Episode Details

What happens when a profoundly autistic young adult ages out of the school system?

For many families, the transition to adulthood can mean losing familiar school-based supports while facing limited options for adult autism services, employment, community participation, and meaningful daily activities.

In this episode of Autism Labs, Mike Carr continues the conversation about transitioning to adulthood and aging out of the school system. Drawing from his family's experience raising a severely autistic, non-speaking adult with significant support needs, Mike discusses what families should look for when evaluating an adult program.

He explains why finding a program that simply accepts an autistic adult isn't enough. Families also need programs that are prepared to support challenging behavior, understand communication differences, create opportunities for community participation, and help adults build meaningful skills and relationships.

Mike shares how his family helped create J13 after struggling to find appropriate services for adults with complex support needs.

The episode also includes a powerful example from his son's journey. After being described by the Texas Workforce Commission as "unemployable," his son eventually found a part-time job that paid more than minimum wage.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• The challenges families face when autistic children age out of school
• What to look for in an adult autism program
• Supporting profoundly autistic adults with significant behavioral needs
• Communication for non-speaking autistic adults
• Building friendships and social opportunities
• Community participation and meaningful activities
• Developing employment and vocational skills
• Why programs need appropriate behavioral support protocols
• The importance of creating realistic opportunities for growth and participation

This conversation is for parents of autistic children and adults, caregivers, siblings, family members, autism professionals and anyone helping an autistic person prepare for adulthood.

Mike also previews the next episode, where he will discuss the specific area he believes made a significant difference in his family's experience and the research behind it.