Group Homes for Autistics

[ChurchOfGodBear]

It COULD HAPPEN. My partner worked in a group home for three years. Eight men with various developmental problems. Problems with being taken advantage of, having no concept of money, delayed gratification or healthy living. Chronic masturbators. Chronic mutual masturbators. "It's their home, and if they want to do it behind closed doors, then it is their right." They had 'advocates' or family members that could relocate them or help make decisions for them. The monthly tugboats paid 'rent' to stay there, and a balance was left over for clothes, activities, and leisure. Often, the balance would grow high so they would be forced to make an extravagant purchase so their tugboats wouldn't be affected by their cash assets. A $1500 dresser comes to mind. They have days to do their laundry, and are supposed to help, but wind up using a whole jug of detergent on one load or will stand for so long in front of the washer that it's more efficient for the staff to just do it. They'll pack the dryer so tight it won't dry. I've heard of clients there wiping their ass with their hand and smearing it on the slats of the wooden shutters. And the staff cleans it.
Someone, family or adult protective could petition the court for guardianship and commit him in a flash. If he had a tv and game system to bring, then he could have it and it would be his if that's what he wanted. He would still have money to spend on vidya. The only problem for him would be the structure and counseling they would try to provide. Healthy diet, food limitations and bedtimes and wakeup calls.
If he can't manage his money and loses his house, such a place could be in his future. From the people I've seen in them, he wouldn't necessarily be out of place. But of course, he would try to keep his house for a time. Then it would get so bad, he would be committed. Then the house and contents would be liquidated, and if the proceeds are all his, such an influx of cash could be bad for his tugboat if he is committed at the time. It's a delicate matter.

No.

 

[CatParty]

he will assimilate with the hoard before he goes to a group home.
it may be what he needs, but when has there ever been an instance of anything happening for him in his best interests?

 

[Great Unclean Chris]

he will assimilate with the hoard before he goes to a group home.
it may be what he needs, but when has there ever been an instance of anything happening for him in his best interests?

ALL IN ALL
YOUR JUST ANOTHER CWC IN THE HOARD!!!

 

[The Dude]

he will assimilate with the hoard before he goes to a group home.
it may be what he needs, but when has there ever been an instance of anything happening for him in his best interests?

ALL IN ALL
YOUR JUST ANOTHER CWC IN THE HOARD!!!

We are the Hoard. Your biological and mental state will be added and decay with our own. Resistance is futile.

 

[CatParty]

he will assimilate with the hoard before he goes to a group home.
it may be what he needs, but when has there ever been an instance of anything happening for him in his best interests?

ALL IN ALL
YOUR JUST ANOTHER CWC IN THE HOARD!!!

We are the Hoard. Your biological and mental state will be added and decay with our own. Resistance is futile.

chirs shall now be known as "7 of grand number"

 

[Thetan]

Not to mention that group homes are abusive and violent places, and where the Teamsters and/or SEIU can stick their corrupt heads in, they care more about money than the clients. A homeless shelter, or as said before, jail, would be better places for CWC.

Some group homes are actually very nice and they are well run (which is one of the main reasons that there's a waiting list to get in). The one in that video clip is certainly a lot nicer than the vermin and bug infested toxic waste site that Chris lives in now.

 

[Thetan]

An idea batted around, and also debated, around here is if Chris will end up in a group home for autistics. I don't remember if this was posted on one of the old forums or I just came across it on YouTube (probably the former), but anyway, this short video is kind of interesting:

[youtube]kGkfUkbMNg8[/youtube]

The short of it is, these homes have long waiting lists, and those lists are getting longer.

Chris may look down on the people in this clip as 'slow in the minds' but, as far as functioning members of society, they beat him hands down. These people actually have responsibilities around the home, aren't out in the local community making a public nuisance of themselves, and they even have JOBS. Instead of sitting around playing vidya and watching TV all day, they are actually doing something with their lives. (At least to the extent of which they're able).

 

[Thetan]

That would depend on how Chris presented himself to social workers, I think. A criminal record certainly wouldn't make him seem TOO smart, and look at how he behaved when he was in jail that one afternoon. If he had a tard fit when someone told him that he could not live at 14BC anymore and had to live in a house with other slow in the minds, that certainly wouldn't prove his competence.

I don't think Chris would accept a social worker.

In any case, there is no way Chris can take care of the property by himself. He does understand that bills need to be paid, but it's a child's understanding. When I was a kid, I knew that bills existed, but I did not understand how much maintaining a house could be, and I'm not talking about all the money issues. Houses wear and tear over the years, you have to replace roofs, walls, pipes, siding, hot water tanks, and so on and so forth. If he has gas, then you have to worry about gas leaks. There's also vermin, mold, water damage, etc. Repairs for heating, air, electric, plumbing. The list goes on. No way in hell would Chris keep up on this.

Heh, they don't maintain it as it is.

Marvin, this might seem like an odd question, but I'll ask it anyway, since you seem privy to some 'insider' information regarding Chris.

Do you know if Chris is his own guardian? Sometimes people with a disability have a parent who is their legal guardian and makes most if not all of their important decisions for them. If the guardian isn't a parent or relative, the state will sometimes appoint one.

To make a long story short, I did a short stint as a Direct Service Provider, working with individuals with various disabilities. (This was when there were precious few jobs in the software industry due to outsourcing and the economic slowdown in general).

Anyway, a number of the individuals I worked with were adults who had a legal guardian. Some of them were more high-functioning than Chris in the sense that they had jobs and pretty much took care of all their own needs. They mostly required assistance in the form of transportation from me (or, in the case of the physically / mentally handicapped ones, assistance with simple tasks).

If Chris doesn't have a legal guardian, it's possible that, given his psychological and criminal history, that the state might appoint one. Besides, I can't realistically see any of Chris's remaining family members stepping up to the task. (And who would blame them?)

The people I worked with all had day programs, where they either lived in group homes or lived independently, with agency and state support. The latter is what I believe would be the most likely scenario for Chris.

Day programs typically were from 20 - 35 hours per week and were tailored to the individual's needs. Some of them were very structured (in the case of severely retarded or handicapped individuals) and other gave the client a much greater degree of autonomy. Sometimes I was a babysitter, sometimes a chauffeur / assistant.

Of course, given his history, Chris would probably get a male staff person, which he wouldn't like. Most agencies would avoid placing Chris with female staff, given his history.

 

[Marvin]

Marvin, this might seem like an odd question, but I'll ask it anyway, since you seem privy to some 'insider' information regarding Chris.

Do you know if Chris is his own guardian? Sometimes people with a disability have a parent who is their legal guardian and makes most if not all of their important decisions for them. If the guardian isn't a parent or relative, the state will sometimes appoint one.

We don't know that he doesn't have a guardian, but I haven't seen any evidence to suggest that he isn't his own legal guardian.

If Chris doesn't have a legal guardian, it's possible that, given his psychological and criminal history, that the state might appoint one.

I think that's pretty unlikely. Chris is about to finish his probation and I doubt anyone will care about what he does once that's over.

 

[DangDirtyTrolls]

Chris may look down on the people in this clip as 'slow in the minds' but, as far as functioning members of society, they beat him MANOS down. These people actually have responsibilities around the home, aren't out in the local community making a public nuisance of themselves, and they even have JOBS. Instead of sitting around playing vidya and watching TV all day, they are actually doing something with their lives. (At least to the extent of which they're able).

And this is exactly why Chris would hate such an idea. "muh autism" has always been Chris' get-out-of-jail-free card. Being around other autistics who do the sorts of things Chris uses his autism to get out of doing would be a pretty inconvenient truth for him.

 

[Holdek]

Resistance is futile.

Not that you would try anyway.

That would depend on how Chris presented himself to social workers, I think. A criminal record certainly wouldn't make him seem TOO smart, and look at how he behaved when he was in jail that one afternoon. If he had a tard fit when someone told him that he could not live at 14BC anymore and had to live in a house with other slow in the minds, that certainly wouldn't prove his competence.

I don't think Chris would accept a social worker.

In any case, there is no way Chris can take care of the property by himself. He does understand that bills need to be paid, but it's a child's understanding. When I was a kid, I knew that bills existed, but I did not understand how much maintaining a house could be, and I'm not talking about all the money issues. Houses wear and tear over the years, you have to replace roofs, walls, pipes, siding, hot water tanks, and so on and so forth. If he has gas, then you have to worry about gas leaks. There's also vermin, mold, water damage, etc. Repairs for heating, air, electric, plumbing. The list goes on. No way in hell would Chris keep up on this.

Heh, they don't maintain it as it is.

Marvin, this might seem like an odd question, but I'll ask it anyway, since you seem privy to some 'insider' information regarding Chris.

Do you know if Chris is his own guardian? Sometimes people with a disability have a parent who is their legal guardian and makes most if not all of their important decisions for them. If the guardian isn't a parent or relative, the state will sometimes appoint one.

To make a long story short, I did a short stint as a Direct Service Provider, working with individuals with various disabilities. (This was when there were precious few jobs in the software industry due to outsourcing and the economic slowdown in general).

Anyway, a number of the individuals I worked with were adults who had a legal guardian. Some of them were more high-functioning than Chris in the sense that they had jobs and pretty much took care of all their own needs. They mostly required assistance in the form of transportation from me (or, in the case of the physically / mentally handicapped ones, assistance with simple tasks).

If Chris doesn't have a legal guardian, it's possible that, given his psychological and criminal history, that the state might appoint one. Besides, I can't realistically see any of Chris's remaining family members stepping up to the task. (And who would blame them?)

The people I worked with all had day programs, where they either lived in group homes or lived independently, with agency and state support. The latter is what I believe would be the most likely scenario for Chris.

Day programs typically were from 20 - 35 hours per week and were tailored to the individual's needs. Some of them were very structured (in the case of severely retarded or handicapped individuals) and other gave the client a much greater degree of autonomy. Sometimes I was a babysitter, sometimes a chauffeur / assistant.

Of course, given his history, Chris would probably get a male staff person, which he wouldn't like. Most agencies would avoid placing Chris with female staff, given his history.

"Caretaker? ROFL! I have been Mainstreamed; GREW UP within NORMAL SOCIETY during my School Days. And also, I AM Twenty-Eight Years Old."

"I do NOT need a caretaker; I am capable of taking care of myself. I am 28 years old with a High School Diploma, a Degree and a Certificate in Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD), and my grades were on Honor Roll throughout, and I made the Dean's List at Piedmont Virginia Community College."

([cwc]Autism Awareness E-mails[/cwc])

Chris may look down on the people in this clip as 'slow in the minds' but, as far as functioning members of society, they beat him MANOS down. These people actually have responsibilities around the home, aren't out in the local community making a public nuisance of themselves, and they even have JOBS. Instead of sitting around playing vidya and watching TV all day, they are actually doing something with their lives. (At least to the extent of which they're able).

And this is exactly why Chris would hate such an idea. "muh autism" has always been Chris' get-out-of-jail-free card. Being around other autistics who do the sorts of things Chris uses his autism to get out of doing would be a pretty inconvenient truth for him.

He wouldn't figure that out until he was that situation, though.

 

[Henry Bemis]

If Chris doesn't have a legal guardian, it's possible that, given his psychological and criminal history, that the state might appoint one.

I think that's pretty unlikely. Chris is about to finish his probation and I doubt anyone will care about what he does once that's over.

If Chris screws up again in a major way, the only guardian the state will be inclined to offer him is the warden of the county pokey.

 

[Ryan Rash]

Chris is not ending up in a group home; he's way to stubborn. And besides, aren't those places mostly for lower-functioning autistics?

My best friend in high school, who was on the same level of functioning as myself, lived in a group home until he found his own place. I guess it's a case-by-case thing (and to be fair, before I met him, he was said to have been pretty violent).

 

[Zim]

The only caretaker ChrisChins would want would be the 18 - his current age, single, white, female with average to high income and looks. He'll never accept that he needs any help beyond his complaining about girls and bad life.

I used to think Chris would hit rock bottom and then would be forced to get outside help. In reality the opposite has happened. In reality there is no bottom for him because it would be the point where he would half to examine himself and admit a lot of truths about his life to himself.

However, the bottom line as always is that he's too stupid to know when he's hit rock bottom. He'll live in filth and squallor forever and blame the trolls for every minute of it untill the hoard consumes all.

 

[Thetan]

Chris may look down on the people in this clip as 'slow in the minds' but, as far as functioning members of society, they beat him MANOS down. These people actually have responsibilities around the home, aren't out in the local community making a public nuisance of themselves, and they even have JOBS. Instead of sitting around playing vidya and watching TV all day, they are actually doing something with their lives. (At least to the extent of which they're able).

And this is exactly why Chris would hate such an idea. "muh autism" has always been Chris' get-out-of-jail-free card. Being around other autistics who do the sorts of things Chris uses his autism to get out of doing would be a pretty inconvenient truth for him.

Group dynamics are also very important in group homes, which is another reason why Chris probably wouldn't do well. He'd probably bitch and moan about having to take turns with chores, and look for a job, when he could be sitting on his fat ass playing vidya or watching TV. He'd probably find some reason to resent / dislike the jerks in the house as well (since he'd likely be put in an all-male house). He'd be an almost constant source of conflict and disruption.

Even slow-in-da minds wouldn't put up with his bullshit.

 

[qld]

Even slow-in-da minds wouldn't put up with his bullshit.

I've known of people in group homes hauling off and slugging a housemate in the mouth. It's not uncommon. It would happen about five times a year in the house my partner worked in, and many more times the situation was intercepted by staff before it could happen.

 

[GFYS]

I used to think Chris would hit rock bottom and then would be forced to get outside help. In reality the opposite has happened. In reality there is no bottom for him because it would be the point where he would half to examine himself and admit a lot of truths about his life to himself.

However, the bottom line as always is that he's too stupid to know when he's hit rock bottom. He'll live in filth and squallor forever and blame the trolls for every minute of it untill the hoard consumes all.

IMO, the only finite rock bottom for him is death. As long as Chris breathes, I think he's able to find a way to dig himself deeper. I'm not being a-loggy, there's just too many examples of Chris taking a bad situation, and finding a way to make it worse against all odds.

I don't know if he's hit it yet, or not, but I also think there's definitely a point where he's irredeemable... A sort of event horizon for a failure singularity. There'll be a point that, even if he has an epiphany, he'll be powerless to do anything to fix his life. I'm guessing it'd be the point where his home is no longer habitable. Even if that sobers him up, I think it'd be virtually impossible for him to maintain a lifestyle above poverty, vagrancy, and/or captivity.

I think one of the most dreadful results of Chris' lack of meaningful cognition, is that I think Chris is incapable of determining when he's in mortal peril. His laziness, ignorance, and familiarity with malaise lead me to believe he would have no idea if he were really sick. He could have a serious problem, and just think his tummy wants a q-sand, or he has to poop. He isn't motivated enough to go to the toilet and not poop his panties, so why would he ever think to seek medical assistance unless he was totally laid out? As well, not every fatal condition presents itself with debilitating pain, and those that do might be too advanced to stop by the time he gets help. I could see Chris living in his car, and not realizing he's vulnerable to exposure until he's already in shock. Many highly-educated people fall for financial scams every day. Besides his antisocial tendencies, he's entirely unequipped to deal with some scam artist, who knows how to tickle the greed of even the most paranoid people. Someone like this could wipe him out, and render him illegible for government aid. Chris isn't even capable or recognizing when he does something wrong. His laziness and cowardice keeps him in line most of the time, but one of his random spasms or misunderstandings could put him in jeopardy of being killed by law enforcement or unwittingly committing a serious crime with a severe penalty.

While I concede that most of these possibilities are real longshots, the possibility still exists. Actually, I think Chris getting sick and being unable to determine he needs care or unwilling to seek care isn't really all that unlikely. Either way, I suspect Chris' rock bottom is going to be so deep, there's no escaping it. Any kind of fairy tale ending is just so unlikely.

 

[Hollywood Hulk Hogan]

Not to mention that group homes are abusive and violent places, and where the Teamsters and/or SEIU can stick their corrupt heads in, they care more about money than the clients. A homeless shelter, or as said before, jail, would be better places for CWC.

Some group homes are actually very nice and they are well run (which is one of the main reasons that there's a waiting list to get in). The one in that video clip is certainly a lot nicer than the vermin and bug infested toxic waste site that Chris lives in now.

Brother, living in a cardboard box under a freeway is probably more sanitary than the Chandler home.

 

[NIA-DOA]

Not to mention that group homes are abusive and violent places, and where the Teamsters and/or SEIU can stick their corrupt heads in, they care more about money than the clients. A homeless shelter, or as said before, jail, would be better places for CWC.

Some group homes are actually very nice and they are well run (which is one of the main reasons that there's a waiting list to get in). The one in that video clip is certainly a lot nicer than the vermin and bug infested toxic waste site that Chris lives in now.

Brother, living in a cardboard box under a freeway is probably more sanitary than the Chandler home.

If you really think about it, that probably isn't too far from the truth. Look at the facts: Chris slipping on cat shit, Bob having to tell his son to get a video of his home off the internet out of fear of the Health Department investigating, and the revelation that Bob was covered in bug bites before his death; all laughing and cringing aside, an environment like that is not much better than living in the woods.

Off-topic: Yay! The Hulkster is back! I knew my extra exercising, vitamin intake, and prayers would make him show up.

 

[Holdek]

I used to think Chris would hit rock bottom and then would be forced to get outside help. In reality the opposite has happened. In reality there is no bottom for him because it would be the point where he would half to examine himself and admit a lot of truths about his life to himself.

However, the bottom line as always is that he's too stupid to know when he's hit rock bottom. He'll live in filth and squallor forever and blame the trolls for every minute of it untill the hoard consumes all.

IMO, the only finite rock bottom for him is death. As long as Chris breathes, I think he's able to find a way to dig himself deeper. I'm not being a-loggy, there's just too many examples of Chris taking a bad situation, and finding a way to make it worse against all odds.

I don't know if he's hit it yet, or not, but I also think there's definitely a point where he's irredeemable... A sort of event horizon for a failure singularity. There'll be a point that, even if he has an epiphany, he'll be powerless to do anything to fix his life. I'm guessing it'd be the point where his home is no longer habitable. Even if that sobers him up, I think it'd be virtually impossible for him to maintain a lifestyle above poverty, vagrancy, and/or captivity.

I think one of the most dreadful results of Chris' lack of meaningful cognition, is that I think Chris is incapable of determining when he's in mortal peril. His laziness, ignorance, and familiarity with malaise lead me to believe he would have no idea if he were really sick. He could have a serious problem, and just think his tummy wants a q-sand, or he has to poop. He isn't motivated enough to go to the toilet and not poop his panties, so why would he ever think to seek medical assistance unless he was totally laid out? As well, not every fatal condition presents itself with debilitating pain, and those that do might be too advanced to stop by the time he gets help. I could see Chris living in his car, and not realizing he's vulnerable to exposure until he's already in shock. Many highly-educated people fall for financial scams every day. Besides his antisocial tendencies, he's entirely unequipped to deal with some scam artist, who knows how to tickle the greed of even the most paranoid people. Someone like this could wipe him out, and render him illegible for government aid. Chris isn't even capable or recognizing when he does something wrong. His laziness and cowardice keeps him in line most of the time, but one of his random spasms or misunderstandings could put him in jeopardy of being killed by law enforcement or unwittingly committing a serious crime with a severe penalty.

While I concede that most of these possibilities are real longshots, the possibility still exists. Actually, I think Chris getting sick and being unable to determine he needs care or unwilling to seek care isn't really all that unlikely. Either way, I suspect Chris' rock bottom is going to be so deep, there's no escaping it. Any kind of fairy tale ending is just so unlikely.

When you put it like that, I would say that they aren't really long shots. I never considered how Chris' [cwc]naive[/cwc]te has been exploited by trolls while at the same time since he's never really had control over his finances he hasn't been afforded the opportunity to get swindled by actual criminal con artists (with the barely-notable exception of [cwc]Joshua Martinez[/cwc]). Hell, I bet he didn't even know his own social security number or where to find it. But that seems to be changing now as he is taking over the Chandler family books. It's only a matter of time before he does something in that regard. He took it upon himself to destroy his PS3 thinking he would get a $9,000 prize, and that was without troll-prodding. Chris is an obvious mark if there ever was one.