism. In an accessible, sometimes informal format, I use quirky anecdotes, slides, conversations, real-life scenarios, and my own checklists to convey this message – that there are many ways of creating a fulfilling life in autism adulthood.

Attendees will be able to learn from my different role models how parents have come up with real employment for their children with autism, how they have worked with their loved one with autism to determine their preferred living situation, or helped them live more independently and with fulfilling relationships. Participants will leave the presentation feeling empowered to use their own knowledge and intuition about their autistic loved one and together face autism adulthood with confidence and creativity.

Learning Objectives:

Examine via personal stories many aspects of autism adulthood — work, play, housing ideas, marriage, relationships — and what challenges people with autism face, and how they resolve them, and thus feel empowered to think creatively with the system we have in order to put together a fulfilling adult life with autism.
Explore the problem and issues that come up for families, including siblings, and what they can do when it comes to caring for autistic loved ones.

Track: Lifespan 4 - Adulthood

Content Area: Personal Perspectives

Presenter:

Susan L. Senator, author, speaker, mother
Author of

Senator is the mother of three young men, the oldest of whom has autism. She has published three autism books, most recently, "Autism Adulthood: Strategies and Insights for a Fulfilling Life." Senator has appeared on the Today Show and has written for the New York Times and many other journals.

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