How Do I Go About Supporting Adults With Autism?

Whether you’re a parent, relative, or care-provider, it’s important to understand the support needs of adults who have autism. In this episode, Monica Meyer shares her insights.

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Today we’re talking with Monica Meyer, of Monica Meyer consulting, an expert in adult autism.

Monica, how do I go about supporting adults with autism?

Monica Meyer: How do we go about supporting a person with autism is first we need to understand the person with autism and how they experience their autism. There are many tools that can be used, but in particular is looking at how the characteristics specifically of autism affect the individual. That’s going to take us to the point of what are the implications of services and strategies.

What specifically, if I am a family member, could I do?

Monica Meyer: As a family member, is first when you’re accessing service providers, to ask that specific point, what is your experience and understanding of autism, so that we are able to support the person in the way that they need to be supported. It is asking for specific support strategies that affect people with autism. That’s going back to our analogy of understanding the difference between autism and an intellectual disability is that autism is a neurological disorder that affects the understanding and comprehension and the processing of the world around a person. Going to somebody who has the experience, and if they don’t have the experience to be able to advocate for that.

What if I am a support provider, what could I be doing?

Monica Meyer: As a support provider, there is one thing you could certainly contact me, but is to find out more about autism. Understand what are the characteristics of autism, what are the best practiced autism specific strategies that improve the quality of a person’s life through communication, socialization and independence. Those are the hallmark qualities that we want for anyone, but specifically for our person with autism, they need to be specifically evidence based autism support strategies.

Thank you, Monica. For more information, listeners may call Monica at 360-904-8938 or visit monicameyer.com.

Learning how to support adults with autism is critical for parents, friends, and care professionals. Stop by regularly to find the best information on adult autism.