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Transition to Adulthood

Transition from youth-based services to adult-services can be a challenging one for individuals with autism and their families. Here are some resources that can help:

Employment

  1. AANE: The Association for Autism and Neurodiversity empowers individuals, families, and professionals to help people autistic people and similarly neurodivergent individuals to build meaningful, connected lives. (Opción de traducción al español en la parte superior derecha de cada página web).
    • Employment: Web-based tools, resources, and news.
  2. Institute for Community Inclusion: Helping ensure individuals with disabilities have access to employment and educational opportunities.
  3. Jewish Family and Children’s Services: Offers support to a wide range of individuals within the metro Boston area.
  4. Massachusetts General Hospital’s Aspire Program: Helping individuals with high cognitive ASD or a similar profile make social connections and develop independence.
    • Aspire Internship Program: Individuals are placed with an employer partner and receive ongoing support from a career counselor and peer groups.
  5. Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC): State government agency that helps individuals with disabilities live and work independently.
  6. Asperger Works: Private group helping individuals with autism who can work find a job.  This group works primarily in the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts, and run by individuals with autism.

College and life after school

  1. AANE: The Association for Autism and Neurodiversity empowers individuals, families, and professionals to help people sutistic people and similarly neurodivergent individuals to build meaningful, connected lives. (Opción de traducción al español en la parte superior derecha de cada página web).
    • College mapping: Fee-based 1:1 service to help your child prepare and enroll in college
  2. Institute for Community Inclusion: Helping ensure individuals with disabilities have access to employment and educational opportunities.
    • Think College: Directory to search for colleges that offer support for individuals with disabilities
  3. Massachusetts Inclusive Concurrent Enrollment (Mass. Department of Higher Education): Offers grants to college-school partnerships to support eligible public high school students with intellectual disabilities, ages 18 to 22, to increase their academic and career success by being included in a college or university. 
  4. Wright’s Law: Provides information on the IEP process
  5. Department of Developmental Services (DDS)
    • Chapter 688 referral: Made by school district at 16 (or two years prior to leaving school), gives students an Assigned Transition Coordinator and connects student with DDS for transition to adult services
  6. Federation for Children with Special Needs:
  7. College Autism Spectrum: Private group helping individuals with autism prepare for college
  8. Neurodiversity Network: Website of resources for “neurodivergent job seekers and students, employers and universities and the community” 
  9. Autism Goes to College: Website focused on college for autistic individuals 
  10. Do a web search about a gap year for autistic individual, there is a lot of info about this, here are just a few: 

Social/independent living

  1. AANE: The Association for Autism and Neurodiversity empowers individuals, families, and professionals to help people autistic people and similarly neurodivergent individuals to build meaningful, connected lives. (Opción de traducción al español en la parte superior derecha de cada página web).
  2. The Arc of Massachusetts: 18 local chapters provide services and supports to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
  3. Massachusetts General Hospital’s Aspire Program: Helping individuals with high cognitive ASD or a similar profile make social connections and develop independence.
  4. Aspire's relationship coaching  Programs that focus on the development of self-awareness, improve social competence by teaching ways of thinking and being social, executive function, and life skills in a supportive and structured setting.
  5. Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC): 
  6. Federation for Children with Special Needs:
  7. NESCA-Newton: Private agency that will assist in transition to college as well as other matters related to transition.
  8. Exceptional Lives 

Guardianship

  1. State forms: This is a link to Massachusetts state forms specific to the guardianship process. You will find the Clinical Team Report form, and other helpful legal forms.
  2. Exceptional Lives Guardianship Guide: Interactive guide to help you decide if your child needs a guardian, and reviews how to obtain guardianship.

Financial

  1. Exceptional Lives Social Security Income (SSI) Guide: Reviews whether your child qualifies and how to obtain SSI.
  2. Public Partnerships LLC (PPL): Works with DDS to provide reimbursement for programs/activities to promote community engagement and independence (e.g. educational fees, a personal care attendant, entertainment, gym membership, transportation, rent).

Transportation

  1. The Ride: Disability transport services. 
  2. Adaptive Driving Program: Private agency that offers added support to help you/your child learn to drive.

Health care

  1. Got Transition: Guides and information about how to prepare for transition to an adult medical provider.
  2. The Insurance Resource Center for Autism and Behavior Health: Access to a team who can help insure you have the best insurance plan for you.

General resources

  1. Autism Commission: State agency focused on autism-specific resources — they have developed a guide to transition in Massachusetts.
  2. Jewish Family and Children’s Services: Offers support to a wide range of individuals within the metro Boston area.
    • Adults with Autism: Full range of services for adult with autism
    • Disability Resource Network: Free information, referral, and consultation service. Helping you connect with programs and services that promote the fullest participation in the community.
  3. Federation for Children with Special Needs: Connects families, professionals, and individuals with disabilities ages 14 to 26 with information, support, and services.
  4. Autism Housing Pathways Turning 18 checklist: Helpful tool to keep you on the path toward adult life with a focus on housing
  5. Ability Path: The “Journey to Life After High School” roadmap is a long document, but it covers everything from education to employment and housing, with real stories from individuals with disabilities and their parents.
  6. NESCA-Newton: Private agency that will assist in transition to college as well as other matters related to transition.
  7. Transition To Adulthood Program (TAP)
    • This is a state-funded agency that offers advocacy, skills training, and peer counseling. TAP 

Housing

  1. Autism Pathways: Website specific to securing affordable and appropriate housing for individuals with autism