When families first visit our 13-acre campus in Fair Oaks, California, they often tell us it feels different from other places they’ve toured. Maybe it’s the way students greet visitors with genuine smiles, or how naturally our campus flows into the surrounding community just 15 miles east of Sacramento. Perhaps it’s the proximity to the American River Parkway’s 23-mile trail system, where students can walk and reflect. Or maybe it’s the charm of Fair Oaks Village historic district with its local shops, restaurants, and community events like the annual Fair Oaks Chicken Festival that brings everyone together. We would like to think that is all of these things, and so much more, that make our independent living programs for young adults with autism such a unique offering.

What families are sensing is something we’ve cultivated intentionally since 2014: a place where young adults with autism can truly be themselves while building the skills they need for independence. We serve students ages 18-28 from across the United States, each bringing their own dreams, challenges, and unique perspectives to our community.

Our approach centers on a simple but powerful belief: every person deserves to have control over their own life story. Through experiential learning—learning by doing rather than just sitting in classrooms—and person-centered planning that puts each student’s goals at the center of everything we do, we help young adults with autism discover not just what they can do, but who they want to become.

Person-centered planning isn’t just a buzzword for us—it’s how we operate every day. This means that instead of asking ‘What’s wrong with this person that we need to fix?’ we ask ‘Who is this person, and what do they want their life to look like?’

Every student works with our team to develop an Individualized Service Plan (ISP) that reflects their own goals, interests, and dreams. Some students want to live independently in their own apartment. Others hope to find meaningful work in their field of interest. Many want to build stronger friendships and long term relationships. Whatever the goal, we start there and work backward to figure out what skills and experiences will help them get there.

We meet every three to six months for an ISP check in: Are we still heading in the right direction? Have goals changed? What’s working well, and what needs adjustment? Because here’s what we’ve learned over the years, when young adults with autism have real control over their own plans, they’re far more motivated to do the work required to achieve them.

We’re often asked what makes Meristem different from other programs. The honest answer is that we’ve never tried to be like other programs. From the beginning, we’ve focused on creating the kind of place we’d want for our own family members.

• Real-World Learning: Instead of spending all day in classrooms, our students learn by doing. They run our café, create products in our herbal arts social enterprise, manage real budgets, and navigate actual workplace challenges. When they graduate, they’ve already been practicing independence for months or years.

• Campus That Feels Like Home: Our Fair Oaks location offers the perfect balance—close enough to Sacramento for internships and cultural opportunities, but surrounded by nature and the kind of community where people know each other’s names. Students often say it’s the first place they’ve felt truly accepted.

• Nationwide Community: We welcome students from across the country, creating a diverse community where different perspectives and experiences are celebrated. Many of our strongest friendships form between students from completely different backgrounds who discover they share common dreams.

• Long-Term Perspective: We’re not trying to ‘graduate’ students as quickly as possible. Some students need one year, others need three. We work at each person’s pace because we’ve learned that sustainable independence can’t be rushed.

Our students come to us with stories of resilience that would inspire anyone. They’ve often struggled in traditional educational settings, not because they lack ability, but because those settings weren’t designed with their learning styles in mind. They arrive hoping for something different—a place where their autism isn’t seen as a barrier to overcome, but as part of who they are. What unites our students isn’t their diagnosis, but their determination to build meaningful, independent lives. They work closely with Student Coordinators who get to know them as individuals—their interests, their fears, their sense of humor, their dreams for the future.

Our families often tell us that Meristem has transformed not just their young adult, but their entire family’s outlook on the future. Parents who once worried constantly about what would happen after high school find themselves celebrating milestones they never thought possible: their child cooking dinner for friends, managing their own bank account, or landing their first job.

Many families stay connected long after completing the program, creating a network of support that extends far beyond our campus. Because once you’re part of the Meristem community, you’re always part of the family.