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In France, there would be nearly 600,000 autistic adults. Many people yearn for more autonomy, but they have few alternatives outside the family home. In the Yvelines, a residence allows them to live in shared accommodation.
They moved into their first apartment a year ago. They try to become independent despite their differences. “We can manage well and then live as well as possible”. In this social residence of about twenty apartments, all the inhabitants are autistic. They share some common activities. They also learn how to cook, sew, and write a CV.
“Making New Habits”
Their challenge, to integrate into society. For Tom, 22, the beginnings were quite difficult “At night there was no one to go see if I was not well (…) We had to start new habits”, he says. Here, young adults with autism are accompanied by specialized educators to learn the codes and manage daily tasks. “We found it interesting (…) that I leave the family cocoon and fly with my own wings”, explains Xavier, 24 years old. At the level of autonomy, all the inhabitants of the residence are not yet at this stage. However, there is no question of leaving them without activity. This type of residence, there are very few in France while the Hexagon has more than 600,000 autistic people.
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