For Adults with Autism, a Lack of Support When They Need It Most

Research on how best to help adults with autism is paper-thin. Of the more than $400 million that the United States spends each year on autism research, the vast majority is for genetics research to find the causes and a cure, and studies on early diagnosis and intervention in children. Few studies have examined treatments for adults. “When you look at early intervention for autism, there are lots of different models, and we have a pretty good sense of evidence-based practices for young children with autism,” says Leann Smith, whose research as a developmental psychologist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison focuses on adolescents and adults with autism and on their families. “There isn’t anything analogous to that for adults.” In the past few years, public and private agencies have begun funding efforts to develop therapies for adults with autism. “I really do expect to see huge changes in terms of what we know about how to support adolescents and adults with autism over the next 10 years or so,” says Julie Lounds Taylor, a Vanderbilt University developmental psychologist who studies the transition to adulthood for people with autism. “I would not have said that two years ago.”

Source/more: Washington Post

David Wingate is an elder law attorney in Frederick and Montgomery Counties, Maryland. The law practice includes Wills, Power of Attorneys, Trusts, Asset Protection and Medicaid (Medical Assistance.)