Review of SDG-Aligned Lifelong Vocational and Residential Supports for Autistic Individuals with High Support Needs
TL;DR
This paper analyses the architectural, economic, and ethical requirements needed to construct viable vocational and residential frameworks for autistic adults with high support needs and argues for a paradigm shift toward long-term vocational support systems and neuro-inclusive, community-integrated residential frameworks to ensure equity, bodily autonomy and systemic dignity.
Abstract
As global diagnostic capabilities for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) advance, a structural demographic shift has emerged: millions of autistic children are transitioning into adulthood. While early intervention has historically received significant public health funding, adult infrastructure remains severely underdeveloped, particularly in the Global South. One of the most profound yet under-recognized concerns facing families is the question often expressed by ageing parents: "What will happen to my child after I die?" This question encapsulates a growing humanitarian and public policy crisis. Across the world, millions of parents continue to provide lifelong care for autistic sons and daughters who require varying levels of support for daily living, healthcare, communication, financial management and social participation. This primary concern among aging parents of autistic adults is the "What after us?" dilemma, the profound anxiety regarding who will care for their high-support children once the primary caregivers pass away. This paper provides a comparative analysis of adult autism services, contrasting the structured, state-supported residential models found in high-income (First World) nations with the highly fragmented, private-dependent infrastructure in India. This paper analyses the architectural, economic, and ethical requirements needed to construct viable vocational and residential frameworks for autistic adults with high support needs. This also paper maps the implementation of comprehensive adult autism support onto the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), arguing that lifelong care is not merely a welfare initiative, but an essential component of global sustainable development. This paper argues for a paradigm shift toward long-term vocational support systems and neuro-inclusive, community-integrated residential frameworks to ensure equity, bodily autonomy and systemic dignity.