From a $29 Million Gift, Treatment for Adults With Autism
We think of autism as a childhood syndrome, and treatment for the disorder is largely centered in pediatrics. But kids with autism grow up to be adults with autism, which raises a complex set of issues.
So we were interested to learn that Mass. General, one of the nation’s most famous hospitals, is about to launch a new comprehensive program aimed at treating adults. The program will be funded by a $29 million gift from a family foundation in Massachusetts that often funds autism research, the Boston Globe reports.
The expansion is a timely one — the rising number of children diagnosed with autism means there will soon be a pressing need to treat autistic adults. And adults with the disorder often have a hard time finding care.
“I am still struggling to get certain services,” a 43-year-old autistic woman told the Globe. “Once you turn 22 you fall off the face of the earth. Some doctors are afraid to touch me.”
By Jacob Goldstein