Sister on the Edge of Autism

A sibling's-eye view of autism in life, family, and culture.

by Eileen Garvin

Autism Speaks awards $450,000 for study focused on adults with autism

Study will look at how people with autism are faring as adults.

Published on July 20, 2010 by Eileen Garvin in Sister on the Edge of Autism

Autism Speaks has awarded at three-year, $450,000 grant to a coalition of researchers studying the quality of life of adults with autism.

The nonprofit advocacy group awarded the money to researchers who last year demonstrated that many adults with autism have fulfilling lives, including jobs and long-term relationships.

Researchers from the University of Utah, McGill University in Canada, Los Angeles Medical School and Yale University School of Medicine looked at 41 higher functioning members of a group of 400 people who have been the focus of a long-term study that began in the 1980s.

The grant was one of several recently awarded by Autism Speaks. The full list is available at its website.

I'm keen to read what this study demonstrates, though I do hope it includes lower functioning adults like my sister.

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As any sibling or parent of an adult with autism will attest, quality of life for our adult family members is a paramount issue.

Jobs, social activities and recreational opportunities are imperative the general happiness and satisfaction for all of us, and these are the areas of deficit for many of our family members with autism.

According to Easter Seals, the unemployment rate among adults with disabilities is almost 12 times the national average.

The Autism Society of American estimates that approximately 1.5 million Americans have autism.