"If you’re a full-time working parent, what are the kids going to do from 9 to 5?" "Parents have difficulty because all the help they had disappears," Castrogiovanni said. The agency does not track the number of children who age out of the system each year. Of those, 6,445 were Nassau residents 7,974 lived in Suffolk. In 2020, the most recent year for which statistics are available, New York's OPWDD provided services for 27,434 of those with autism as a primary diagnosis, according to Jennifer O’Sullivan, the agency’s director of communications. And, the organization says, as many as 80% of adults with autism - including roughly 50% of 25-year-olds - are unemployed or underemployed. Special-needs students receive services while in school, but "once they hit 21," Castrogiovanni said, "it’s as if they fall off a cliff."Īccording to the advocacy organization Autism Speaks, an estimated 707,000 to 1.1 million teens will age out of school-based autism services in the next decade in the United States. The shortfall is covered by her own money as well as donations, she said. So far, two of the students have been approved, and as a direct service provider of life skills services, Castrogiovanni receives payment from the OPWDD for their participation. Working with the school district’s transition coordinator, Castrogiovanni helped parents apply for services through New York State’s Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, which eventually will fund their children’s participation in the program. Patty Castrogiovanni, second from right, and Barbara Giglio, fourth from left, with the young people behind the baked-good entreprise Special Sweets. ![]() For now, the bakers finish the product with decorative candy bits. "Once they become proficient," Castrogiovanni said, they will frost the cupcakes independently. But because the bakers weren’t confident in their skills, Julie Mistretta volunteered to frost the cupcakes after they were baked - and teach the Cupcake Crew how to do so. "All the kids like to bake," Castrogiovanni said, so "we came up with this cupcake idea" and registered as a Home Processor under the state’s so-called cottage laws.įurther conversations with parents finessed the plan: Each student would choose a signature color (a nod to the puzzle-piece logo popularized as a symbol for autism) and cupcake recipe. One question remained, however: How would the group be engaged amid widespread closures? ![]() "We were so fortunate to have Miss Patty, and what better than to give my kid to somebody that was already their aide?" "We were in the midst of COVID, and there were no available programs whatsoever," said Mistretta’s mother, Julie Mistretta. But with COVID-19 health precautions in place, day trips, off-site volunteer opportunities and internships would not be possible. It aims to continue the life-skills lessons taught in high school and, more importantly, keep the students connected, she said.įrom April through June, Castrogiovanni met with parents, and together they brainstormed a plan. Credit: Linda RosierĬastrogiovanni sprung to action last April, and using "thousands of dollars" of her own money,formed A Special Place for Me as a New York State not-for-profit corporation and is awaiting IRS designation as a nonprofit. In addition to baking for Special Sweets, the young people go on day trips to malls, restaurants, libraries and more. "The parents were faced with these kids being separated for the first time in their lives," she said. ![]() With their June 2021 graduation approaching, Castrogiovanni grew concerned about the students’ futures. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy.
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