Autism in young adults

surfcity
Tue, 02 Aug 2022 14:42:12 +0000

EconPop:

If the young man in your life is intelligent enough to graduate and self-aware enough to be high functioning, I think it’s time to allow him to choose his path. Some gentle guidance and mapping may be helpful. Some therapy from a counselor accustomed to working with neurodiverse people may be helpful. And open-ended understanding and acceptance from his family will definitely help. Let him be him, and relieve the pressure of hoping he “overcomes” his neurodiversity and becomes someone else.

I agree - and I keep remembering the CC wisdom of loving the “kid on the couch.” I don’t think we are trying to turn him into something he is not. For sure there was some confusion over why a kid everyone thought was so gifted is not setting the world on fire currently.

But the goal is to be self-sufficient and happy/content. His family would be fine if he chose to become a bartender (as he has mentioned in passing), or go into a trade, despite advanced degrees in math. Truly, as long as he can sustain himself. The issue is, he is not even getting himself together to get a FT job with benefits. He seems paralyzed, which is why there is now the discussion that perhaps a Dx of autism would explain a lot of his challenges, and if so, he may need some other therapy/counseling beyond the current depression therapy.