All Kids Can Succeed

“I'm not really that different. I don't really care about this autistic situation, really. It's just the way I am. The advice I'd give to autistic people is just keep working, just keep dreaming. You'll get your chance, and you'll do it.”  Those were the words of Jason McElwain, an autistic kid whose inspiring story has touched many.

Now that we are in October, it is Autism Awareness Month, and since I have a brother with autism, I felt compelled to write about this topic.  I'd like to start by saying that I am very impressed with how much awareness has improved over the last 20 years, but I still believe more can be done.

In the past, autism was a very unknown disorder, and support for the cause was lacking.  Jason McElwain's story, along with many others has helped get rid of the notion that autistic kids are worthless, and there is much more support and many more opportunities out there now for kids with autism.  So what about adults?

A special needs teacher who I've interviewed said, "On their 22nd birthday, the school bus stops coming, and then they really just run out of options."

Once an autistic child turns 22, he or she can no longer attend school, and the options for them become very limited.  Not much thought is ever put into this at all.  What happens to these kids when they grow up?

Well, most are put away in some developmental disabilities home where they slowly rot away.  Everybody is now thinking about the autistic kids, which is great, but there simply needs to be more opportunities for adults out there with the disorder.  Not every autistic person can pop threes like Jason McElwain, but I'm positive that if given the chance, they too can succeed somewhere.