Since 1987, the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has skyrocketed more than 1,100 percent. Today, we spend $11.5 billion dollars a year on everything from educational programs to medical therapies to help those children.

But what happens when they become adults?

“Unfortunately, they often get lost,” said Dr. Christopher Hanks of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “For children, the care is fairly structured around them, but as they move into the adult-based care settings, these patients can really struggle and all too often are forgotten,” said Hanks.

In an effort to help those patients, Hanks has opened the Center for Autism Services and Transition (CAST), a new clinic specifically designed to care for adults with autism spectrum disorders. “We want to provide a place they can come for medical care knowing that we have an entire staff who truly understands their needs,” said Hanks.

“Beyond that, we also look for things like continuing education courses or job opportunities to help them transition into a world that can be very intimidating for them,” he said.