As an autistic individual who is getting older, I have noticed that the mental health system fails to equip us with the necessary real-world skills to handle daily issues of life. Things like managing finances and household chores, paying rent and utility bills, showing up on time for appointments, and even something as simple as answering a phone call can be a daunting tasks for us. These difficulties coupled with the ever-changing challenges that come with age only make things more complicated.
Perhaps, the focus on cognitive and behavioral therapies needs to be coupled with practical, hands-on training to prepare autistic individuals for adulthood. This may include basic life skills coaching, job readiness programs, and financial literacy programs. Autistic individuals need to be taught how to manage money, pay bills, and save for the future. This training is essential for long-term independence and success in life. Beyond that ongoing care needs to address the changing needs of individuals on the spectrum as they age as well. I know now I don’t need CBT skills that don’t really apply to what I deal with on a daily basis. I need things like how to deal with dishonest people, to accept my impulsivity and NOT accept credit cards, focus to pay bills first, and THEN, MAYBE, get something that fits with my special interests that I want. It’s those things and skills we need as we approach our 50s and 60s and more often than not even earlier with dealing with things like dishonest people! I was never prepared for the number of dishonest salespeople, bosses, neighbors, etc. that once they found out you had a blind spot would take immediate advantage of it to rob you of precious things like money, material items, or even your time at will. Because we take people at their word and face value, we have an innate trust and acceptance that people are like us and say what we really mean without malice, it is a hard lesson to learn and by the time you learn it, you will have suffered many, possibly great, losses and setbacks.
Also, learning about new medications to take that comes along with growing older and our body systems begin breaking down. When do we take them, how often, how do we integrate them into our current medication schedule, etc? I now take more medications for my body than my mind and I have to take them a specific times of day or night and integrating that into my already rigid schedule was difficult. Making my medical specialist understand that they need to be really specific with instructions and what is going on has been a chore as they expect me to be like a neurotypical individual who understands things when I don’t. My GP just now gets it and really goes into depth with me on procedures, etc and that is very helpful for me and I appreciate it greatly. It is hard getting old, it is extremely hard getting old being autistic!
The development of real-world skills is vital in enhancing the quality of life for individuals on the spectrum as they continue to age. As mental health professionals, it is crucial to acknowledge and address the gap that exists in preparing autistic individuals for the real world and growing old. We as autistics need to take a stand and demand that the protocols and training that they receive be changed to fit with what is accurate for all ages of autism. Autism doesn’t stop when you turn 20, it is FOREVER.
John