Rutgers University Addresses the Autism Services Cliff in New Jersey
For thousands of families across New Jersey and the broader USA, a critical question looms as children with autism approach adulthood: what happens when the school system’s support ends? This transitional period, commonly referred to as the autism services cliff, represents one of the most significant challenges facing the neurodivergent community. At Rutgers University, innovative programs and community partnerships are working to bridge this gap and provide meaningful futures for autistic adults.
Understanding the Autism Services Cliff in New Jersey
New Jersey consistently reports some of the highest autism prevalence rates in the nation. While early intervention and childhood special education services have expanded significantly over recent decades, the infrastructure for adult support has not kept pace. When autistic individuals age out of the public school system at 21, they face an abrupt reduction in structured programming, funding, and coordinated support.
This transition period can be particularly challenging for families who have spent years navigating complex educational systems to secure appropriate services for their children. The sudden loss of a structured daily environment, combined with limited employment opportunities and social integration programs, leaves many autistic adults and their families feeling isolated and uncertain about the future.
The need for comprehensive autism services that extend beyond childhood has become increasingly urgent as the first generation of children diagnosed with autism in the 1990s and early 2000s reaches adulthood. New Jersey’s robust network of childhood services, while commendable, has created an expectation of continued support that the adult services system struggles to meet.
One Family’s Journey Through the System
The challenges of navigating autism services are not abstract concepts—they represent daily realities for families like the Vaccaros. John Vaccaro, a New Jersey businessman, has experienced firsthand the gaps in the system while raising his son Frankie, now 28, who was diagnosed with autism at age three.
The family’s journey illustrates the extraordinary lengths to which parents must go to secure appropriate care. What began as advocacy within the New York City school system evolved into a multi-year odyssey that included relocating from Brooklyn to Staten Island to access specialized middle school programming. When that option ended, the family committed to a four-hour daily commute—five days a week for seven years—so Frankie could attend an appropriate high school on Long Island.
Throughout this period, Vaccaro engaged in annual legal battles with New York City to secure reimbursement for educational expenses. The financial and emotional toll of this sustained advocacy reflects a systemic failure that affects families across socioeconomic levels, though those with fewer resources face even greater barriers.
“Do I feel let down by the system? 100,000%,” Vaccaro has stated, recognizing that his family’s resources allowed them to pursue options unavailable to many others. “We know many families who have kids with autism that cannot provide everything that we can. I shudder at that thought.”
The Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services: A Comprehensive Approach
The Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services (RCAAS), established in 2016, represents a deliberate response to the services cliff. Operating as part of the Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology’s Autism Training Hub, the center takes a multi-faceted approach to supporting autistic adults.
Rather than offering a single program, RCAAS provides an integrated suite of services designed to address the diverse needs of the adult autism community. These include employment placement and coaching within the Rutgers community, behavioral support services, psychological assessment, and structured day programming. The center’s integration within a major research university creates unique opportunities for participants to engage with a diverse community while receiving evidence-based support.
Christopher Manente, the center’s executive director, notes that inquiries arrive daily from families seeking placement for their adult children. This demand reflects both the quality of the program and the broader shortage of comparable options in New Jersey and beyond.
Bridging Public and Private: The Role of Community Partnerships
The development of RCAAS demonstrates how public universities can leverage private partnerships to expand their impact. When the center announced plans for a new, state-of-the-art facility, community leaders like John Vaccaro recognized an opportunity to address both personal needs and systemic gaps.
Vaccaro’s involvement with Rutgers predated his connection to the autism center—he had previously partnered with the Rutgers Business School to create internship opportunities in supply chain management. This existing relationship provided a foundation for collaboration that ultimately benefited the autism services program.
His support served dual purposes: securing appropriate programming for his son Frankie, who was accepted into the RCAAS program in 2019, and contributing to the expansion of services available to the broader community. The ribbon cutting for the new facility, held in September 2021, represented the culmination of years of planning and partnership.
The COVID-19 pandemic tested the resilience of these partnerships. When university operations were disrupted in 2020, Vaccaro responded by creating job training opportunities at Bettaway Supply Chain Services, his family’s business. This intervention helped maintain daily routines for adults who had been displaced from their regular programming—a critical factor for individuals who often rely heavily on structure and predictability.
Employment as a Cornerstone of Adult Services
Meaningful employment represents one of the most significant challenges—and opportunities—for autistic adults. Research consistently shows that competitive employment is associated with improved quality of life, greater independence, and enhanced social connections for individuals on the autism spectrum.
The RCAAS model prioritizes employment integration, working with participants to identify strengths, interests, and appropriate workplace accommodations. Frankie Vaccaro’s experience illustrates this approach in action: through the center’s day program, he secured employment at a campus pizza parlor—a position his father notes he genuinely enjoys.
“Frankie’s doing great,” his father reported. “He has a job, is getting a paycheck. And he’s doing something he loves.”
This outcome reflects the center’s philosophy that successful employment matches must be individualized rather than forced into predetermined roles. The university environment provides a diverse range of potential work settings, from food service to administrative support to research assistance, allowing for greater customization than typical employment programs.
Expanding Impact Beyond Campus Borders
The lessons learned at RCAAS extend beyond the Rutgers campus. Vaccaro has continued his advocacy through partnerships with organizations like We Make: Autism at Work, a New Jersey nonprofit that facilitates neurodivergent employment across multiple industries. These collaborations help translate the center’s successes into scalable models that other employers can adopt.
For New Jersey businesses, engaging with autism employment initiatives offers practical benefits alongside social responsibility. Many autistic adults bring valuable strengths to the workplace, including attention to detail, pattern recognition, and sustained focus on tasks of interest. Companies that develop effective accommodation practices often find these approaches benefit neurotypical employees as well.
The RCAAS model also demonstrates how universities can serve as laboratories for social innovation. By combining clinical expertise with real-world implementation, programs like this generate knowledge that can inform policy and practice at state and national levels.
What Families Should Know About Transition Planning
For parents of children with autism, the transition to adulthood requires early and deliberate planning. Several key considerations can help families prepare:
Start Early
Transition planning should begin well before a child reaches high school age. Understanding the adult services landscape, including eligibility requirements and waitlists, allows families to position themselves strategically.
Explore Diverse Options
Not all adult programs serve the same populations or offer the same services. University-based programs like RCAAS may offer different benefits than community-based day programs or supported employment models. Families should investigate multiple options.
Consider Employment Goals
Thinking explicitly about employment objectives—both the type of work and the level of support needed—can help identify appropriate programs. Some adults may thrive in competitive employment with minimal support, while others benefit from more structured environments.
Build Community Connections
Isolation is a significant risk during the transition to adulthood. Programs that facilitate community integration and social connections provide benefits beyond employment alone.
The Path Forward for Autism Services in New Jersey
The story of the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services illustrates both the challenges and possibilities inherent in addressing the autism services cliff. While no single program can meet the needs of all autistic adults in New Jersey or across the USA, successful models provide templates for expansion and replication.
Continued investment in adult services, from both public and private sources, remains essential. As the population of autistic adults continues to grow, the consequences of inaction—unemployment, isolation, and reduced quality of life—affect not only individuals and families but communities and economies as well.
For families currently navigating the transition, the existence of programs like RCAAS offers reason for cautious optimism. The center’s growth over its first five years demonstrates that meaningful solutions are possible when universities, families, and business leaders commit to addressing systemic gaps together.
The work is far from complete. Demand for services continues to outpace capacity, and many regions remain underserved. But the partnerships forged at Rutgers provide a foundation upon which broader progress can be built—one that recognizes the dignity, potential, and rights of autistic adults to lead fulfilling, engaged lives.
Have questions about autism services or transition planning? Share your experiences in the comments below to help build a supportive community for families navigating this journey.
