FRONT COVER -- ADULTS on the AUTISM SPECTRUM Leave the Nest: Achieving Supported Independence -- Contents -- A MESSAGE FOR PARENTS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- PREFACE -- Introducti on: Real Lives -- Part One: Understanding the Autism Spectrum Disabilities -- Chapter 1: What Are Neurodevelopmental Disabiliti es? -- Chapter 2: Families Living with Disability -- Part Two: Understanding Executi ve Functi ons -- Chapter 3: Initi ati on, or Getti ng Started -- Chapter 4: Concrete Thinking and Response to Novelty -- Chapter 5: Planning, Sequencing, and Organizing -- Chapter 6: Att enti on and Concentrati on -- Chapter 7: Regulati on of Emoti ons -- Chapter 8: A Glance at Memory -- Chapter 9: Judgment, Self-Awareness, and Self-Monitoring -- Part Three: Reaching Adulthood -- Chapter 10: Preparing for Adulthood -- Chapter 11: Living with Parents -- Chapter 12: Living in a Group Home -- Part Four: A Model Program of Supported Independence -- Chapter 13: The Value of Living with Peers -- Chapter 14: The Structure and Goals of the Program -- Chapter 15: The Clinical Methods of the Program -- Chapter 16: Counseling -- Chapter 17: Specifi c Issues and Methods Employed at CAL -- Chapter 18: Teamwork with Parents -- APPENDIX I: A NEW IDEA: A VARIATION ON THE MODEL OF GROUP HOME LIVING -- APPENDIX II: RESOURCES -- REFERENCES -- INDEX.