Autism: Paper Never Ends

I'm drowning in a sea of paper.  I sort.  I file.  I purge.  I shred.

I know science says that spontaneous generation doesn't occur, but every mom of a special needs kid knows otherwise!

I invest hours maintaining files, and I never seem to keep up.  My desk has files to be filed.  My table has mail to be sorted.  My counter has paper to go somewhere...

It's a thankless job, but worth doing.  Every step of every process demands proper documentation of diagnosis and prognosis.  Schools, doctors, insurance, and government might help IF the paperwork is complete.  The proper paperwork must always be filled out before anything is done.

Yesterday I talked with a counselor at the local community college regarding the potential enrollment of my autistic son.  The first words out of his mouth were, "Do you have proper documentation?"  I laughed, and I said, "How many years of documentation do you want?  I have every assessment, psychological evaluation, doctor's notation, specialist's recommendation, and school IEP since my son was three."  Silence followed.  He responded, "Well, most people don't have that much. I guess just bring the most recent."  Easy to do.

So as I keep this need for documentation in mind, I continue to sort, file, purge, shred. 

Autism Concern: When The Parents Are Gone Part II

Will my kids be able to function independently when I'm gone?  Another wonderful question parents of a special needs kid faces.  I'm not anticipating leaving the Earth any time soon, but this question needs answers.

As parents, we can have all the legal and financial documents in place, but those papers don't address the real concern of what will happen to our kids.  HOW will they live?  What are their actual abilities?  Even more important, how confident are they?

This summer I am focusing on educating our autistic teens on real life skills and issues.  Everything from junk mail and scams to emergency situations.  My goal is to get them functioning independently NOW.  Not when they're older.  Not when I'm physically or mentally gone (ok that occasionally happens already).

There are the obvious life lessons of budgeting, shopping, cooking, cleaning, housing, schooling, etc.  There's also the medical and government agencies that requires mountains of paperwork.  Details.  Follow through. There are many steps in each of these issues.

For example, transportation--can my boys drive? My parents have volunteered to help in this endeavor.  Getting a driver's permit, let alone license, is paramount to independence.  We're not sure the boys can handle driving, but we need to find out. If they can't, then getting them familiar with public transit will be the next step.  Finding support systems and training is vital, and they do exist.