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 the reality we have now.
mom, eric meets with a language coach his own age paid for by his parents. and their conversation sounds like any other dinner date. thank you for asking! good morning, pam! good morning! how are you today? reporter: but the best news is eric s mom has traded the dayhab for something even better. he s been selected for a competitive art program for adults with developmental disabilities. it s called pure vision arts and is a program of the shield institute, a non- profit organization. eric shows us some of his artwork. and is that milk or juice? milk! reporter: breakfast! eric has also displayed his work in several art exhibits around new york city. at his first show, old friends come to celebrate with him. his mother, who s finally finding time to get back to her own artwork, is thrilled. and one snowy morning this february, mary and eric go to one of the biggest public art fairs in new york city.
they lost when they turned 21. nick has had an especially bumpy road. after depending solely on his mom for months, he finally got help in the form of a state funded program that sends aides to his home. then, his family had to break up in order to keep his services. and last october, another change. he abruptly loses some of his services again. our experience when he graduated was falling off a cliff. i said to my husband this was the equivalent of getting pushed off a cliff. reporter: here s why, new york state agencies put new conditions on how government funding can be used to pay for programs like nick s. he loses valuable members of his team overnight and quickly spins out of control. he s falling apart. he s a mess. and i need help and i need help like two months ago. reporter: after an episode of extreme anxiety leaves nick hospitalized, lenore calls an agency that provides services
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.
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