Mom of autistic teen breathing sigh of relief

WESTVILLE - The dilemma of how best to help a young autistic girl appears to have been solved.
Angela Hanebury said Thursday that her 16-year-old daughter, Rebecca Falconer, will undergo a 60-day assessment program here in Pictou County prior to finding permanent adult placement services.
For mom and daughter, it's a much-needed break from routine, and it's one Hanebury hopes will provide her daughter with the care she needs.
"She'll have staff with her there, 24 hours. There will be a team of people to assess her, to make sure that her meds are OK and any other things. And it's for 60 days, so it's a nice time for her to adjust."
For Hanebury, personally, it's time to recharge her batteries and focus on work and other things she's had to sideline in order to care for her daughter.
"I told everybody that I'm going to go to sleep for about a week," she said.
Care for Rebecca had been manageable when she was younger and smaller, but her mother told The News earlier this week that her age and size - and strength - had even limited excursions into the community had become impossible.
"I like the solution," Hanebury said. "They'll have a better idea of what they need to do to help her. It's just kind of a nice way to transition her from home to residential type life. She's not just being placed, everything's going to be set up to make it successful."
Newspapers, radio and television picked up the family's story. Hanebury hopes that the attention drawn to Rebecca's situation will highlight the need for services for children and adults living with autism.
"At least, I'm hoping that this will make people aware - I mean there's nothing out there for children, residentially. And that's just wrong," she said. "Families shouldn't have to suffer. Those are the things that matter, the quality of life and healthcare."
Rebecca's story also garnered well-wishing from thousands of individuals on the Internet.
Hanebury said she's grateful to all those who showed their support.
"Thank you very much. I'm overwhelmed with the amount of compassion there is from people."