Autism adulthood : insights and creative strategies for a fufilling life / Susan Senator.

Title:

Author:

Senator, Susan

ISBN:

9781510732711

1510732713

Edition:

Second edition.

Publication Info:

New York, NY :

Description:

xxiii, 310 pages ; 23 cm

Subject(s):

Autism.

Autism spectrum disorders.

Holds: Copies (not including on-order items):

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Call Number	Shelf Location	Status	Item Holds
Searching... Rockrimmon Library	Book	616.85882 SENA 2018	Nonfiction	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

One of the biggest fears of parents with children with autism is their looming adulthood and all that it entails. In this Second Edition of her lauded book Autism Adulthood , Susan Senator further tackles the challenges of adult life on the autism spectrum on the more severe end of the spectrum - those who cannot communicate for themselves, honestly discussing the complex decisions that await all parents and caregivers. To help parents find the guidance they need to provide fruitful lives for their autistic loved ones' and the support they themselves need, Senator shares her own family's personal story about her son, Nat, and his struggles and triumphs as an adult with severe autism.

Autism Adulthood features interviews with parents, caregivers, researchers, and professionals. Each vignette reveals firsthand a family's needs and goals--the circumstances, thought processes, and unique solutions. Sharing the wisdom that emerges from parents' and self-advocates' experiences, Senator adds her own observations and conclusions based on her long-term familiarity and understanding of autism. Told in Senator's trademark warm, approachable style, Autism Adulthood , Second Edition paints a vivid and thought-provoking picture of many people grappling with grown-up, real-life autism. Senator's is the only book of its kind, as real families share their stories and their creative solutions.

Author Notes

Susan Senator is a writer, an activist, and the mother of three young men. Her books include Making Peace with Autism and The Autism Mom's Survival Guide. Her adult son, Nat, was diagnosed with autism at the age of three, and she has been advocating for people with autism ever since. She lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.

John Elder Robinson

Foreword	p. xv
Part I Constructing Autism Adulthood
Introduction to the Second Edition: No Scary Lists or Deadlines You've Missed	p. xxi
Chapter 1 Post-Twenty-Two Planning: Facing Transition	p. 1
Beginning to plan for Nat's adulthood	p. 1
Group home, Adult Foster Care, Shared Living, and Self-Determination	p. 10
Lining up the ducks before graduation	p. 14
Opting for twenty-two at twenty	p. 15
Chapter 2 If You Want Something Better, Create It!: Employment and Job Training	p. 25
Nat's early days of employment	p. 25
Planning Nat's postgraduate days-finding a day program	p. 27
Filling Nat's week: making peace with day habilitation	p. 29
Self-determination and being proactive	p. 31
Honoring behavior can be the bridge to communication	p. 32
A multi-organizational effort: The Teaching Hotel	p. 36
One family's research pays off: Rising Tide Car Wash	p. 41
A cottage industry born from Legos: Made by Brad	p. 44
Creating an opportunity within your community	p. 47
Chapter 3 Home Isn't Built in a Day	p. 55
House chasing: exploring every option	p. 57
Publicly funded group home with a theme	p. 65
A Place Called Home: a privately funded, inclusive house	p. 69
Private, self-supported farmstead	p. 73
The makeup of the farmstead home	p. 78
Maximizing public programs to create housing	p. 81
Chapter 4 Staffing and Turning to Others	p. 89
Nat's first caregiver	p. 92
Determining your own parameters for your staff	p. 96
Sometimes the best staff is right under your nose	p. 102
Finding staff for a farmstead	p. 104
Jeff Keilson, cofounder of Rewarding Work	p. 104
Ideas on the horizon: Caring Force, Inc.	p. 107
Combining higher education and dorm life with independent living skills	p. 110
Part II Deconstructing Autism Adulthood
Chapter 5 Helping Your Guy Find His Way: Acquiring Life Skills	p. 115
Dr. Peter Gerhardt: teaching our guys what they need in the world	p. 119
Make sure the skill you teach is relevant	p. 120
Aim for the greatest efficiency of skill acquisition	p. 120
Teach the right skills in the right context	p. 121
Consider risk as an aid to independence	p. 122
Navigating social norms	p. 123
Being autistic, gay, and coming out	p. 127
Nat and the girl on the T	p. 131
Chapter 6 The Struggles of Apparently "High-Functioning" Autistic Adults	p. 139
Autism and self-discovery through writing	p. 142
Freeing oneself from a legacy of domestic abuse	p. 147
Married, autistic, and happy	p. 151
Bouncing back after a mostly difficult life	p. 155
Chapter 7 Autistic Adults with Communication, Verbal, or Cognitive Challenges	p. 163
Nat's communication evolution/revolution	p. 164
A few words go a long way	p. 166
Single parenting and making it work	p. 172
Even when he can't speak for himself there is so much there	p. 180
Chapter 8 Am I My Brother's Keeper?	p. 191
When a sibling is the guardian	p. 192
Growing up with an autistic sibling and loving it	p. 196
An older sib, a very different worldview	p. 200
Sibshops: offering critical support for the brothers and sisters	p. 205
A different kind of sibling	p. 208
Chapter 9 Autism Adulthood Health and Safety Issues	p. 213
Figuring out if he's safe	p. 213
Using my intuition	p. 215
A new diagnosis	p. 216
Another parent's quest for answers	p. 225
A leading neurologist weighs in on the benefits of a multidisciplinary approach	p. 232
Wandering, getting lost, and tracking	p. 242
Chapter 10 Trauma, and Healing	p. 247
Nat's story	p. 247
New house, new hope	p. 256
Chapter 11 Beyond "I Can Never Die"	p. 259
A lifetime of planning leads to equanimity	p. 262
The future involves friends and family	p. 266
Opting for more independence	p. 268
A sibling firmly in charge	p. 270
Another option: Professional Guardians	p. 281
It takes a village: Circles of Support	p. 283
Separation and letting go	p. 286
Epilogue	p. 289
Resources	p. 293
Glossary	p. 305

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