As children with autism grow into adulthood, parents often have a more difficult time caring for them. Depending on the degree of autism, an adult with autism may be difficult to manage, physically and emotionally, especially for aging parents who may have many health issues of their own. Autism treatment for adults is not standardised; much depends on the parents' financial resources, the severity of the disease and the available facilities.
Adult day care centers for people with autism or other mental disorders can be a god-send for weary parents. Facilities that have transportation to pick up clients and safely transport them to centers with the help of trained personnel avoids the tussles of trying to coax an autistic adult into the car and safely delivering him to a facility. Centers have activities during the day geared to the functioning levels of the clients. Some facilities have medical personnel, occupational therapists or psychologists available.
Group homes that provide permanent living quarters for adults with autism often feature personalised attention for a small number of residents, each of whom have their own room. For adults with autism capable of living on their own with just a small amount of supervision, a group home may offer an ideal solution. Larger group homes for individuals less able to cope with life in the outside world may become necessary when a family can no longer handle the demands of dealing with a severely autistic adult.
Many autistic adults can hold jobs and relish the structure connected with having a dependable routine. Finding a company willing to hire an adult with autism takes persistence; as many as 62 percent of adults with autism do not work, according to Autism Europe. For high-functioning autistics, not having a job contributes to their frustration and sense of worthlessness in a society that values holding a job. Teaching life skills important to obtaining and keeping a job can be an important part of autism treatment for adults capable of handling the responsibility of work.
For families that wish to keep their adult children at home, home modifications can help reduce the stress on both the family and the adult with autism. For wanderers, securing the perimeter of the house with a large fence may be necessary. Durable furniture, bathroom modifications, alarm systems, tempered glass on windows and creation of walking loop for an adult with autism who paces can make life easier for the entire family.
For some families, simply figuring out their adult child's favorite color and painting walls and buying carpet or clothing only in that colour decreases destructiveness. People with autism often have strong colour and tactile preferences; catering to those preferences can have a calming effect as well as lead to a desire not to destroy or damage an item of a certain colour.
Parents of an adult child with autism live in a constant state of flux. A living situation that works today may not work tomorrow, especially as parents age and their own health and physical issues change. Keeping informed of the available options in case the need for them suddenly arises is one of the essential tasks of parenting an adult with autism.
For more information on autism care, visit Autism Care UK
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