There were six schools and treatment centers in 20 years of Matthew Rabbitt’s life, countless ups and downs with medication and emotional tumult, battles with his family and friends.
The 21-year-old’s struggle with Asperger syndrome, a form of autism, dominated his childhood. He was in and out of programs and schools in Virginia, Texas, Boston and New York. He battled serious bouts of anger with his parents and struggled everywhere to settle down and enjoy life.
Now, Rabbitt is happily buzzing around his little urban kitchen cooking bacon and eggs. He is enrolled in college classes and is learning how to cook, clean, live with a roommate and budget his money. He is even learning how to date.
A program called College Living Experience is helping 47 students in Denver, half of whom battle with autism, the others with attention-deficit problems, learn how to go to college and, eventually, build a life.
“I have a schedule. I cook in my apartment,” said Rabbitt, a towering, garrulous man who loves basketball and the Beatles. “The staff could be on your case all the time, but they aren’t. I learned I can be independent.”
Program leaders say their approach to helping these students, most of whom are in their late teens and early 20s, is three-pronged.
They help them study and learn to go to college. They teach them how to build a social life, both with other students in the program and with nondisabled students. And they advise on pulling together a household, helping on everything from going to bed on time to grocery shopping and managing finances.
“If he burns through his cash early, then he has to eat noodles all week,” said Anne Rabbitt, Matt’s mother, in town recently for a visit from New York. “It’s good for him to learn.”
Executive director Cheryl Okizaki sees more improvement in one year of this program than she did in four years working in high schools for kids with special needs.
“I can’t believe the difference. We’re making them live in apartments, cook their own food,” she said.
College Living Experience counselors tutor the students, help them balance school work with hobbies — and even dole out dating advice.
The program started in 1989 in a few apartments near Broward Community College in Florida. Since then, it has grown to six locations across the country, enrolling about 200 students. The program is not a 24-hour residence program, so students must be able to learn how to live on their own.
The program isn’t cheap. The Rabbitts pay $30,000 a year for the service, in addition to out-of-state tuition at the Community College of Denver and apartment rent.
Rabbitt’s roommate also is in the program.
“We were a little nervous because we were in New York and this is Denver,” Anne Rabbitt said.
On a recent morning, independent living skills counselor Rachael Pratt sat at Rabbitt’s dining room table and tried to keep him focused on goal-setting.
Rabbitt was bouncing around, turning on the music, frying breakfast, talking about the things he had cooked recently. Pratt moved to the kitchen with him and adjusted to the conversation.
“I’m getting intimidated with my classes, and I’m intimidated for this to be my career because the classes are too hard,” said Rabbitt, who is studying computer science.
“I don’t think you want to let intimidation get you down,” Pratt said, watching him pull apart raw bacon.
“I made swordfish with green peppers and onions and potatoes,” he said.
“That’s good,” Pratt said. “That’s healthy.”
Allison Sherry: 303-954-1377 or asherry@denverpost.com
