Barbara Russo-Sproul celebrates her adult daughter’s success in achieving independence. She decided to share her story with all of us, in hopes of inspiring other parents and autistic individuals who are facing the same challenges she and her daughter were.
In the second story, Wendy-lee Walker shows how finding the right job made a significant difference in her son’s life. These two inspiring tales remind us of the incredible potential within each individual and the transformative impact of a nurturing and understanding environment.
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How to Transition Your Young Adult with Asperger’s Into the World
Barbara Russo-Sproul’s story: Autism independence
My daughter is 37. She has gone from being a child who seriously struggled with communication, social interaction, sensory issues, etc., to an adult who struggles with pretty much the same things.
However, she lives in a house with friends now. They receive some services through Vista Life Innovations, but it is not a group home. Cara and the others get support with finances and household management. Some get more services; some get less.
Cara has had the same job for nine years at Yale New Haven Hospital. She does the neonatal crash carts.
In her spare time, she goes to an art studio. Her work sells well in a local gallery, and we have set up an ABLE account with that money. She recently went on a trip to Washington, DC, with her friends, and staff accompanied them.
My heart was filled when she told us, “I am living like an adult now.”
I am writing to let parents know that there is hope despite the struggles with autism.
Wendy-lee Walker’s story: Success with the right job
My son Lewis was born in 1993 and was the perfect baby. At 4 months old he was sleeping through the night. When he started nursery, however, there were signs something was just not right as the nursery nurses were concerned about him not sharing.
At primary school, he memorized the class register in alphabetical order, and at home, he would memorize the characters’ lines from films and would recite them.
At age seven he was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, and before long he was expelled from his first primary school.
He really liked going to his next special school and seeing his teachers there. Then he moved to another school until his behavior got so bad. The only school that would take him on was a residential school until he was 15 years old.
I worried that Lewis might never be able to hold down a job, and I was completely wrong. He started working at a call center, first for claims, and then he moved on to another company.
Lewis needed a new challenge and decided to go into cyber security, and he has never looked back.
This article was featured in Issue 165 — Nurturing the Caregiver Within
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