Idaho group home offers refuge to autistic adults
The Autism News | English
Idaho group home offers refuge to autistic adults
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — Life is an onslaught of situations to control, Ed Gray knows, for a parent of a child with special needs.
Raising his son, Cody, required grappling with public schools to accommodate the boy’s autism. Ed and his wife, Kathy, tailored activities to suit Cody’s need for routine, and they didn’t dare leave him without a sitter even in his teenage years.
“For years, we didn’t go to movies or dinner,” the Coeur d’Alene father remembered. “It was such a struggle.”
So as Cody approached adulthood, a significant question loomed: What now?
Every young man craves independence, but Cody wasn’t capable of taking care of himself. Yet the prospect of putting him in a staffed facility was unsettling.
“We didn’t want him dumped somewhere and then just go through life,” Ed said.
Other families with autistic children coming of age, like Liz and Gerard Mathes, faced the same dilemma.
“There’s the same fear of every parent, ‘What happens when I’m gone?’” Liz said.
On Thursday morning, Liz and Ed were sitting in the answer the two families created: A group home for autistic young adults in Coeur d’Alene that opened six months ago, staffed by a nonprofit out of Moscow.
It’s everything they wanted, the parents agree, that wasn’t available otherwise.
Idaho group home offers refuge to autistic adults
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — Life is an onslaught of situations to control, Ed Gray knows, for a parent of a child with special needs.
Raising his son, Cody, required grappling with public schools to accommodate the boy’s autism. Ed and his wife, Kathy, tailored activities to suit Cody’s need for routine, and they didn’t dare leave him without a sitter even in his teenage years.
“For years, we didn’t go to movies or dinner,” the Coeur d’Alene father remembered. “It was such a struggle.”
So as Cody approached adulthood, a significant question loomed: What now?
Every young man craves independence, but Cody wasn’t capable of taking care of himself. Yet the prospect of putting him in a staffed facility was unsettling.
“We didn’t want him dumped somewhere and then just go through life,” Ed said.
Other families with autistic children coming of age, like Liz and Gerard Mathes, faced the same dilemma.
“There’s the same fear of every parent, ‘What happens when I’m gone?’” Liz said.
On Thursday morning, Liz and Ed were sitting in the answer the two families created: A group home for autistic young adults in Coeur d’Alene that opened six months ago, staffed by a nonprofit out of Moscow.
It’s everything they wanted, the parents agree, that wasn’t available otherwise.
The modest Coeur d’Alene house is sparkling clean, and comfortable. The walls are hung with visual aids tracking the three inhabitants’ routines and activities. Toys are tidily stowed on a shelf in the activity room, and an impressive garden and trampoline spruce up the backyard.
The handful of staff, who teach the men about taking care of themselves and assist in mundane activities, accompany the boys on outings and engage them in activities at home.
A fire helmet still sits out, a souvenir from when Cody toured a fire truck. Alex’s tools for cutting paper for the local library are set out neatly.
In the six months their sons have lived here, Liz said, Alex has thrived.
“It’s hard as parents. You don’t know if they’re ready,” she said. “But he was. This is his home, now.”
This one home for three boys took years to manifest.
Ed was the first to take his concerns to other parents of autistic children, who agreed there are few living options available for adults with autism.
They rejected most facilities they toured, which weren’t set up for autistic residents, or were just too institutional.
The group was eventually advised to contact Milestone Decisions, Inc. in Moscow. The nonprofit had a similar story, comprised of families of special needs individuals, who had successfully created staffed residences for such individuals to live comfortably.
“They had gone through all the trials and tribulations we would have to go through,” Ed noted. “Why not just ask them to expand out here?”
It was an easy agreement for the nonprofit to make, said Administrator Cliff McAleer.
“It really is part of our mission,” McAleer said. “It was just a good partnership. We made a commitment, and we felt it was well worth the time and effort.”
Please share your reaction! Give your opinion by filling out the form below.
Share this news with friends, family, or colleagues by clicking on the shortcuts below:
