For families
Sitters for adults on the autism spectrum
Autism does not stop at 18. Many of the families we serve include an adult member — a son still living at home, a spouse, a sibling — who is on the autism spectrum. The thing that has not gotten easier as your adult family member aged: finding someone qualified to sit for a few hours.
Our sitters include Direct Support Professionals who work with autistic adults in day programs and residential settings, plus special-education teachers and former paraeducators who worked through K-12 transition years. They are comfortable with the rhythm of an adult's life — not a kid's, an adult's.
What to expect
- Sitters who address your adult family member directly. Not through you. The voice is calm, the questions are about today, and the answer is whatever your adult family member actually wants to do.
- Routine over agenda. If the routine is 'evenings on the couch with a specific show,' the sitter does not push for an activity. They follow what works.
- Comfort with stimming, scripting, or quiet — none of which surprise a sitter who has worked with autistic adults for a living.
- Respect for autonomy. Adults make their own choices about food, screens, and time. The sitter holds the line your written notes describe.
What we don't do
- The sitter is sitting. They do not run a behavior plan, do not chart sessions, do not deliver professional services.
- We do not bill Medicaid or the DD Waiver. Cash pay only.
- We do not administer prescription medications. The sitter can hand a routine dose to your adult family member per your written house routine, but they do not measure, calculate, or document.
- We do not represent our sitters as advocates, case managers, or anyone with authority over your adult family member's care. They are sitters with day jobs in the field.
Booking tips
- List your adult family member's preferences clearly — favorite shows, foods, no-go topics, sensory considerations. The sitter reads them before they accept.
- If your adult family member uses AAC or sign, list the system by name. We will match to a sitter who knows that system.
- Pre-booking video intros work well for adults too. We pay the sitter $10 for the call.
- Favorite the sitter who clicks. Adult continuity matters even more than kid continuity for many families.
Common questions
- Will the sitter help my adult family member with bathing or toileting?
- Within reason and with your adult family member's consent. Write the routine in the profile and the sitter will follow it. If your adult family member needs full personal-care assistance, that work is the scope of a licensed personal-care attendant, not a sitter.
- What if my adult family member is non-speaking?
- Tell us in the profile. We will match to a sitter who has worked with non-speaking adults — many of our Direct Support Professionals have, extensively. We also have a dedicated nonverbal/AAC page.
- Can the sitter take my adult family member out?
- Not in v1. Bookings happen at home. As we scale, community-access bookings may follow.
- Are your sitters trained in autism specifically?
- They are trained in their day jobs. Many work with autistic adults daily — at day programs, in residential, in supported-employment settings. The credential is the floor, not the ceiling.
- What if my adult family member also has another diagnosis?
- Most do. Use the profile field to list everything that matters. The sitter reads it before they accept.