Massachusetts advocates say there is a shortage of caregivers for people living with autism

BOSTON — Adam Walden has been playing the cello for twenty years -- and is now studying cello composition and performance at Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship.

Adam also has moderate to severe autism. His home state, California, funded a 35-hour-per-week autism specialist to help Adam get through his classes in Boston. The money’s there, his mother Roseanne said -- but the specialist is not.

“We just can’t find one,” she said. “So I’m in class with Adam every day. I’m in every single class. I’m his communications facilitator.”

The Waldes are hardly the only family desperate to find help for an autistic loved one.

In fact, at the 19th Annual Autism Awareness Day advocates at the Massachusetts State House suggested the worker shortage is at the point of crisis. A mother of two autistic children, who did not want to be on camera, said the caregiver gap widened with the pandemic.

Tere Ramos, mother of an adult autistic daughter, agreed that Covid had an impact.

“The pandemic made it harder,” she said. “The workforce really got decimated.”

Ramos said that the workforce has not been built back up, which has put thousands of autistic children and young adults on waiting lists for such things as daycare and housing services.

Autism awareness, however, continues to grow.

A new Massachusetts State Police program called Blue Envelope was rolled out Tuesday with the idea to prevent misinterpretations when autistic drivers are stopped by police. Drivers can put a copy of their license and registration inside the envelope and put an emergency contact number outside.

The Blue Envelopes list on one side things a police officer might see with an autistic driver -- including repetitive movements, odd forms of eye contact, aversion to light and noise, confusion, trouble understanding requests and high anxiety.

On the other side, the Envelope provides autistic drivers with an overview of what to expect during a traffic stop -- from the crackle of the police radio to the use of flashlights to the need to remain on the scene as the officer does his work.

The envelopes are available at State Police barracks, police stations, and on-line.

While Adam Walden probably won’t ever drive a car, his Mom said the Blue Envelopes are an excellent idea -- and, potentially, a life-saving one -- given the fascination she said many of those with autism have regarding police.

“The autistic person might be trying to hug them,” she said. “And police might think that something else is going on.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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