About the Nonprofit
Visit Our Website
Our mission is to promote vocational, social, leisure, and independent living skills for our neurodiverse clients while reducing challenging behaviors.
In 2017, the CDC released its first estimates of the number of adults living with autism spectrum disorder in the United States. They estimated that 2.2% (5.4 million) of adults in the United States have ASD. At almost half a million (449,631), Texas has the second-highest number of adults with ASD in the country, but in terms of the quality of care services, the state ranks 48th.
Nationally, an estimated 500,000 teens with autism will age into adulthood over the next decade. This presents a multitude of challenges, starting with the provision of care—typically provided by the parents of the 70% of adults with ASD who never leave home. Two out of three families caring for an adult with autism do not have a life plan in place for their loved one. Further compounding this is the lack of care infrastructure in the U.S., which means that many parents are part of the “sandwich generation,” caring for aging parents and dependent adult children simultaneously.
Despite ongoing research to identify factors that will promote more successful transitions and better outcomes for young adults with ASD, resources are limited for adults who have aged out of the care system. This rapidly-growing population of adults and their families face urgent challenges, in particular those adults who exhibit challenging behaviors.
Families of adults with autism can bear a significant financial burden caring for their loved ones, especially if they are completely dependent. There is scant research, but it is estimated that at least 86% of adults with autism are unemployed or underemployed. This is not the result of a lack of ability, but rather a lack of training in vocational or life skills coupled with a lack of employer understanding around autism. Life skills training and employer awareness are both necessary to help close the employment gap for adults with autism.
The number of Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities seeking services far outstrips the current availability. Almost a quarter million (217,786) of these individuals are on waiting lists for Home and Community-Based Services. Additionally, only 6% of these adults are employed, compared to a national average of 20%.
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) treatment has been shown to be effective in enabling adults with ASD to live with independence and autonomy to the extent that is possible. In the Central Texas area, there are currently no high-quality ABA day programs for adults with moderate to severe challenging behaviors. In fact, there are no intensive ABA day programs at all for adults with autism in the Austin Area.
Without access to resources, adults with autism are left with little hope for independence, often resulting in depression as their families are forced to shoulder the responsibility of care alone. Many adults with autism will never leave home. Studies have shown that more than one-third of people with ASD may have clinically significant anxiety (38.4%) or depression (38%), both of which are exacerbated by lack of treatment. We have seen how ABA programs and interventions can serve adults with ASD and their families—leading to lives of more independence and fulfillment.
Independent Identity serves adults with challenging behaviors while working to further develop current and new functional skills. Serving this population will reduce the burden on caregiving families while giving adults with autism the skills to achieve their potential.
We are requesting Dallas Cowboys Memorabilia for our upcoming fundraiser. Items will be used in our live and/or silent auction.
