Autism is a cognitive disorder that now affects 1 out of every 166 children born.
This disorder negatively affects social development and thought processes.
These children grow up and have to get prepared for adulthood.
When possible, these children need to get started on their preparation for adulthood starting in their teen years.
It is at this time that you should consider job possibilities and any training that would be needed for those jobs.
There are generally two types of autism, low functioning and high functioning.
Low functioning autistic adults will need constant care while high functioning autistic adults are able to carry on normal lives by working, supporting themselves, and having families.
Whether an autistic adult is successful or not is a derivative of the care and education they received as children.
There are organizations that provide employment opportunities for autistic adults.
They also conduct a host of job training programs based on the areas of strength for that particular person.
The ability of an autistic adult to manage a job, family, and finances depends on this kind of training as well as the severity of their condition.
The face of autism has always been the face of a child even though it is not solely a childhood disease because it never goes away.
That is now beginning to change.
Another issue is coming up.
The children are growing up and more housing is going to be needed for the lower functioning autistic adults.
Many of them live with their parents, will likely outlive them and need a place to go.
Studies suggest that as many as 500,000 autistic children will reach adulthood in the next 15 years.
Thankfully, there are several organizations working on getting the funding for this now but the problem they are having is getting services for the residents.
The studies that have been done report a lack of service providers needed to meet the needs of this growing population requiring housing in the next several years to come.
Depending on whom you ask autism can be a difficult disorder to live with.
Social interaction is a day to day struggle for the high functioning autistic adult.
The right training and support can make this much easier on them.
This training is fundamental to their gaining independence.
It is important that society familiarize itself with all aspects of autism because the number of children born with autism is climbing at an alarming rate.
They, as anyone else with any other disability, require special understanding.
The also deserve the right to be successful.
By the time they reach adulthood, symptoms of their disorder may be masked by their life style, effects of drugs, treatment experiences, and their own effort to cope with their disorder.