Autism Issues
Children with Autism Growing in Numbers and Age
By
Apr 15, 2009 - 2:16:06 PM

MassMutual introduces guide for parents in time for Autism Awareness Month

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - SPRINGFIELD, Mass., -- Once a child with autism reaches the age of majority (typically at age 18 or 21, depending on the state in which you live), he or she is legally considered an adult, and eligibility for some government benefits may change. But just because the government has declared your son or daughter to be an adult doesn't mean he or she can necessarily function as one independently.

Consider these societal trends. The number of children diagnosed with autism has increased to 1 in 150, of which 1 in 94 are boys.* Children with special needs are more likely than ever to outlive their parents. Further increasing the likelihood of this happening is the growing tendency for women to delay having children well into their thirties.

For families like the Struncks of Monroe, N.C., the plans they had put into place for their 18-year-old son, who has autism, "helped get rid of some of the stress that we were feeling about Andrew becoming an adult," said his mother Ruth Strunck. Working with MassMutual Special Care Planner** Ryan Platt, Ruth and her husband Michael Strunck built their plan by "talking about what we wanted to see happen for him," she said, "for both Andrew and his sister, Hannah (age 10), who also has autism." The Struncks' plans began with gaining legal custody of 18-year-old Andrew and included where their children would live and work as adults, both now and after their parents are no longer there. "We are looking into making Andrew an owner of his own business," Ruth Strunck explained, "setting him up as self-employed in his own micro enterprise."

New guide available

This April, Autism Awareness Month, provides Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) with an opportunity for educating all parents, especially those with children having autism, about the importance of planning for their and their children's future. A new guide, "Bridging the transition to adulthood: What you should know BEFORE your child with a disability turns 18," is available at www.massmutual.com/autism. The guide shares tips and tools available to help parents think through such decisions as guardianship, housing, education, work opportunities, recreational programs, lifestyle, and custodial care.

A December 2008 Easter Seals and MassMutual study, Living with Autism, found of parents having children with autism:

-- 74% fear their children won't have enough financial support after the
parents die
-- 52% say caring for their children drains the family's current
financial resources
-- Nearly 80% are extremely or very concerned about their children's
independence as adults
-- 14% feel that their children will be able to make life decisions

-- 17% think their children will make friends

"All parents worry about their children's future, but for parents who have children with autism, these worries may never disappear," said John Chandler, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of MassMutual's U. S. Insurance Group, "that's why MassMutual has sponsored a new research study focused on the challenges of families living with Autism Spectrum Disorders."

Other resources available

MassMutual also has several other resources available to help parents plan for the future at www.massmutual.com/specialcare/resources:

-- Resource Guide, a source of information published by MassMutual for
people with disabilities and other special needs.
-- With Open Arms, a financial guide for families with disabilities.

-- Letter of Intent, a free document to capture information for a future
caregiver, which includes medical and social history for a person with
a disability, as well as necessary family and financial information.

For more information, find and consult a local Special Care Planner, who with a team of advisors, can help prepare a life care plan for families with special needs.

*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (February 2007)

**The Special Care Planner receives advanced training and information in tax and estate planning concepts, special needs trusts, government programs and the emotional dynamics of working with people with disabilities and other special needs and their families. The certificate program is offered by the American College in Bryn Mawr, Pa. exclusively for MassMutual financial professionals.

For more information and resources on autism, go to www.massmutual.com/autism.

MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives. MassMutual and its subsidiaries had more than $360 billion in assets under management at year-end 2008. Assets under management include assets and certain external investment funds managed by MassMutual's subsidiaries.

Founded in 1851, MassMutual is a mutually owned financial protection, accumulation and income management company headquartered in Springfield, Mass. MassMutual's major affiliates include: OppenheimerFunds, Inc.; Babson Capital Management LLC; Baring Asset Management Limited; Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC; The First Mercantile Trust Company; MML Investors Services, Inc., member FINRA and SIPC (www.finra.org and www.sipc.org); MassMutual International LLC and The MassMutual Trust Company, FSB.

Web Site: http://www.massmutual.com/

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