Kean University’s Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA) are doing amazing work to help shine a light on autism! At their Annual Breakfast for Families (BFF) event I was able to speak on my personal experiences transitioning to adulthood with autism.
In my presentation I talked about several challenges that young adults with autism are facing today in regards to housing, employment and post-secondary. During the discussion we highlighted several Autism Speaks resources which are helping our families today including our Transition Tool Kit, Housing Tool Kit, Postsecondary Educational Opportunities Guide and our 100 Day Tool Kit. In addition we also showcased our Making a Difference Scholarship which so far has given 13 scholarships for young adults with autism to attend a post-secondary program nationwide.
One topic that hit home for me during the presentation was “What Happens to My Child When I’m Gone?” This is the million dollar question in our community which is why we need to look and treat autism as a lifelong disorder. I wrote a blog on The Mighty recently where I discuss this topic in length after a father at an autism conference came up to me and asked this exact question to me. You can read my answer to this father and my perspective here.
I’d like to thank SOTA for being so warm and welcoming during my visit to Kean! After my presentation they gave me a Kean bag which had a thank you note, a Kean University key-chain, SOTA pen, and a custom made Light It Up Blue shirt they made for the BFF event! Thank you so much to everyone who made this amazing event possible!
You can learn more about Kean University’s Student Occupational Therapy Association here
Find resources on the transition to adulthood for those with autism at Autism Speaks here
