My Own Place
Remember when you took those first steps into the big world as a graduate? That exciting, yet scary, time of transition from high school student to graduate is approaching for some of our friends with autism. Some will move on to college or to a job and their own apartments, and others will remain at home with their families. This is a great time to help those folks who are sticking around the house to develop their own personalized living space.
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Over the years, families of several of my friends with autism have made arrangements for semi-independent living after graduation. Some families transform a den, a family room, a garage space, or a basement game room into an “apartment” for the graduate. Others build an apartment space onto their existing home or build a cottage on their property. And some families rent an apartment or garage apartment close to their home so they can provide support and supervision as needed. Some individuals with autism are resistant to change or have no desire to have a larger space, so they choose to stay in their own bedroom
No matter where their sons or daughter live after graduation, families may want to help them personalize their living space. Here are a few ideas to get started.
+ Let graduates pick out their own bedding, curtains, desk, lamps, and other accessories. You can go shopping at a large discount store that specializes in bedrooms so they can see a large selection. Or if they do not tolerate so many choices or the hub-bub of large stores, help them shop from a catalog. You can cut out some favorite selections and put them on separate pages of paper so they can study some options before making a final selection. If your son or daughter is non-verbal, they can just hand you the picture to indicate their choice.
+ Let your youngster pick out the color of paint for their room in the same manner. Those little paint strips from paint stores help with this. Remember that this is not your choice. If your son wants his walls painted yucky green or dull gold, that is his choice.
+ Personalize walls by hanging 8 X 10 photos (or larger) of you son or daughter and of family and friends on the walls. You can get light-weight, inexpensive, plastic poster frames for the photos.
+ Let the recent graduate have some drawers or a file cabinet or a big box in his closet to keep his own personal junk – rocks and other collectables, an old teddy bear, a broken matchbox car, an old birthday card from his grandmother, and other “good stuff.” Respect his collection without criticism and don’t just randomly throw things away.
So, these are just a few ideas to get started on helping young adults with autism develop their very own place to hang out for the next few years. We welcome your ideas and experiences with this issue. Please feel free to click on the comment button or to send us an e-mail talk@FAQautism.com
NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. Feel free to send me an email with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solution. Send email to talk@FAQautism.com And don’t forget to check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. http://FAQautism.com
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