When my autistic son, Jared, turned 30, I realized he needed more than my husband and I could provide him our own. We had a good routine. He worked at the thrift shop for 10 hours per week and he had a wonderful social group with activities twice a month. We took him with us when we went out, and he could stay alone for 5-6 hours at a time if we made sure everything was set up for him. He loved playing his video games and watching TV. He knew not to answer the door and did not leave the house.
I was not sure where to turn and learned I could hire an advocate or care manager. I found AdvancedRM online and spoke with Carol, their Service Director. She spent about 45 minutes on the phone with me. She gathered information about our situation and explained how an AdvancedRM case manager could help. We agreed to come in for an initial consultation, and it was so helpful.
We hired AdvancedRM to assist us in finding programs and resources for Jared. We located a respite care program where he could spend one weekend per month with peers. We hired a community support specialist to take him on outings twice a week. We located funding through the County for some of the services and began the process of looking for a longer term solution; one where Jared will be able to live with peers and become more independent. He is receiving vocational services and is now working at Goodwill 20 hours per week. He is very proud of his paycheck. We finally feel like Jared is on the right path to a productive life where he will be happy and independent.