New centre helps youths with autism move to adulthood

http://www.canada.com/health/centre+helps+youths+with+autism+move+adulthood/5511186/story.html

New centre helps youths with autism move to adulthood


BY VALERIE BERENYI, POSTMEDIA NEWSOCTOBER 6, 2011

CALGARY — An innovative centre designed to help youth with autism spectrum disorder or ASD transition to adulthood officially opened in Calgary earlier this week.

The Ability Hub, a specially designed 17,000-square-foot facility located on the University of Calgary campus, has ASD-sensitive architectural features such as sound dampening panelling and floor tiles, lights that don't flicker or buzz, and colour-coded signage.

It also has classrooms, therapy rooms and a self-contained apartment where clients can practise independent living skills such as cooking and laundry.

The Ability Hub is funded by the Sinneave Family Foundation, a Calgary-based national organization established in 2008 to help build better futures for teens and adults with ASD.

Autism diagnoses have risen dramatically, from one in 10,000 two decades ago to one in 110 today, says Dr. Margaret Clarke, executive director of the foundation.

A complex and lifelong condition, ASD is associated with problems with social relatedness, difficulties with communication and language, and repetitive patterns of behaviour or activities. Those with the disorder may also experience mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.

ASD is typically diagnosed in early childhood, and while a variety of programs have sprung up to help children, there is little available for adolescents and those on the cusp of adulthood, says Clarke, a pediatrician and professor in medicine, pediatrics and psychiatry at U of C.

Focusing on this older age group will improve the quality of life for those with ASD and reduce costs, she says.

"The average lifetime cost of care for a person with autism is $3.4 million. Three-quarters of those costs end up being in late adolescence and adulthood. And they're largely about enabling and facilitating individuals to be in environments outside the family home."

Like other young people, those with ASD want a more independent life, says Clarke. To help them achieve that, the Sinneave Family Foundation partnered with the Society for Treatment of Autism to run a skills-for-life program at The Ability Hub called Pursuits.

Those over age 13 can participate in 11-week programs to learn about personal hygiene, job interview skills and social skills.

They can also master business skills, including office administration, data entry and computer technology, or service skills such as commercial food preparation.

Families living with ASD have been deluged with an "information explosion," says Clarke. The Ability Hub's resource centre is designed to help them navigate systems of care and education, and sift through the reams of ASD information.

The facility also offers training programs to improve the skills of caregivers and health care professionals working with ASD patients.

October is Autism Awareness Month.

For more information about The Ability Hub, visit http://www.sinneavefoundation.org/.