Can a Person with Autism Live a Normal Life?

When children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, it’s natural for parents to experience a lot of different emotions. Feelings of sadness, regret, confusion and more are very common.

The most pressing question that parents and caregivers have is whether a person with autism can live a normal life. This is perhaps the largest misconception surrounding autism — that people who are diagnosed with ASD can’t live a normal life.

People who have autism might face challenges that people who don’t have it won’t, but they’re very capable of achieving goals and living a happy and healthy life.

In fact, there are many well-known people with ASD who have achieved significant things in their life, including some who literally changed the world.

The list includes Albert Einstein; Henry Cavendish, who discovered hydrogen; poet Emily Dickinson; naturalist Charles Darwin; chess master Bobby Fischer; entrepreneur Elon Musk; and actors Dan Aykroyd and Daryl Hannah.

The earlier that someone is diagnosed with ASD, the more resources and support they can be given to help them succeed. And today, there are many great resources and treatment for children with ASD, led by applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy.

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Challenges People with Autism Face

Each child with autism is unique. What challenge one child may face, another may not at all. That’s why it’s important to not treat autism with a blanket-like approach.

Generally speaking, people with autism experience challenges with interaction skills and social communication, as well as repetitive and/or restrictive behaviors. There are different severity levels for each of these as well, so one child with ASD may have a very tough time with social communication but not struggle much with repetitive behaviors, for example.

What all of these symptoms of autism do is present potential challenges to people with autism in living an independent life.

Can People with Autism Live an Independent Life?

The overarching goal of just about every autism treatment is to help the patient develop the skills that they need to live an independent life. ABA therapy, for instance, begins at a young age helping children communicate better and feel more comfortable in their typical surroundings.

The initial goal of ABA therapy, then, is to help patients in situations they are most likely to encounter — such as at home, in school and in public environments.

As the clients get older, the ABA therapy progresses with them. The focus of the therapy might still be the same — improving communications, reducing anxiety, etc. — but the application could be different. Instead of helping patients with basic communication, it could be helping them make friends and interact with their peers in social situations.

This all serves as building blocks for living an independent life, where the child can graduate high school, go to college if they want, get a job and live on their own.

The best part about ABA therapy specifically is that it is personalized to each individual patient. Working closely with an experience ABA therapist will result in your child getting help in the areas where they need the most help.

Different Independence Degrees

An autism diagnosis doesn’t mean that your child won’t be able to make friends, be successful in school, build a great career, and date, marry and have children of their own. Instead, a diagnosis of ASD just means that your child will likely develop differently than other people who don’t have ASD.

Again, there are different degrees of ASD, and different severity of individual symptoms, which affects what challenges your child is most likely to face. That being said, nothing is altogether impossible with the proper diagnosis, focused treatment, guidance and support.

This support can help people with autism develop determination and self-help skills, functional communication, personal care, education and employment. It can also help them reduce how many problems they face, such as feeling unsafe, anxious and/or afraid in new situations.

Blue Gems ABA Helps Children with Autism Build a Normal Life

If your child has been diagnosed with autism, it’s important to know that there’s nothing they can’t do. They just might need more help with some developmental issues that other children don’t.

And that’s OK.

At Blue Gems ABA, we have been helping children with autism and their families build the skills and confidence they need to succeed in life — now and well into the future. Our experienced and certified ABA therapists deeply care about every one of their patients, and cater a personalized ABA therapy plan to each and every individual.

We are always available to answer any questions and concerns you may have. Contact us today so we can help you and meet our goal of making the entire ABA therapy process go as smoothly as possible.