Column by Richard J. Dalton Jr. in Newsday:

Adults with autism spectrum disorders are now achieving greater levels of independence than ever before, and with their increased autonomy come concerns about whether they can successfully manage their own financial affairs in a world they don’t completely understand.

Parents worry that these young people can be too naive and trusting to successfully engage in complex financial transactions, and that they may become easy targets for those seeking to take advantage of them. Parents are increasingly considering seeking legal guardianship for their adult children, which would give them the right to make medical or financial decisions on their adult child’s behalf.

Car purchases and credit cards are big worries. Families are conflicted about withholding rights, while businesses are fearful of potential discrimination lawsuits if they refuse service to customers they think may have an intellectual disability.

… financial difficulties are common among young adults with autism spectrum disorders, said Pat Schissel, who runs the Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism Association, based in Bethpage, NY. “They want to do what they think a 25-year-old should be doing,” she said. “They will go to buy a car or think that they can rent an apartment but have no idea about all the pieces that go into it.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 at 4:31 pm and is filed under Asperger's, autism, families, guardianship, parents, personal finances, transition, young adults. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post