Dr. Joshua Ambar

And B, it is not a disabling condition in the way that the media or Hollywood will stereotype it as.

you can successfully live life while also being autistic.

The transition to adulthood may look very different.

It may be extended.

It may be rocky, but it can and does happen every day successfully.

We have developed a system that provides wraparound services if you get a special education exceptionality for autism, if you have a clinical diagnosis of autism.

But all of that disappears once you leave secondary education.

Our system is not set up to accommodate adults with autism in the way that we accommodate them as kids.

On the flip side of that coin, though, we have this tendency to say, well, you have autism.

This is a disability.

Therefore, you can't successfully gain employment.

You can't successfully live independently.

And that's just factually untrue.

Are there some individuals who may not be able to hold jobs because of their autism?

Certainly.

But this is not necessarily everybody with autism.

You can be gainfully employed doing all sorts of job functions, whether it's blue collar jobs, service jobs, information technology jobs across the economy.

This is all very doable.

You're already loving and supporting.

I think that's far and away the most important thing.