​On April 10, 2024, MPR News host Angela Davis spoke with Delia Samuel with the Multicultural Autism Action Network (MAAN), Zephyr James with The Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) and MICC graduate Dustin Schmidt, about their experiences living as adults with autism. 
 
Listen to Part 1 of Living As An Adult with Autism
 
** MPR received so many calls during this live show that they’ve scheduled a second show about living as an adult with autism. 

Listen to Part 2 of Living As Adult with Autism
 
This great opportunity to speak about the adult autistic experience came from a joint effort by MAAN, AuSM and MICC to amplify autistic adult voices during Autism Acceptance Month and to draw attention to the need for not only more acceptance, but also the understanding and support that typically becomes scarcer as autistic children become autistic adults.
 
In the media, in policy, in conversations at all levels of our society, autism is all too often presented as a childhood condition instead of a lifelong disability that impacts people of every gender, race and community. These organizations have come together to help shift that conversation, and the first step was to reach out to media to help educate them about the adult autistic experience. We shared the following facts:

1.  1 in 34 8-year-olds are diagnosed with autism in Minnesota. While diagnoses continue to improve, we know this is still an inaccurate representation of the autism community as many individuals are diagnosed in their teens and well into adulthood or remain undiagnosed. 
2. Because most autistic children receive school-based services, there is a sharp fall-off in support as they transition into adulthood. Programs and services become even more sparse as they reach 26.
3. We know there are significant barriers to employment for autistic adults. Some studies show unemployment as high as 66 percent for young adults two years post-high school. Others show it as high as 85 percent for autistics with a college degree.
4. Perhaps the most concerning statistic is that 79% of autistic individuals report feeling lonely. 
5. Minnesota has the third highest prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in the country. 
6. You’ve heard that autism is a spectrum and that it’s complex. The journey of each autistic adult is individually unique, and the resources, supports and accommodations that have helped one autistic adult may or may not help another autistic adult.

Thank you to The Angela Davis Show for their professionalism, care and deftness with this conversation and to Zephyr, Delia and Dustin for the great job they did communicating their personal experiences. You are why this show resonated with so many people throughout Minnesota.

Be sure to follow MICC, AuSM and MAAN as we continue to raise awareness and amplify the very simple message that autistic children become autistic adults.