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Ready for Independence
Helping Special Needs Children Prepare for Life on Their Own By Sue Poremba
Amanda has a job in a nursery school and is engaged. Erika went to college, wrote a book, and got married. Amanda is mentally challenged; Erika is autistic. Both young women will probably always need some sort of assistance on a daily basis, but they are able to live a relatively independent life.
Thanks to assisted living groups, organizations like American Retirement Corporation (ARC) and government programs, the majority of special needs children will have the opportunity to go into adulthood without having to be totally dependent on their parents or guardians. According to David Leatham, executive director of Vital Living in Houston, Texas, the special needs person appreciates having this independence.
"They like having their own space and having independence, just like anyone else," he says.
Throughout childhood, parents can encourage future independence in different ways. Mary Arneson of Minneapolis, Minn.,is the mother of Erika,and shegave her children positive reinforcement and encouraged their interests. This gave Erika the support she needed to write and publish her book aboutlife with autism,Born on the Wrong Planet