Forgotten futures.

We presented at the Ocalicon conference last week on the subject of how we can best support young people and adults who have become or are at risk of becoming socially isolated, stuck in their bedrooms/homes and unable to get out.

I continue to struggle with the language around this topic.

With colleagues, we settled on the title of ‘Forgotten Futures’ as this highlights the situation for those autistic adults who have fallen through the net.

Other terms we have used are not quite right:

• Bedroom boys: this is a very relatable term for many and is easily understood but of course, it’s not just ‘boys’ that we are thinking about

• Extreme social isolation: this describes the situation but where do you draw the line and where does ‘extreme’ start?

• In education there are terms such as ‘school refuser’, ‘non-engaged’ and ‘elective home-educated’ none of which necessarily describe the situation accurately or translate well into the adult perspective and most put the blame wrongly on the child.

• In Japanese culture the term ‘Hikikomori’ has been used to describe ‘severe social isolation, seeking extreme forms of social isolation and withdrawal’. This could be a good term to use but to our ears it doesn’t mean anything without a translation.

So for now we want to continue using ‘forgotten futures’ for this area of work as it feels more like the call for action which is needed.

I would really like to hear your thoughts. Let me know here.