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is a busy man.  As the Member of Parliament for Edmonton- Mill-Woods-Beaumont, he travels regularly between his home in Alberta and Ottawa.  And as a member of the Queen鈥檚 Privy Council, as well as the Priorities and Planning Sub-Committee on Government Administration, Lake鈥檚 days are filled with meetings with colleagues and constituents on a range of issues both at home

As demanding as his schedule might be, Lake always makes time for the two things that matter most to him: his children, and his advocacy for a better understanding of autism.
Lake鈥檚 son Jaden was diagnosed with the disorder when he was two, and today, at 20, Jaden has grown into a young man who often travels with his father in support of autism organizations, as well as families and individuals with a connection to autism across the country and around the world.

鈥淎dulthood is a challenging period for individuals with autism as they and their family transition out of childhood services and into a new phase of life,鈥� explains , assistant professor in the . 

鈥淭hat transition is often difficult, and there is a lot of research being conducted to better understand how we can support them.鈥�
With Jaden by his side, Mike Lake recently gave a talk to Werklund School of Education graduate students.

Lake says there are three things he鈥檚 learned about the disorder.  鈥淔irst鈥�, he says, 鈥渋t鈥檚 important to know that early intervention is critical鈥� in developing a program for someone diagnosed with autism. 

The second point he highlights is that change, or transitions, matter a lot to someone living with autism. He explains that Jaden went from 36 hours a week of individual therapy until age six, when he moved into the school system and was assigned a full time aide with little understanding of autism.  鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 a great fit, compared to five university students who loved him, and really cared about his success, and would do anything to help him.鈥�  

Finally, Lake says that, as a society, we must learn to expect more from those with autism鈥攖hat discovering what they do well and what makes them happy is key to helping them develop to their fullest potential.  鈥淚 think we miss a huge opportunity when we don鈥檛 take a look at everyone鈥檚 skills and abilities.鈥�

This growth and development of resiliency is exactly what the Adam McCrimmon is researching.  As the Principal Investigator of the Autism Spectrum Education, Research and Training () lab, which focuses  on looking for the positives in the individual with autism,  McCrimmon鈥� s work aligns directly with Lake鈥檚 philosophy about life with autism.

鈥淢ike Lake鈥檚 message is simple and powerful,鈥� says McCrimmon, 鈥渁nd his presentation was very helpful in allowing our students to understand his perspectives and views on this important issue.