Mississippi autism division pushes resources, cites gap in adult care

The Mississippi Department of Mental Health’s new Division of Autism Services is promoting community resources across the state, but its director said adult services remain one of the biggest gaps in care.

Shavvone Williams, director of the Division of Autism Services, said the division is focusing on building relationships with clinicians and increasing public awareness of existing services while it plans longer-term expansion. “We’re still in the baby steps phase of everything and just working things out and figuring out what would be best for Mississippi,” Williams said.

Williams said adults with autism often have far less support than children. “A lot of adults get left behind when it comes to their autism diagnosis and support … kids have some support — it could be more — but adults have very little,” she said. “Mississippi could possibly be one of the first states to have a clinic or therapy center focused on adults.”

Clinicians generally recognize autism as a spectrum disorder with three levels of support, and say symptoms can include persistent social difficulty and restrictive, repetitive patterns of behavior. Treatment is typically tailored to the individual, Williams said, and she cautioned against assuming autism presents the same way in every person. “If you meet one person with autism, you just meet that one person. It’s literally different in everybody,” she said.

The division hosted a resource fair April 28 at the Mississippi Trade Mart in Jackson to connect residents with providers. The event included organizations such as Youth Villages, SPARK, The Puzzle Box and Living Independence for Everyone of Mississippi. Desmeon Thomas, a community liaison for Living Independence for Everyone of Mississippi, said bringing providers together can expand services. “There’s nothing better than all of us coming together to make things better,” he said.

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