What Happens to Children with Autism When they Grow Up?

Children grow up and become adults. We all know that. Kids start off as babies, toddlers, then become school aged when they are becoming more independent- and then in high school they become more independent and eventually grow into adults. Adults that are creating their own independent lives away from their parents. Eventually they leave the nest and evolve on their own.

Children with autism and other significant special needs as you know also grow into adults. The difference is, they don't always mature and become little kids in adult bodies. However, that doesn't have to be the case. In order for them to evolve and become as independent as they can- they need the extra push.

What is the extra push you ask?

Kids with autism need to get early intervention such as ABA therapy. That will help them function better as they age. Some kids are extremely high functioning and may be able to evolve on their own in their teens after having that extra push. That usually is the case for kids with Asperger's Syndrome which is also under the autism spectrum.

The difference between Asperger's Syndrome and classic autism is kids with Asperger's Syndrome don't have speech delays and hit their other milestones the same way as their typical peers. However socially they struggle and still have their need for specific routines. Kids that are affected more profoundly need that extra push for a lot longer to help them evolve.

My son has classic autism but in the milder end. He is more afflicted by ADHD. He can dress himself independently and uses the bathroom like anyone else but wasn't trained until he was 6. He has speech but doesn't use it. He is capable of speaking.

He has been in therapy since he started school and now he is 13. At school he does well and behaves a lot more mature than he does at home. The school that he attends provides him the kind structured environment that he needs to succeed.

However, because at home he doesn't transfer the skills he learned at school and stagnates as a result- my husband and I have to give him the extra push to help him achieve as much independence in the end. We have been left no choice other than to transition him into a residential vocational school and group home for kids.

This environment will be perfect for him because he will be expected to use his skills all of the time. It will be structured for him, and will behave more maturely as well. I feel that it has come to a time where he can no longer live at home because him living at home holds him back from evolving.

Another thing to keep in mind is if you have a child with special needs, they will likely need to be placed in assisted living or a group home when they are adults.

Group homes are excellent because they are given the opportunity to be as independent as they can be. Some will be able to work like my son will. If not they can contribute something to others in different ways. Group homes allow these individuals to evolve and grow.

To sum up, all kids grow into adults. However kids with special needs require help along the way to achieve the kind of independence they are meant to have once they reach adulthood like their typical peers.