Author: Erin Elizabeth

When a person with a disability turns 21, they are no longer entitled to a free public education under federal law (often referred to as the “services cliff”) And for many American families, “the drop off this cliff leaves them scrambling, with few, if any, suitable options.”1 (Check out one of New Jersey’s solutions to the problem here ———————->>>>>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGkfUkbMNg8&feature=youtu.be) RELATED STORY: New Danish MMR study shows Autism rate of 1 in 100—CDC should rush to Denmark! Although people with autism have always existed, we’ve recently seen a huge spike in the number of diagnosed cases. And whether the reason is environmental or genetic (by far a smaller number of cases are genetic) “about half a million people on the autism spectrum will legally become adults over the next decade,”1 and we are woefully underprepared to deal with it: “When they turn 21, these people leave behind all the programming and funding they received under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act and enter a labyrinth of government services that vary wildly from state to state. Although people with other disabilities face similar problems, the staggering rise in diagnoses of autism creates a distinctly troubling dilemma in how to ensure that these people receive proper care.”1 And this problem remains understudied as researchers focus mainly on early intervention. Indeed, “less than 2 percent of all autism funding is directed to the...