Severe Autism After 21: 5 Fears Parents Face & 5 Reasons for Hope with Mike Carr

Raising a profoundly autistic child comes with some of the most difficult questions a parent can face, especially when school-based support ends and adulthood begins.In this episode, Mike Carr, founder of Autism Labs and father to a 36-year-old son with profound autism, shares the five most common fears families experience: loss of services after age 21, long Medicaid waiver waitlists, confusion around SSI and SSDI, guardianship decisions and lifelong care planning.But the conversation doesn’t stop there.Mike also outlines five reasons for cautious optimism, including rising national advocacy for severe autism, emerging scientific research identifying autism subtypes, new peer-supported care models, and early-stage AI and wearable technologies that may help improve safety and quality of care.This episode is designed for parents, caregivers, educators, clinicians and disability professionals navigating high-support autism.It offers both clarity and direction for one of the most overlooked transitions in healthcare and education: Adulthood.Resources:Jill Escher - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-escher-8b676443/  NCSA - http://ncsautism.org  Judith Ursitti - https://www.linkedin.com/in/judith-ursitti-cpa-21b5005/  Profound Autism Alliance - https://www.profoundautism.org/  New Science Points to Four Distinct Types of Autism - https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/12/26/autism-research-diagnosis-subtypes/  Natalie Sauerwald - https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-sauerwald-a442b894/  Nature Genetics, identified four distinct types of autism - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-025-02224-z