What happens when a child with special needs turns 22?
Parents of children with special needs have to plan well in advance for the day their child turns 22, at which time the state no longer provides for their child’s education. What happens next, of course, will depend on how severe a child’s condition is. Options for living situations include: • Continuing to live at home. • Living in a group home, with live-in support. • Living in a group home, with periodic support. • Living in a shared environment, less structured than a group home, with or without supports. • Living in an independent situation, but with periodic care. • Living in communities created specifically for people with developmental disabilities (such as a Camphill model, where people live and work with lots of support). • Living in a larger facility with more residents and more assistance. • Living in a state institution — which is primarily for those at risk of harming themselves or others.
