Parents Drop off Severely Autistic 19yo Son at Gov't Office

[Nyah]

For 19 years, the Telfords have been supervising their severely autistic, non-verbal son, Philippe, guarding him against what is for him an always dangerous world. He is a wanderer: the police have gone looking for him more times than she can count. Inside the house, too, little is safe. Because of his diabetes, even a loaf of bread on the kitchen counter is a hazard.

On Saturday, he left the house and walked four kilometres, across busy streets, and ended up at a restaurant. Two days later, he found some pills in the house, although they were not easy to get at, and swallowed 14 of them. Later that day, after they got him home from the hospital, he slipped out of the house again and into the house of strangers a few blocks away. It was a house in which three women live, and Philippe is, by now, six feet tall and weighs 215 pounds. Telford says, however, that the women were able to understand the situation and were kind about it.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/...011/story.html

This is a really sad situation. Does anyone know the kind of resources available to parents who have autistic children, particularly those that reach adulthood? Does the government have support groups or things of that sort? I have a friend who has an autistic son, and I hate to think of her having to face something like this down the road because she feels desperate.

[evman150]

Like the article says, the guy has severe autism. The vast majority of autistic kids are nowhere near that difficult. Not saying it's easy, but keeping tabs on this kid sounds like eating soup with a fork.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by Nyah

http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/...011/story.html

This is a really sad situation. Does anyone know the kind of resources available to parents who have autistic children, particularly those that reach adulthood? Does the government have support groups or things of that sort? I have a friend who has an autistic son, and I hate to think of her having to face something like this down the road because she feels desperate.

Alberta did have the Michener Centre, but that is closing soon.

[Ducay]

Mom looks .......frazzled.....

[FlamesAddiction]

This is what scares the crap out of me about ever having kids.

Can these things be detected early in pregancy nowadays?

[photon]

Originally Posted by Nyah

This is a really sad situation. Does anyone know the kind of resources available to parents who have autistic children, particularly those that reach adulthood?

Not nearly enough IMO and it's constantly shrinking.

The programs I'm involved with recently just cut half their kids, focusing on behaviour stuff and cutting off support for more life skills stuff (i.e. teaching kids how to bathe, cook, etc as they grow up).

Even our support I thought wasn't going to be renewed and it would really be the worst possible time. Fortunately we're ok for a little while more, but paying for cognitive behaviour therapy and occupational therapists and stuff myself is probably in my near future.

And I'm lucky to be in a position that I've been able to afford a private school specifically for autistic kids when I needed, or special summer camps with workers skilled enough to be able to work with these kids, or paying a babysitter 3x the normal rate because the pool of sitters with the necessary experience is small...

And my kid is high functioning. I can't imagine what someone who can't afford the help and couldn't get government support would do, I'd feel like just getting into the car one day and instead of going to get groceries driving to the Yukon and live with the bears or something.

[STeeLy]

There are certainly resources available to parents with children with Autism. There are MANY MANY associations in Calgary that deal with a wide range of disability, and many of those are focused on Autism (or anything on the spectrum).

The one that is most likely able to get you in touch with certain resources within Calgary would be Autism Calgary (http://www.autismcalgary.com/)

Calgary is one of the cities that have a good autism support system, for parents and youth.

[LIP MAN]

Originally Posted by First Lady

Alberta did have the Michener Centre, but that is closing soon.

Couldn't have come sooner. There was never going to be a "perfect time" to close that place, but the conditions, model, etc. were out of date.

[LIP MAN]

Originally Posted by Nyah

http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/...011/story.html

This is a really sad situation. Does anyone know the kind of resources available to parents who have autistic children, particularly those that reach adulthood? Does the government have support groups or things of that sort? I have a friend who has an autistic son, and I hate to think of her having to face something like this down the road because she feels desperate.

As someone who has worked in the field for over a decade, it can be difficult to find the right services (and good ones). I'll PM you a couple of links to places that can advocate for funding, inclusion at school, etc.

[LIP MAN]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

This is what scares the crap out of me about ever having kids.

Can these things be detected early in pregancy nowadays?

They can yes. Unfortunately, the media tends to focus on these types of stories. There are a ton of great stories of people finding work, living on their own (in more naturally supported settings), and leading a full life that are never heard.

[para transit fellow]

Originally Posted by First Lady

Alberta did have the Michener Centre, but that is closing soon.

That is only a solution if the kid is given up to institutional care. The Michener Centre does nothing to help the family keep their kid at home

[STeeLy]

Originally Posted by LIP MAN

They can yes. Unfortunately, the media tends to focus on these types of stories. There are a ton of great stories of people finding work, living on their own (in more natural settings), and leading a full life that are never heard.

There are many stories of some very extraordinary people who have autism. I have met a local Calgary artist who has autism, once told that he will never have proper use of writing utensils, and now his art has been displayed around the world.

[LIP MAN]

Originally Posted by STeeLy

There are many stories of some very extraordinary people who have autism. I have met a local Calgary artist who has autism, once told that he will never have proper use of writing utensils, and now his art has been displayed around the world.

My focus in the field has been developmental disabilities. There really are amazing people w/Autism as well as other disorders. In fact, it's strange when you know people their diagnosis/disability is never really a focus.

[STeeLy]

Originally Posted by LIP MAN

My focus in the field has been developmental disabilities. There really are amazing people w/Autism as well as other disorders. In fact, it's strange when you know people their diagnosis/disability is never really a focus.

The agency I work for mainly deals with youth with ASD. But our focus is on social development. We provide a space for them to connect, to make friends, and develop/enhance their social skills so that they can have a social life like everyone else.

And it is truly amazing. When I'm with these youth, 80% of the time, it'd just be like me hanging out with my own friends.

[TheGrimm]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

This is what scares the crap out of me about ever having kids.

Can these things be detected early in pregancy nowadays?

See, this comment scares me, I've read articles that are correlating higher than normal amounts of testosterone in the amniotic fluids at specific stages of pregnancy to autism. Not sure this is a smoking gun, and even if it were, there is no way to gauge how a child will develop, and definitely no way to say that a child with autism can't grow up to have a great life and contribute to our society. Imagine how many potentially healthy babies will get aborted if people become overly scared of autism.

I have an uncle with 2 autistic sons, one low function, one very high function. They are extremely challenging and my uncle is aware that he will never have the same "golden years" as his friends. He will likely be living with at least one of his sons for the remainder of his life. I can't imagine being in that situation without a TON of support.

I HOPE the best outcome from these findings, if they are actually found to be a direct cause, is that we are able to adjust the hormones in the amniotic fluid for a fetus throughout development.

A link for those interested:
http://www.time.com/time/health/arti...871515,00.html