July 02--Clarence Novak is excited that he gets to stay up later at night now that he lives at Fox Trail home for adults with autism in Aurora.
Novak, 20, still has to wake up early, but he now goes to a training center each morning instead of school or the transitional home where he used to spend time. In the evenings, he and his roommate watched Blackhawks games together during hockey season, and he enrolled in a cooking class.
The home, which opened recently on Edgelawn Drive in Aurora, has given Novak opportunities to socialize with friends his own age that he didn't have growing up near rural Dixon, said his mom, Carol. He has always been social, going to fundraisers and concerts near home, she said.
She wants him to be challenged as well.
"It's not living with us, with mom and dad," she said.
Novak and a 54-year-old man with autism share the house with full-time live-in staff at Fox Trail, which is Lutheran Social Services of Illinois' first home for adults with autism. Their pictures hang on a wall in the living room, and each decorated their bedroom as they wished. Novak, who is talkative and complimentary, decked out his room in Blackhawks' red.
The goal is to foster independence in adults who are mildly autistic, said Jackie Fleming, the home's program director. Residents are encouraged to be involved in their community and, eventually, work at local businesses.
For Novak's mom, it also provides peace of mind.
"We're getting older," she said. "And we wanted to make sure he had some place where he would be cared for if something happened to either of us."
In 2013 about 32,000 people with autism lived with adults who were aged 60 or older in Illinois, said Barb Hailey, director of communications and advancement for Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, citing research from The Autism Program of Illinois. In 2012, the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities found there were almost 9,000 people with developmental disabilities on a waiting list for work and activities training, similar to the type of training Novak and his housemate attend most days, Hailey said.
"There is a need for individuals who are at the higher end of the autism spectrum," she said. "There's little, if any, help to assist them in becoming independent."
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois -- which runs a variety of programs and homes throughout the state -- opened the Aurora home through a community effort, Hailey said. The organization was able to lease the house from St. Mark's Lutheran Church next door, which made the project easier financially, she said, and a furniture store donated the tables, couches, beds and other furnishings.
Homes such as Fox Trail allow people with autism to interact with others similar to them, Fleming said.
"You still can feel like you're making some decisions," she said.
Novak, whose mom said that she worked for Lutheran Social Services for years and that he was adopted through the organization, came to the home through a state placement process. Fleming is working to find a third resident through the same process.
At his parents' home, Novak -- who Fleming said was unusually independent -- mows the lawn and can cook his own meals. He has traveled with his family around the U.S. and Europe, and he has a driver's license, though he no longer drives, Fleming said.
But, he isn't used to folding his clothes or vacuuming. And sometimes, he goes from acting like a 20-year-old to a 12-year-old with little warning, Fleming said.
Life at Fox Trail is structured, with bedtimes and meal times. For now, the staff make lunches and dinners and drive Novak and his housemate to training workshops and evening classes.
Novak attends the workshops at a Lutheran Social Services facility in Homer Glen most workdays. There, he might count pop tops or, around Christmas, wrap gifts. He is looking forward to making and packaging kettle corn, which will be sold at area stores or craft fairs, when the organization completes preparations for the program.
He also learns life skills or reads books at the center.
In his spare time, he takes a cooking class, goes bowling and participates in "guys night out" through the Fox Valley Special Recreation Association.
The activities are ones Carol couldn't offer her son at home near Dixon, she said. He often hung out with Carol and her friends.
Here, Carol said, Novak can go to the movies with friends and he has someone with whom to play video games.
He has four older siblings who moved off into the world, Carol said. Now he can, too, she said.
sfreishtat@tribpub.com
