Growing Up, With Help
“He’s Proud of How Far He’s Come”
Although Young has a less severe variation of an autism spectrum disorder- the umbrella term covering the widely varying degrees of the affliction-he is unable to live by himself and requires help with tasks like remembering the dosages of the many medications he takes. He lives in a group home administered by the state’s Division of Developmental Disabilities, and he must see a team of state-appointed case workers and doctors on a regular basis. Educating an autistic student can cost upwards of $60,000 a year, especially with the price of special ed instructors and other specialized staff like speech therapists; thus, until he turned 18, Albert’s education was paid for by the school district he lived in.
As an adult, Young now depends on the state for virtually every aspect of his life, from his job at the Allegro School to the home he shares with three other autistic men and a non-autistic house manager.
Conversation with Young exposed the limitations in his social interaction and communication abilities, such as his halting speech and echolalia, which has him repeating constantly what has just been said to him. But it also revealed an engaging, witty, and bright young man. He loves oldies music, and he sang a fine rendition of “What a Wonderful World” in the car with Ashley. He gently teased his sister about her concern for his behavior.
“You tell me that every year!” he exclaimed when she reminded him to read the front of his birthday card before skipping to the inside message. He noisily sucked a Luden’s cherry lozenge and between coughs related the challenges of his day at work.
“One kid, he really never listens,” Young said, and as the story progressed his pitch became higher and his pace faster. “Once, we were bowling,” he said, “and he tried to kick over the pins, and I really had to get stern with him, and put my arm in front of him, and say, ‘No!’”
Young’s job at the Allegro School, located in Cedar Knolls, is one of his finest accomplishments: he teaches physical education to autistic students at the school, a position he took over from a non-autistic P.E. teacher. Although he is supervised, and his employment depends on the approval of his state caseworker, he creates his lesson plans and disciplines the students independently, while providing an encouraging life lesson for his students.
“He likes to be an example to his kids,” Ashley said, “They call him Coach Al. He’s proud of how far he’s come.”
The students at Allegro fall under all varieties of autism spectrum disorders. Young’s roommate, Teddy, speaks in an unusually high-pitched, inflected voice, and when introduced to somebody new he repeats the name back several times. Young’s mother, Pamela Young, described some of the more severe cases among Allegro’s students and Albert’s profound ability to connect with otherwise isolated children.
“I saw one kid who was screaming while he played softball,” she said, “because that’s the only way he can communicate. For anyone not used to it, it’s unnerving, but Al was encouraging him and telling him to just keep running.”
