To The Editor:

I applaud Governor Chris Christie’s “Employment First” policy and his encouraging of “a change in mindset and a change in approach” to hiring individuals with physical, developmental, and mental disabilities.

Last month’s announcement by the Centers for Disease Control that autism is now diagnosed in 1 in 88 children in the United States and 1 in 49 in New Jersey provides a glimpse of what the future holds for society and adults with autism who will need assistance with daily living skills but are capable of — and empowered by — employment.

My 10-year-old daughter Brielle is one of those 49. She is lucky enough to attend Eden Autism Services, a Princeton-based nonprofit organization that has been improving the lives of children and adults with autism since 1975. One of the things that make Eden so special is its focus on employment opportunities for individuals with autism.

Even at 10, Brielle is already learning life skills such as getting dressed, making her lunch, and loading the dishwasher. With each task she masters, Eden adds another. It is my hope that by the time she is an adult, she will have learned enough skills to hold a job.

We often associate autism with children. But the reality that keeps me and many autism mothers awake at night is that these beautiful, special children will grow up as adults with autism. What will they do? Their future is in our hands.

Stacie Servetah
South Brunswick