Читать книгу Launching Your Autistic Youth to Successful Adulthood - Katharina Manassis - Страница 7

Robert’s story is a cautionary tale about everything that can go wrong when high school ends, but you’ll be relieved to hear that it need not be what happens to your youth. Many youth face far fewer difficulties than Robert did, and the information in this book is presented to ensure that your son or daughter is one of them!

You play a crucial role in avoiding problems and supporting a successful transition to adulthood, but you may face some obstacles. For instance, you may not be guided by your child’s school on what is needed prior to the transition, given accurate information about transitional issues, or connected with adult service providers who have experience with ASD. Moreover, as a parent you may be facing these challenges at a time when you are exhausted by years of hard work on behalf of your child with special needs, and questioning whether or not your efforts have been worthwhile. Clearly this is not an easy time for you or your child!

Nevertheless, you can help your youth navigate this life transition successfully by learning about potential problems and how they can be solved. This chapter focuses on understanding why leaving high school is a struggle for many youth on the autism spectrum, emotions parents may experience in relation to this struggle, why high-functioning individuals don’t necessarily do better than those who are low functioning, and a summary of factors and interventions which may predict a positive transition to adult life. If your youth is still in high school, you may be able to increase the latter factors to improve the chances of success. If your youth is beyond high school and struggling, return to a positive developmental course is still possible by implementing the ideas in this book and, in some cases, seeking professional help. Later in the chapter, we revisit the story of Robert and show how, even after the downward spiral he and his family experienced, a healthy transition to adulthood was still possible.