Gerald Mitchell, 17, is happiest around his cousins, playing Mario Kart and being in the kitchen.
Gerald, who was diagnosed with autism at 2 years old, is timid and soft-spoken.

But he is quick to respond when asked what kind of food he likes to make.
“Pizza,” he said.
What’s your favorite kind of pizza?
“Um, pepperoni,” he said with a half-smile.
His mom Michelle thumbs through a stack of special education documents from school.
Their busy schedules make planning for Gerald’s future complicated. Michelle gets up before dawn to get to her full-time warehouse job at 7 a.m. Her husband Gregory is a construction worker, so he’s out early in the mornings and at times late into the evening.
But they feel as if they’re running out of time. Gerald will graduate from high school this year, and now more than ever Michelle and Gregory are focused on preparing their son for adulthood.
Read more here:  https://flatlandkc.org/news-issues/education/confronting-the-high-school-cliff-what-young-adults-with-disabilities-need-to-succeed/