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Many think Adam Lanza is an example of a person treated by the school district, and now is entering the adult mental health system with no guidance. That's the rub according to one expert. "Are we ready for people like this young Mr. Lanza?" asks Doug Fabien of Crisis Services. "I think it's going to take a quite bit more resources and staff, but we'll also need to work closely with parents who have been working with mental health challenges as they enter the adult system."
Fabien concedes many in the field aren't prepared for this. "People in the autism spectrum aren't known to us," notes Fabien. "Our systems are in need of change and additional resources. I don't think we'll have to advocate strongly because the message is out there these systems will have to change."
One such change is that adjustment for children leaving the school system into an adult based mental health care program. "We need to work out strategies to ensure these young people get what they need and are not left at home with parents to take care of them," says Fabien.