Happy Birthday, Andy!
Today is Andy’s 17th birthday. We will be celebrating by singing with him– Happy Birthday happens to be one of his favorite songs -- and we were going to take him to the pool for a swim (that’s his favorite weekend activity) but Super Typhoon Saola has gotten in the way of that plan.
“Andrew Baby” turning 17 makes me reflect on how quickly time passes. In just two short years, Andy will finish secondary school. Unfortunately, tertiary education options are limited for autistic students in Hong Kong. Even in the US, research indicates that only about 28% of young adults with autism spectrum disorder ever enroll in postsecondary education, predominantly in community colleges (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4005068/
Wei et al., 2014).
Since Andy has limited verbal skills, this means his structured school days that he cherishes will likely come to an end. The transition to adulthood is difficult for many autistic people who thrive on routine. School is Andy’s favorite place to see friends and participate in activities. It will be challenging to find new ways to fill his time and build a community. Most autistic adults also struggle to find employment, leaving parents concerned about their child's future. This highlights the need for more vocational and life skills training tailored to special needs students transitioning to adulthood.
But today we will celebrate how far Andy has come! He is a warm, happy young man with so much more life ahead of him. We'll eat cake and make this birthday extra special before focusing on the path forward. Andy reminds us to appreciate the present moments in life.
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