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| Book | Searching... Poca Public Library | 616.85 SEN | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
One of the biggest fears of parents with children with autism is looming adulthood and all that it entails. In her new book Susan Senator takes the mystery out of adult life on the autism spectrum and conveys the positive message that even though autism adulthood is complicated and challenging, there are many ways to make it manageable and enjoyable. From her own son with autism, now twenty-five, she has learned "never say never."
Autism Adulthood features thirty interviews with autistic adults, their parents, caregivers, researchers, and professionals. Each vignette reveals firsthand a family's challenge, their circumstances, their thought processes, and their unique solutions, and plans of action. Sharing the wisdom that emerges from parents' and self-advocates' experiences, Senator adds her own observations and conclusions based on her long-term experience with autism. Told in Senator's trademark warm, honest, and approachable style, Autism Adulthood 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, activist, and the mother of three boys. Her books include Making Peace with Autism , and The Autism Mom's Survival Guide . Her twenty-five-year-old 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.
Reviews (3)
Kirkus Review
A wide-ranging memoir and guide to autism in adulthood. There is undoubtedly disagreement regarding the terminology used in conversations related to autism. "Person-first" language decreases the tendency toward defining people by their disabilities; thus, "autistic people" becomes "people with autism." Others prefer being called simply "autistic," arguing that they are in fact defined by their autism and should embrace it as a part of their personalities. Senator (The Autism Mom's Survival Guide (for Dads, too!), 2010, etc.) uses both terms, noting the importance of keeping everything on the table as a child moves through adolescence into adulthood. There are numerous books about caring for children with autism, but the resources about adulthood autism are not as common. The decisions become difficult in new ways: should the adult live with parents or in a residential support home? How do you address the feeling of abandonment, that you're essentially handing over control of his well-being to strangers, often underpaid and all too frequently willing to do the bare minimum to avoid losing their jobs? Senator doesn't attempt to completely untangle the laws, guidelines, and treatment options, but she uses her own storythe author's son, Nat, has autism and has recently reached adulthoodto offer qualitative insights about navigating the social service systems. The author writes openly about a diverse variety of experiencese.g., entrusting guardianship to a sibling in the case of a parent's death; the common struggles of adulthood as experienced through the lens of autism; finding the best possible option for a place a child can call his own and doing so in a way that empowers him to be successful when he leaves the care of his parents. The challenges are ongoing, and Senator is honest in acknowledging the limits of any insights one might glean from her son's story. That acknowledgement, however, serves the book in its shared solidarity, of reaching out to always ask questions. As an emotional resource, her book is excellent. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The author of Making Peace with Autism (2005) seems not to have quite succeeded, as she now worries a great deal about what will happen to her 25-year-old son, Nat, when she's gone. In this very personal primer, Senator details what she believes parents in her shoes should consider before their kids turn 22, the age when the government no longer requires that education and training be provided. She quotes Temple Grandin, who advises teaching work skills beginning at age 12 and says, What would have happened to Einstein and Jobs if they'd had the autism label? As a teen, Nat worked at a local pizza chain and cleaned the school lunchroom. Senator includes stories from other families, but she largely conveys her own point of view, including some controversial opinions, such as thinking people with autism need to flap and suck their thumbs: I've heard from Nat and from more communicative adults with autism that it's better flappy than unhappy.' Still, many readers will find comfort in her advice and helpful concluding list of resources.--Springen, Karen Copyright 2016 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Senator (Making Peace with Autism) hits the nail on the head once again with this work that shares her continuing journey as the parent of an adult with autism. Parents often worry about who will care for their children should they no longer be able, but that concern lessens once children are grown and out on their own. Parents of children with autism, however, must address their fears and seek answers to such a scenario before and into their child's adulthood. Senator tells her experience helping her son, Nat, find a living situation that will support his needs and allow him to be a part of the community. She also relates stories of 30 other families, and the solutions they have found for their children with autism. By explaining how she and others in similar situations manage on a daily basis, the author encourages parents to seek new resolutions in addition to available options for their child. Lists of resources and planning ideas are included. -VERDICT Straightforward and to the point, Senator's book addresses many parents' worst fears and inspires them to step up and create a situation and a community that can -support their child in their absence. This is a must-read for any parent with a child on the autism spectrum as well as care-givers, siblings, and extended family. Suitable for any library with parenting and autism collections.-Lisa Jordan, -Johnson Cty. Lib., Overland Park, KS © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Foreword | p. xv |
| Part I Constructing Autism Adulthood | |
| Introduction: Beginning at the End | p. xxi |
| "People First" or "Autism Pride"? | p. xxv |
| Speaking of the full human picture... | p. xxvi |
| Day habilitation, day programs, and sheltered workships defined | p. xxvi |
| 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 |
| Chapter 2 If You Want Something Better, Create It!: Employment and Job Training | p. 15 |
| Nat's early days of employment | p. 15 |
| Planning Nat's post-graduate days-finding a day program | p. 17 |
| Filling Nat's week: making peace with day habilitation | p. 19 |
| Self-determination and being proactive | p. 21 |
| Honoring behavior can be the bridge to communication | p. 22 |
| A multi-organizational effort: The Teaching Hotel | p. 26 |
| One family's research pays off: Rising Tide Car Wash | p. 31 |
| A cottage industry born from Legos: Made by Brad | p. 34 |
| Creating an opportunity within your community | p. 37 |
| Chapter 3 Home Isn't Built in a Day | p. 45 |
| House chasing: exploring every option | p. 47 |
| Publicly funded group home with a theme | p. 55 |
| A Place Called Home: a privately funded, inclusive house | p. 59 |
| Private, self-supported farmstead | p. 63 |
| The makeup of the home | p. 67 |
| Opting for twenty-two at twenty | p. 69 |
| Maximizing public programs to create housing | p. 78 |
| Chapter 4 Staffing and Turning to Others | p. 85 |
| Nat's caregiver | p. 87 |
| Determining your own parameters for your staff | p. 92 |
| Sometimes the best staff is right under your nose | p. 97 |
| Finding staff for a farmstead | p. 99 |
| Jeff Keilson, cofounder of Rewarding Work | p. 100 |
| Ideas on the horizon: Caring Force, Inc. | p. 102 |
| Combining higher education and dorm life with independent living skills | p. 105 |
| Part II Deconstructing Autism Adulthood | |
| Chapter 5 Helping Your Guy Find His Way: Acquiring Life Skills | p. 111 |
| Dr. Peter Gerhardt: teaching our guys what they need in the world | p. 115 |
| Make sure the skill you teach is relevant | p. 116 |
| Aim for the greatest efficiency of skill acquisition | p. 117 |
| Teach the right skills in the right context | p. 118 |
| Consider risk as an aid to independence | p. 119 |
| Navigating social norms | p. 120 |
| Being autistic, gay, and coming out | p. 125 |
| Nat and the girl on the T | p. 129 |
| Chapter 6 The Struggles of Apparently High-Functioning Autistic Adults | p. 137 |
| Autism and self-discovery through writing | p. 140 |
| Freeing oneself from a legacy of domestic abuse | p. 145 |
| Married, autistic, and happy | p. 149 |
| Bouncing back after a mostly difficult life | p. 153 |
| Chapter 7 Autistic Adults with Communication or Apparent Cognitive Challenges | p. 161 |
| Nat's communication evolution/revolution | p. 162 |
| A few words go a long way | p. 164 |
| Verbal, smart, but still struggling | p. 167 |
| When he can't speak for himself | p. 173 |
| Chapter 8 Am I My Brother's Keeper? | p. 181 |
| When a sibling is the guardian | p. 182 |
| Growing up with an autistic sibling and loving it | p. 186 |
| An older sib, a very different worldview | p. 190 |
| Sibshops: offering critical support for the brothers and sisters | p. 195 |
| A different kind of sibling | p. 198 |
| Chapter 9 Autism Adulthood Health and Safety Issues | p. 203 |
| Figuring out if he's safe | p. 203 |
| Using my intuition | p. 205 |
| A new diagnosis | p. 206 |
| Another parents quest for answers about autism catatonia | p. 214 |
| A leading neurologist weighs in on the benefits of a multidisciplinary approach | p. 221 |
| Wandering, getting lost, and tracking | p. 231 |
| Chapter 10 I Can Never Die, and Other Myths | p. 237 |
| A lifetime of planning leads to equanimity | p. 239 |
| The future involves fiends and family | p. 243 |
| Opting for more independence | p. 245 |
| A sibling firmly in charge | p. 247 |
| Separation and letting go | p. 253 |
| State House story | p. 254 |
| Epilogue | p. 261 |
| Resources | p. 265 |
| Glossary | p. 275 |
