yeah. yeah. reporter: why the deep intake of breath? cause that s a big scary thing. that s a big scary thing. reporter: with lenore working only part time, the family relies on her husband mike s income. so they decide to take a scouting trip to florida to find out if nick can get the same kind of support there. we went to medicaid. we went to providers down there and asked the questions. reporter: dateline is with lenore on her visit to florida agencies where employees are incredibly candid about how little they have to offer. they allow their conversations with lenore to be recorded. how immediately do you need those services? we have quite a long waiting list. can you give me a hint? is it like weeks? like 22,000 people on the waiting list. ok, that s a big reality check. are you gonna have those guaranteed services from new york to here? no, you re not. no. and i would be lying to you if i told you you would.
that is one of the general misconceptions about autism is that it only affects children. you don t outgrow autism? you do not outgrow autism. look, we re gonna play catch! reporter: the clock is ticking on nicholas kubicsko s services too. the long island teenager has just months left before he turns 21 and loses access to resources his mother says have changed his, and her, life. i never gave up on nick. i always knew that there was more to him. i knew that he was in there. i knew he was trying and when we supported him at home. i kept getting glimpses. i knew where that young man was. reporter: finding a way to reach nick has been a challenge. he used to live in a 24 hour residential treatment center. but lenore says the staff had trouble with nick s obsessive behavior. it was torture for him to have someone try to intervene and rush him or prevent him from doing something. and what did that lead to? initially protesting. and it eventually evolved into him becomin
worker. and lenore can t find one. ok. when you re ready. reporter: lenore has taken nick for interviews at a number of agencies that provide social workers. but none of them have agreed to take his case. to raise an autistic child you almost, you can t you can t do it without the help. and right now um, i don t know how we re gonna do it. i don t know what kinda life he s gonna have because we re looking at a really barren landscape for him. i don t think i ve ever been more terrified than i am right now. reporter: autism advocate linda walder says government programs aren t designed for adults with autism. the problem is, is that system is really broken. it s dated. it s not addressing the needs of adults and the growing population of adults living with autism. reporter: it s not addressing
fairs in new york city. i m really really proud of you. this is a big show. it s really special. reporter: his art is on the walls and it s for sale. i m very proud of you. he is really a gifted artist. and i see really good things coming out of this. i m so pleased. i just think, you know, he does have a chance at a life away from me. this is a new beginning for him. reporter: for lenore, she says it s hard to imagine a day when she won t be managing her son s life. and she knows when that day comes the responsibility will fall to nick s sister. what happens when you re not there for him anymore? i am terrified for him and my daughter. i pray that they find people in their lives to help them through that and find a way to make that as easy as we can for both of them.
and he would he began to attack people. he began to lash out. reporter: lenore says they had no choice but to bring him home. it s a lot for the family, but i know a lot of it fell on you. moms do what moms got to do. we do what we have to do. reporter: now, their public school district provides aides to help lenore in the home and sends a teacher to work with nick for two hours every day. ready what is? what is this? you know it, yep. reporter: the teacher helps him communicate using a device that generates speech. pepper. yes, two more. give me two more on this page, okay? you really need more than one person to teach nick. i need a break. yeah, you can take a break. go ahead. when you have someone at his elbow to keep him calm and keep him focused, it does work. reporter: with this individualized approach, nick s aggression has nearly disappeared. he s started venturing out of the house, taking trips to a local bagel shop, even the grocery store.