Adults with Autism: Habilitation Challenges and Practices

The needs of adults with autism have long been neglected in our society. As our understanding of this disorder increases, it can be identified earlier, better managed and treated more effectively with selected behavioral and environmental techniques. Hence, the habilitation of social and vocational skills has become possible. This empirical view of the challenges and practices at Bittersweet Farms describes effective principles of habilitation programming for this unique population.

Historically the needs of those with autism have been ignored as they grew beyond childhood into adolescence and adulthood. Institutionalization was the rule in the early decades of this century with little hope offered to individuals with autism. They were kept behind locked doors in state hospitals which purported to serve mental illness and retardation (Karst, 1991). Those with autism often went unidentified untreated or undeserved due to such factors as limited resources, inadequate staff, and lack of effective treatment methods.

In contrast, current laws and better understanding of the disorder have opened the way for educational, social and vocational services that address the life span development of this population (Schopler & Mesibov, 1983; Vogel, 1988; Dawson, 1989; Schopler & Hennike, 1990; Smith, 1990; Van Bourgondien, 1990: Demeestere & Van Buggenhout, 1992; European Parliament Report, 1992). As custodial institutions have been closed, and hospital beds emptied, responsibility for "care", "treatment", and "asylum" has shifted to the community at large. There are several examples in the United States and Europe, in which courageous, creative efforts of parents and special teachers (Giddan & Giddan, 1991; Giddan & Giddan, 1993) have helped autistic individuals thrive and develop into contributing members of society.

Bittersweet Farms, established in 1972, is one such community setting developed to fill this service void. It is a farmstead, actually the first such project of itês kind in the United States, created in the image of Somerset Court in England (Elgar, 1991). Both were responses to the critical needs of adults with autism. The founding directors, Sybil Elgar at Somerset and Betty Ruth Kay at Bittersweet, were energetic pioneers with skills in teaching, rallying public support and leading others into uncharted territory. Both programs continue to operate successfully today, while serving as models for a new generation of American and European farm communities (Giddan & Giddan, 1993).

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