Research from the Centers for Disease Control shows that 1 in 36 children and 1 in 45 adults have autism in the United States. Autism is becoming even more prevalent in children, up from the previous rate of 1 in 44.
 
For Lisa Masters, that statistic hits even closer to home. In her family, the rate is 2 of 2 – both her sons were diagnosed with autism at an early age. Seeing a gap in services available for young adults with autism, Masters has made it her life mission to fill that void.
 
"With my boys, I needed to research how they will operate when I die. It's a grim reality that parents of special needs children face. I was shocked at what I found or lack of what I found in Arizona," Masters said. "There really wasn't anything that is suitable for getting these individuals ready for the workforce and that terrified me. I said I must do something now, not just for my boys, but for others like them."
 
Masters founded Autism Life and Living, Inc. (ALL) in 2021 because young adults with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities lacked support as they transitioned out of childhood.
 
When her sons were diagnosed, services available for children were not prepared for the prevalence of autism at the time. While those services have increased in the years since, the support for young adults has not evolved at the same rate.
 
"Services are not prepared for the aging population. We're so focused on getting them through school, you don't realize that they need life skills to function when they graduate. That's what prompted me to start Autism Life and Living," Masters said. "We implemented our programs first, so we could serve and maybe catch some individuals who were approaching adulthood and get them prepared for life."
 
With April being World Autism Month, it is key to note the impact that Autism Life and Living has had on Arizonans. In 2024, Autism Life and Living served 375 individuals and held 40 classes and events. Nearly 3,000 volunteer hours were poured into enhancing the way of life for individuals with autism and related needs.
 
Autism Life and Living primarily serves individuals ages 12 years and over through a variety of programs designed to help individuals become more independent, develop healthy relationships and gain integrated employment, all while feeling included in society.
 
"Autism Life and Living comes in where other services stop," Masters said. "When they're young, the focus is mostly speech, occupational and physical therapy. Some individuals have applied behavior analysis therapies to work on goals and skills for socialization. Then as they go to school, they're learning skills to manage their everyday educational lives. But we didn't really prepare them for adulthood.
 
"When my son was going to high school, he was taking classes that he didn't understand what he was taught and he will never be able to apply. Let's substitute in skills that he can use to live an independent, safe life. Autism Life and Living comes in with those services that will give them the best possible chance to live a very high quality of life."
 
ALL's support services include health and wellness classes, but the most popular programs are those centered around socialization. Arizona is home to over 150,000 people with autism and related intellectual and developmental disabilities. More than half experience depression and 87% experience loneliness according to statistics provided by Autism Life and Living.
 
As a result, ALL's Social Circle program is the most popular. From bowling to trips to alpaca farms, individuals get out of isolation and are surrounded in a safe and fun space with like-minded peers while creating friendships.
 
While the Social Circle program is thriving, Autism Life and Living is developing a pilot program called Life Skills for Lifelong Independence with the support of Fiesta Sports Foundation's Grant Cycle. Funds from the grant provided ALL with the boost it needed to get it off the ground.
 
The pilot program consisted of two different cohort groups and the 12 total individuals were led through a sampling of ALL's life skill categories, including cooking, laundry and self-care. Although it was a sampling, the skills taught were comprehensive. They started at the beginning on how to make a grocery list, shop at the store, prepare the food at home and practice oven safety.
 
"The pilot went exceptionally well and the big program will be a lot more comprehensive. It goes into financial literacy, home care, community access. It's a deep dive so they can be as independent as possible with the full scope of their activities for daily living," Masters said. "Thank you to Fiesta Sports Foundation for giving us a chance and we're going to thrive because of it. The impact is going to be great."
 
Teaching life skills is one thing, ensuring they have a place to live is another and that's where Oak Tree Ranch comes in.
 
"You can have programs that teach life skills and socialization, maybe give them job skills. That's great for their independence. But I didn't want to be in the same cycle where now that they're adults, where are they going to live?" Masters said. "The idea is to take these holistic programs, package them and when they transition to adult age, they now have a place to live. Oak Tree Ranch is a solution."
 
The plan for Oak Tree Ranch is a townhome setting in an intentional community that individuals or their families may purchase. It would feature a community center that offered on-site support services and a café for socialization integration, providing a residence that would come full circle with ALL's programs.
 
Everything that Masters and Autism Life and Living does has one common purpose – to eliminate the stigma associated with autism.