Transitioning to Adulthood

When I was in graduate school, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, there was a great deal of emphasis placed on the childhood and education of youngsters with Autism.  This was the era when 18 year olds magically graduated from an ASD diagnosis to…what? Little attention was paid to adults on the spectrum, and what attention was paid appeared to be related to sheltered workshops and adult foster care.  Let’s usher in this new era, shall we?

These days we know that people living on the spectrum continue to live on that spectrum into adulthood! Books are written about the process of transitioning to adulthood, surviving and thriving in adulthood, and how to navigate those waters.  Hooray!

For those interested in sorting out adulthood, please see the excellent guide Life Journey Through Autism: A Guide for Transitioning to Adulthood. This FREE guide is available for download or via the old school paper version.  This book is packed with helpful information about building a transitional plan, work, education, life skills, and legal planning. The book includes charts, questions to ask, budgets to complete, and lists of ideas about jobs, accommodations, living solutions, and agencies that can help.

This comprehensive guide is clearly the work of some forward thinking folks.  You will want to keep this guide in a handy place as you will want to reference it repeatedly over the years.

Once again, this book will sit on my coffee table at work until it is logged into our lending library.  Thank you to OAR for their role in creating and sharing these outstanding resources.