This article talks about individuals with autism in their later years. http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=8800. Because autism is becoming more apparent and well known the issue of transition from child to adult has become more of a concern. One of the main concerns is where the individual will live. There are a couple options: the person could be placed in a group or rehabilitation home, an institution, or stay with their family. Growing up, the house next door to me was rehabilitation home. There were only about 3-4 individuals that lived in the house at a time with a care giver there at all times. The patients who lived there had many different disabilities, not autism. From my experience with this home I saw that the care givers were not always the best and didn’t have the best interest of the individuals that lived there. Most of the people that worked there just needed a job and this gave them that and a place to stay. In this specific case, I feel there could have been better opportunities for the disabled individuals if they were living somewhere else. Also, I also had the opportunity to go to a larger group home for people with disabilities. It was for individuals over 50 and the people who lived there also had many different disabilities. I went there a couple of times to visit and the workers had different activities and things going on for the residents to do. In this case, the group home was run and operated in an efficient manner and I feel the residents benefitted from that. The next option would be for the individual with a disability to stay with their family. I have always thought that it would be hard as a parent to let your child go. In a way it could be like giving them up. However, I also understand that taking care of your child for the rest of their or your life could be very emotionally hard. Just last week I had a guest speaker in one of my classes that talked about her son who is 19 years old and how he lives in a group home. At first she was completely against it, but she now realizes that it is for the best. He is happy there and gets to come home on the weekends to spend time with his family. My question for all of you is to just discuss what you think the best living situation is for individuals with disabilities in their adult years. You can discuss a specific disability, like autism, or just disabilities in general. What’s your stance on group homes?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
In answering this question I would like to put myself in the place of a parent with a child who has a severe disability of some sort. I am not yet a parent and I do not know what kind of love motherhood instills in someone, but I can imagine it is greater than any love I have ever felt. With this in mind I have a hard time thinking of giving up my child with disabilities to anything less than the best possible group home setting. I do agree that some group homes are less than adequate, but I also know that there are other homes run by people who have a great knowledge of individual disabilities and create a wonderful living environment. If I were a mother of someone with a disability and that child was in a group home I know that I would do the necessary research to place them in a good place. I believe there are many benefits to good group homes. The people that live there are allowed to be in a social environment where they can continue to interact and develop social skills under the supervision of people who will protect and help them. Also, for parents of these children, they can continue to see their children as much as possible and also have a normal aging adult life themselves. I know a set of parents who have a son with autism and plan on building their own group home for their son to live when he is older. I believe this is an honorable and wonderful aspiration, and something that should be looked into by anyone who feels the group homes in their area are inadequate. I do not know if funding for this type of project is available through the government, but I do know people in the world have hearts and will want to help in a good cause if educated about it.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is best for any adult to be able to become as independent as they are physically and mentally possible. I know some severe cases may prevent this from really happening at all but if an individual has the ability to hold a job it is in the best interest of that individual to get a job. Jobs do an interesting thing for a person, it gives them confidence, a sense of hope and reason to wake up every morning. I think that if anything this will improve their sense of life and self. I have known some adults to be able to even live alone because they can take care of their self. Isn't that awesome!!! But then there are others who do not have this opportunity. My cousin is one of those. He is one of the smartest people I know but physically he will never be able to live alone. He will always need assistance. But that does not mean he can't continue his education or even get a job. As for the question concerning group homes I think that it is a great thing. But I also agree with Liz that you must be careful of the home and do a lot of research to make sure it is a good and healthy place for your child to be.
ReplyDeleteI’ve also struggled with this question because I have always felt very strongly against putting children with disabilities in group homes because they seem to get so little attention there and they are not surrounded by people who truly and deeply love them. But, in recent years I have learned that some of my friends have siblings that are in group homes because the stress and constant care was too much on their parents. I think it may possibly be more understandable to put a child with very, very severe disabilities in a home if the parents truly cannot handle it. My brother Dallas, has Down syndrome, and is the last child living at home although he is five years older than me and seven years older than my little brother. The idea of putting him in a group home does not even fully register in my mind. If something were to happen to my parents, then my older brother would take care of him and if he couldn’t, then I would. But if the group home is high functioning and they aid them in their daily duties, I can see how the individual with special needs may want independence, as my brother sometimes does. I think that the best living situation for individuals with disabilities in their adult years is a place where they are happy and treated well. Ultimately, I would hope that that is in the home, but I’m beginning to understand if it is not.
ReplyDeleteI liked this article. There are several different options for adults with disabilities, and I think that group homes are often the best options for several reasons. First, it’s very trying on parents to take care of their children. My fiance’s family has a sister who is very severely disabled and every day they have so much to do to care for her. One of the parents always has to be home, and if they both are going on a trip, it’s very hard to find someone who is competent enough and that the parents believe will care for her like they do. So although I know it’s probably one of the toughest decisions to make, for the family’s sake, group homes are often the best. Also, I think living in a place where one can interact with other people who may have similarities with them and also where life can be structured is great and, I think, ideal. I know not all group homes are great with activities, but having a community of people with disabilities is great for those people because they can feel accepted. I also think especially with adults with autism which is severe enough that they can’t live on their own, but can manage a job and the daily basics, a group home is great for them because at those random times when they are unsure of what to do and need a little help, they can have a supervisor who will help them. So then those that want to be independent basically can be.
ReplyDeleteSeveral things should be taken into consideration. I have always thought that it would be better for the person to be able to stay in the home even as they got older. I can understand reasons why people would choose to put their child with autism in a group home. Most every child with out disabilities eventually grows up and moves away from home. A child with autism may benefit from experiencing independence from their family as well. The opinion of the person with autism should definitely be considered in deciding. However, it seems to me that it would be the same experience if they were to stay at home as it would be to go to a new home except they would be living with and having strangers take care of them instead of loved ones. Another legitimate reason is that some parents may be too old to care for a child, especially when the parents are at the age when they need to be cared for. I think that many parents send their child away out of selfishness because they had only planned on taking care of that child for 18 years or so and planned on retiring directly after. There definitely are situations where children should be sent to group homes, but I think for the most part it would be better for a child's primary care to come from the family.
ReplyDeleteThis is an issue that I'm not really sure what the solution is. It's really interesting and I believe that, like most things that deal with special education and those with disabilities, this is something that is very individualized and depends on the person. One the one hand, I want everyone to be able to independent, but on the other, this can be a very cruel world and I want to look out for the safety of those with disabilities. I imagine that group homes can be a great option for some, but for others, being at home with the family could be a much better one. To me, this is something that depends very much on the situations and the pros and cons for each option seem to appear quite equal looking at both options generally. The truth is that I really don't have enough information or experience to provide an adequate response to this issue. This is something that I would need to study out further. Maybe there's something else that is even better than group homes or staying at home with the family. We might see something new in the future.
ReplyDeleteThis question is kinda difficult for me to answer. I fell that the best living situation is for individuals with disabilities in their adult years depends on which situation will provide the most comfort and which will provide a positive outcome. I believe that group homes can be very beneficial in creating independence and the ability for the parents to have a break from the stresses that can take place when they have a child with a disability. My six year old cousin has cerebral palsy and severe brain damage and right now I could not think of a better place for him to be than with his parents. But it is difficult to think about what will happen when he becomes an adult. If my uncle and aunt think its best for him to be in a group home and Conner would be happy there than I think i would feel good about it. I think this all depends on the individual and parents. If an adult is going into a group home, I would definitely check everything out to make sure its the best place possible. But still, this question is hard for me to answer since I have not experienced it.
ReplyDeleteI feel that this can be a very touchy situation for many people. It is important to realize that many states do not help with care of those with disabilities after the age of 21, other than collecting social security. Funding can change the outcome for many situations. I feel that home is generally the best place for the individual to be, around those that know the person's needs and desires. In home care may be an option for the future. The parents of two kids i worked with have bought a house that is readily renovated into a basement apartment so they can keep their children close and hiring people they feel are the best while also not being responsible for their constant care. I also feel like this is hard on parents, especially as they age. What happens to the adult when their parents can no longer physically care for him or her? If family members are not willing or else unable to care for the person they will be placed in a home anyway. I also feel that one of the goals is to make the child as normal as possible and taking the step to leave the home is the next logical move. I cannot imagine what it would be like for parents to be so incredibly worried for their child and at the same time enjoying a break from the constant responsibility. It is a tough choice to make and should be done on a situation by situation basis.
ReplyDeleteThis is something that I think should be a main focus of ours as special education teachers. We are not just babysitters watching our students until they turn 22 we are their teachers. We should not forget about our students after they are out of our class. I think it is one of our main responsibilities to transition our students from school life to an adult life. I think in the IEPs the goals should be centered around functional skills that will help these students in their lives when they are not in school. One of the things that my mother does that I think is very helpful is finding jobs for her students. These jobs are not the most exciting in the world but she finds jobs that these students can do. For example many of her students work as dishwashers or as custodians. It is important that we teach our students how to take care of themselves as much as possible. This of course will vary depending on the level of the disability but I think that for every student we teach there will always be something that we can teach our students to help them be more independent. I think that group homes are good for adults with disabilities but I think that some organizations do it better than others. I think that just taking care of the group homes and never letting them do anything for themselves is more of a hinderance than a benefit. the caretakers of the group homes should try their best to help the residents help themselves. What service is being given when we teach a person with a disability that they don't have to do anything for themselves or that they always need someone to do things for them? I think the better way is to teach them how to take care of themselves. it is the same concept as "give a man a fish, feed him for a day, teach a man how to fish, feed him for a lifetime." group homes can be good just as long as the residents are treated like human beings and not like animals.
ReplyDeleteI think that the effectiveness of a group home depends a lot on the ability level of the individual. I think those who are able to be more independent can benefit from the group home setting and the social interaction that is involved there. However from experience, I have a twenty five year old sister who lives at home with my family. She is profoundly handicapped, with the mind capacity similar to a one year old. I know that I would never want her to live in a facility. Trusting strangers with her care and well being would be a very difficult thing to do, especially because of the severity of her disability. I think that for other people in similar situations, if they are able to care for their child, they should. They know them the best, and can tend to their needs the best. I am aware though, that it is not always possible for parents to continue to care for their adult children, and in this case, it's their responsibility to find a care facility that would best suite their child's needs. I don't think that group homes are a bad thing at all, I think they can be beneficial for certain people. However, I think that in some cases, the best option is staying in their own home, so long as their family can care for them.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a really difficult thing to take a stance on without personal experience of having a relative with a disability. In my experience this summer at the camp I worked at there were several group homes that sent campers to be taken care of for the week and these individuals exhibited many signs of having been abused or mistreated. It is a scary thing and often there are people who are there, just as said above, that are only in it to have a job and a place to stay. I agree that it has a lot to do with the level of ability with the individual. I would feel more apprehensive to put someone in a group home who was non-verbal because they would not be able to communicate any concerns or mistreatment. I spoke to parents about this issue who have adult children with disabilities, and while they were reluctant to make the transition into a group home, they felt it was the best option. However, in their best efforts to ensure the safety of their child, they visit often, they make it known that they are concerned for their child's welfare and well being, that way people are more likely to respect boundaries and properly execute their responsibilities as employees.
ReplyDelete