in three decades. tuesday marked the blowout at mardi gras. the city had been celebrating since mid february. revelers had to deal with colder temperatures and rain. "america tonight" is coming up next. ". >> on american tonight, face-off, ratcheting up the pressure as ukrainian and forces with russian ties stand firm. the diplomatic temperature rises, too. also tonight, not so neighborly. the bay area's boon, while it's driving real estate prices to heights you won't believe. and residents right out of the neighborhood. >> we are here today to say that the city, the tech industry needs to work with tenants to do more to stop displacement and growing out of it. when autistic children become

adults. the search for support and the worry for parents. can he make it on his own? >> our children will live 75% of their lifetime as adults, and much of that time is without us. our job is to help those children reach maximum independence. our next job after that is to learn the art of letting go. >> good evening. thanks for being with us. ijoie chen. shots were fired although the face-off in has not reached full scale battle but the war of words between vladimir putin and secretary of state john kerry

racheted up as both sides held a firm line over the crisis in ukraine. both sides delivered a competing view of the realities on the ground following the he said/he said line of debate over the crisis in ukraine, here is america tonight correspondent sheila mcvicker. >> from the broadest strokes down to the details from moscow to washington, the tale of what happened in ukraine and continues to happen now is a tale of two wildly different views of reality. take the street protests and bloody battles that led to the flight of former president victor yanukovych in the yeation of the new interim government. here is russian president vladimir putin this morning speaking at a news conference. tra >> translator: there can only be one assesslt. this was an anti-constitutional coup and an armed seizure of power. >> secretary of state john kerry in kiev today where he viewed

the site of so many frosts, a memorial to the fallen. >> the russian government would have you believe the ukraine government somehow is i will legitimate or led by extremists ignoring the reality that the elected representatives of ukraine, they, overwhelmingly approve the new government even with members of yanukovych's party deserting him and voting overwhelmingly in order to approve this new government >> reporter: then there is the question of who are these armed russian speaking men wearing uniforms with that insignia and under orders to say as little as possible. these soldiers, thousands of them, are blockading it ukrainian soldiers. president putin says, anyone can buy a uniform. >> look at the post soviet territory. there are lots of uniforms that look similar to russian army uniforms. go to a shop here in our

country, and you can buy any kind of uniform there. >> asked: were they russian military men? he added. >> these were local forces of self defense. >> denied there were troops in crimea? >> yes, he did. >> reporter: these tweets from reporters on the ground seem to confirm american assertions that the mystery soldiers are from full-fledged russian military units. yesterday, ambassador said people in crimea and elsewhere invan were being targeted and attacked. >> when the life and security of the residents of crimea are subject to threats due to at a timeo gangs and nationalists we would like to say russia's actions are appropriate and legitmat >> reporter: there have been protests but there are no reports of deaths or serious injury since the interim government took over.

>> there has been no surge in crime, no surge in mopolitical rhetoric pub here the russian government would have you believe against all of the evidence that there have been mass defenses from ukrainians to russia or mass attacks on churches in eastern ukraine. >> hasn't happened either. >> this coincides with our interests to protect those people who we consider are closely linked to us. >> one crisis, two different realities. and at some point for diplomacy to prevail, everyone is going to have to talk to everyone else. >> the language is heated. secretary kerry accusing p president putin for creating a pretext for invasion. putin saying he is coming to the defendants of an ally, so wait for it. he also says he is a crook with no political future.

stranger and stranger, joie. >> we have talked in the last day about the international community and what it can do to force an end to the crisis and a big element has been this consideration of sanctions. what about economic sanctions? >> first, we know that president obama and german chancellor angela merkel spoke for an hour on the phone this evening. >> suggests perhaps the chancellor has been in touch with vladimir putin again. they have a close working relationship. in terms of sanctions, there is a sea of difference between what the united states says it would like to see and what european allies say they would like to see. the u.s. has made very clear it would like to see sanctions, targeted economic sanctions that would threaten to hit russia hard. russia said it will retaliate. >> that's probably one reason why the europeans are not in favor of sanctions. germany is a huge trading partner. british petroleum, reno which has big exposure in russia.

in london, which is sometimes known as moscow on the thames these days because there are so many russian oligarchs who have their money in the banks of the city of london. they don't want to risk what would happen there? >> that's too much to lose. mep. about the rea lot it ises on the ground in crimea, there were warning shots fired and increasing signs of tension as ukrainian forces and those loyal to russia staked out sharper lines. al jazeera's nick schifrin joins us from the regional capitol. nick, what you have seen does underscore a point that it doesn't matter what uniform the forces are in. they are wearing their loyalties on their sleeves? >> reporter: there are no loyalties on the sleeves for the russian soldiers who are here to speak to sheila's point, they may not have russian flags, but they drive cars with russian plates. they have names and numbers on their uniforms that are russian units, and they carry books in their bag that we saw today that

are russian from russia. and so it seems to us who are here that the russian occupation is getting a little more aive, a little more threatening, and the pro-russian population seems to be much more emboldend. we started the day right outside this provencial capitol and immediately came across those three or 400 russian soldiers and they are russian soldiers. whether they are based here is almost not to the point. what they are doing is becoming more aggressive against these basis that are filled with ukrai ukrainian soldiers who are absolutely outnumbered and outgunned. what we saw was a very angry proceed russian demonstration trying to convince the ukrainian soldiers inside the base to give up their base, give up their weapons. behind that pro-russian crowd, russian special forces soldiers, not just russian soldiers, after a certain point, the ukrainian soldiers invited the russians in. we witnessed the kind of conversation at the end of which was a tentative agreement to

kind of have these guns inside the ukrainian base held dually by the russian soldiers. the ukrainians were still very worried. the crowd calmed down a little bit, at least until we got out there, joie. what happened when we got out was that we were surrounded. a lot of the pro-russian demonstrators believe that the western media is telling lies and being anti-russian. so, we were held for about two and a half hours at one point, they threatened to tip the van over. they actually counted from 10, if we didn't show them our video, they were going to tip the van over. they slashed one of our tires. eventually, we did have to show that video and eventually, they did let us go. they escorted us for about an hour to the edge of the county line basically to make sure we didn't film. it just shows how much the russian soldiers are expanding here they are working with apparently these pro-russian demonstrators and they are getting much more aggressive and emboldened. >> you know they were quite

agressive with you. you, we see are okay, your team. everyone is all right? >> reporter: yeah. everyone is fine. a couple of people a little russian up by the size of the crowds, 150 people. i will tell thou show, joie, a real reminder of how this is not a mon lithic story. we were escorted to the gas station by some of these protesters or pro-russian protesters after they had slashed our tire so that we could get a spare. one of them or it at least somebody in that crowd came up to us, kind of grabbed one of us, took us aside and in english said, look, we are sorry or at least i'm sorry. not all of us are like that. not all of us believe that we should have done this to you for the last couple of hours. so by far, the majority of raisthese people on the crimean pennsylvania pennsylvania are russian. s a sizeable minority are a little more uncomfortable with the aggression and the probe russian demonstrators being so

emboldend to capture journalists, if you will for a couple of hours and for these troops to be so aggressive against ukrainian troops inside their basis. >> nick sheechifrin, stay say. we appreciate your reporting to us from cry me crimea. a fierce standoff underway in venzuela. thousands took to the streets after the death of popular former president hugo chavez. hope itt feelings would cool but that has not happened. al jazeera's daniel schw. mler reports from valencia where angry clashes have taken place. >> they have been blocking the roads in this middle class neighborhood in valencia every day and every night for nearly a month and the residents are tense. they viewed our approach with suspicion. karla, a 22-year-old student

agreed to talk to us anonymously but then: an attack bethe government national guard. the latest of two or three such raids launched each night. no one was hurt and will resume the interview on the roof of a building overlooking the battleground. >> it is a human right to actually express your ideas. but within the constitution of the country, it is a constitutional right to actually protect. the situations have gotten so bad that this is our last chance. it's goitten to a point where it's here or it's done. >> that's why so many people say venzeither we fight for you or we lose you. >> we return the next morning. calmer now but still a seen of intense debate among the residents protesting against rising prices, police corruption and high crime. barricades like this one in valencia are now a common

feature around venzuela. they have become am focal point for resistance, a meeting place for people to air their grief applications and a major challenge to the authorities. >> with each day of protest, the activists have become better organized. they have guards warning them of eminent raids and they have escape routes. >> they want to see what is the problem? because the government is just only watching one point of view. okay? but the other point of view, the other people, the other 7,000 who will vote against him, he don't pay no attention to it. t >> reporter: the longer we spent, the residents came to trust us keen to express opinions that they say are not heard by the venzn government or the national government. they are by no means united. someone to remove maduro at the

ballot box. others say he should stell down n now. >> more division between us and more division between the families, more division between husband and wife. >> the government blames the opposition protesters for the violence, calls them fascists. the opposes says demonstrations are peaceful did he have violent clashes re common. >> what the president is saying is false. here, you don't see anyone attacking anyone. of course, if they attack us, we have to stand up for ourselves. we don't have any guns. our guns are our hands and rocks. >> reporter: to the opposition, the pair cations have become a symbol of defiance. to the government, they are a challenge for the authority. what's clear is that they are now a regular feature of the venzuelaan landscape. what happens here in the next few weeks will have a major bearing on the country's

destiny. d daniel schwimler, value encia, venzuela. >> after the break, perfect weather, cool community, who wouldn't want to live in san francisco? why the bay area's many draws are forcing unwelcome change on old-timers. you won't believe how high the rents have gotten now. also ahead, when a child with autism becomes an adult in need of support. st staggering numbers of families facing the challenge of how to lead their children to adult and independent lives. an in-depth look at adults and autism when we return. while you were asleep news was happening. >> here are the stories we're following. >> find out what happened and what to expect. >> international outrage. >> a day of political posturing. >> every morning from 5 to 9 am

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>> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america >> welcome back as we consider welcome back as we consider a different sort of street fight over a place called home. in the san francisco bay area, the boom in the tech industry has ludics did he have did the city is becoming a cautionary tale for the rest of the country. michael occu has more on the battle by the bay. >> it's a fight for the soul of an francisco. these protesters are targeting so-called google buses, the

large, unmarked luxury shuttles that carry tens of thousands of tech workers to silicon valley. >> this is the third protest in the last few months. it's the first one along the so-called new tech corridor. organizers tell us they are about to stage a massive disturb answ ance. >> protesters say the 1400 buses that rumble through the city each day park illegally at public bus stops and are turning san francisco into an over-priced bedroom community for silicon valley forcing out long-time residents. >> we are here today to say that the city and the tech industry needs to work with tenants to do more to really stop displacement. >> we met some nice employees of google standing here waiting to get on the shuttle so that they can get to work. obviously, they have worked hard to get to where they are. what do you make of their plight? >> i don't think anyone is against tech workers, themselves. more so, we are hoping to engage

them. maybe they don't really understand what's happening in the city that they live in right now or the city that they are working in. >> >> reporter: van den work works at google. >> you consider yourself a problem. >> yeah. i got an apartment other people may not be able to afford. >> it has boosted san francisco's economy and helped lowered the city's unemployment rate from over 8% two years ago to just above 5% today, but it has pushed housing costs sky high. the average apartment rental is now $3,400 a month, the highest in the country. and in areas within walking distance of those tech shuttles, rents rose 20% faster than in other parts of the city according to a recent berkeley study. the majority of the

shuttles leave from the mission, an area once denton dominated by artists and latino immigrants. in recent years, it's become the playground of young tech workers and ground zero of the housing wars. >> the subject matter. >> tourists from around the world walk the area's narrow alley to see murals like these. they tell the story after neighborhood in flux. >> 61 million. >> this is an exhibit that was done in 1996. >> the neighborhood's colorful appeal can be attributed in part to this man, rene yanyet. yanyez founded galleria de l de la raza. it became central to the local art scene. he showed freida's work after the museum of modern art told him it wasn't interested.

he started the day of the dead procession, annual event that draws thousands to the area. but now, after 35 years, yanyez is being forced out of his home. the time something particularly painful. his partner is now battling cancer. >> just two days before christmas, his landlord delivered a red and green card saying he had to take a buy-out. >> did you see it coming? >> no. well, i was -- i had a feeling because of what was happening around the neighborhood. >> other people getting evicted. >> other people getting evicted. i had a feeling that i thought that we were going to catch a break. i had been there so long. >> his landlord knew something called the ellis act which allows owners to take a building off of the rental market if they intend to convert it to a single family home or condos. but recently, it's become a blunt instrument for dislodging long-time tenants. in the last three years, ellis

act evictions have jumped 170%. >> are you seeing anything close to what you were paying before? >> not in san francisco. >> no? >> it does not exist. >> so what does that mean for you? >> i cannot imagine how depressing it is after spending hours and going through craig's list and following up tips. it just shatters your soul. it feels heavy. what can i say? it's one of those things that it's painful. it's very painful because i love the next. >> it's ironic in some respects that this guy is being pushed out of this neighborhood that he helped build. >> city supervisor david campos represents the next district. this month, he introduced legislation to curb ellis act evictions and he's also cracked down on land lords who harass tenants into leaving. >> what's the root of the problem here? >> well, i think it's an amazing

city. and i think that in some respect, you know, we are victims of our own success. but i also think that there have been abuses in terms of the real estate market, and i think that speculators are taking advantage of some of the loopholes in the state law. >> the signs of a changing san francisco are everywhere. paula tajeda who owns the empanads shop says many of her long-time customers are being priced out of the city. >> everybody i know is either -- >> yeah, all my friends. >> fearing to be homeless, homeless or on their way. >> yeah. >> in fact, paula, herself, is now being evicted from her home just a few blocks away. she hasn't found anything affordable in san francisco. so she says she may have to leave her 17-year-old business and go back to chilea.

>> being able to keep this going depends on upon being able to to live in the mission >> reporter: some titans of the tech industry are unapologetic, claiming to be victims in the ongoing housing wars. >> a very important part of america, namely, the creative 1% are threatened. >> tom perkins, founder of silicon valley's venture capital klina perkins compared the protesters to nazis. he apologized on bloomberg t.v. but not his mention. >> silicon valley, i think it has created close to a million jobs. we are still doing it. it's absurd to demoneyes the rachize the rach for doing what the rich do,

which is get richer by creating opportunity for others. >> reporter: the city is doing its best to keep those companies here two years ago, it offered twitter a $22 million tax break to stay. >> welcome. we are in front of the so-called twitter building. >> may or edwin lee showed off the results on a recent media tour. he meets weekly with tech companies and has a reputation for defending their interests. >> people stop blaming tech, tech companies. they want to actually be part of the solution. >> do we want that? >> no. >> no. >> housing protests have become a regular event in the mission. >> people are concerned that they, themselves, are an eviction away. >> misrepresentative campos says the city needs to build more affordable housing and fast. in december, the city built 16 new affordable units and got 2800 applicants. he showed us a new development now going up.

>> this land has -- will be given to the city by the school district so that we can develop into affordable housing so that working, middle income families can stay in the neighborhood. >> how many more units like that one do you think a neighborhood like this -- >> i don't know but i think it's many more. and that's the challenge. >> in san francisco, you can't raise the rent acceptable because this is -- simply because there is a new occupant. >> a real estate lawyer says the landlords are not the villains in this story. he runs seminars to teach property owners about their legal rights. >> bornstein says the real problem is antiquated laws. he points to 1979 law signed by then mayor dianne feinstein that caps the amount most landlords can raise rents each year. >> let me give you an example. so we have a duplex, and we have 1% who is living in a one-bedroom apartment who has lived there for 30 years. the individual may be paying $400 a month.

when the other duplex is vacant, a new individual moves in, and they would be paying 3 dollars a month for the very same configuration. the question fundamentally is that fair? >> reporter: but many residents say absent more affordable housing, they need some protection against evictions. and they want to put it to voters. across the city, they are paging meetings like this one, hoping to come up with a ballot measure for next year's election. >> outlaw it or regulate rent. >> a long time friend. good to see you. >> any ballot measure will likely come too late foreign ayanez. but he says he will keep fighting to stay in the neighborhood he loves. >> if i have to leave, i am going to leave with my head held hi high. >> in response to the criticism, google says it will donate

almost $7 million so that low-income kids can ride free on city buses for the next two years. but the anti-tech protests continue in san francisco and even spread up the coast to seattle. when we return, facing an age-old parent's dilemma but with a twist, when the child is autistic. >> the number 1 question is: what will happen to my children or my child after my husband and i die? and along comes, with that, is what will happen to them as an adult? >> reporter: >> autism, independence and a mother who helps other parents learn to let go. autism, indepe mother who helps other parents learn to let go. autism, indepe mother who helps other parents learn to let go. autism, indepe mother who helps other parents learn to let go. autism, independence and a mother who helps other parents learn to let go. corporations. >> ..entertaining >> it's fun to play with ideas. >> ...thought provoking >> get your damn education. >> ...surprising

>> oh, absolutely! >> ...exclusive one-on-one interviews with the most interesting people of our time. >> you're listening because you want to see what's going to happen. >> i want to know what works what do you know works? >> conversations you won't find anywhere else. >> talk to al jazeera. >> only on al jazeera america. >> oh my!

>> now a snapshot of stories >> a sfapshot of stories making headlines on "america tonight" the do is it yourself retailer, radioshack says it will close up to 1100 stores in the united states. a huge plunge in stock value and disappointing holidays led to that decision. >> the president rolled out his 2015 budget today. the white house says the $3.9 trillion budget would raise taxes on the wealthy while providing a tax break for over 13 million americans. the proposed budget would increase tax credits for the

working poor and expand early childhood education. >> newly released studies calling into question the psychiatric screening process currently used by the army. the journ"journal of the americ medical association" finds 25% of all active duty services suffered from some sort of mental illness before they enlisted in the army, from adhd and panic disorders to depression. >> an increasing number of families in the united states, 1 of every 88 american children has been diagnosed with autism, a number that has almost doubled since the year 2000. >> that's tough enough for families. but an even bigger challenge is looming for the families of children with the developmental disorder. half a million adults will be living with autism in the next decade. adults who will need support, services and understanding to help them live independently. chris burey with a story of one

man and his mother who are learning to let go >> reporte >> reporter: thanks to letting us come to your apartment. >> you are welcome >> appreciate it. looks like a nice place. >> it is. >> 40-year-old brandon kramer is showing us his small but cozy apartment until santa monka. it is filled with prized possessions? >> my stereo and my entertainment center >> your entertainment center is here. >> yeah. >> nice. >> and my chair and my bed and my -- my light and another -- my computer table. >> nice. this is your office? >> yeah. my office with my ipad. >> one of his favorite gizmos is this bright red button, familiar from a t.v. commercial. he says it brightens his mood. >> that was easy. >> that was easy. >> yeah. and then i have this thing that makes me feel better, too.

if you were feeling a little blue or something? >> yeah. >> you can go to one of these things? >> if i feel blue or a little out of it and i feel like getting even happenier, i do that. >> he was so tiny, like as my grandmother says, he was like a little chick been. things have not been easy for brand on or for his mother, amelia. as a newborn, he was barely five pounds. from the time he was a toddler, his mother knew he was not developing like other children. >> i noticed his speech or lack of it. words would come out jumbled, mixed up. i thought, though, when he was two and a half would be a good thing for me to put him in pre-school or nursery school. when i did that, the teacher said, he won't play with anybody. he just plays on the side by himself, and he does one thing over and over and over again. >> by the time brandon was 9, he was having seizures.

the diagnosis: epilepsy. back then, a doctor urged mhis mother to keep it secret. brandon continued in school. socially, he was awkward, an easy target for bullies. >> i put him into the public school. another mistake that i made. i mainstreamed him. didn't tell anybody what was wrong. and he got beat up every day. almost every single day. >> beat up. >> beat up. >> physically? >> physically. emotionally, physically, he was -- his shoes were taken off his feet. on hot, black tar, outside in the school yard. >> bullying? >> bullying. >> as brandon got older, the bullying only got worse? >> if he had to play basketball like the other kids and he would play basketball but his eye-hand coordination was so poor that he had very slow movement and, therefore, couldn't make a

basket, couldn't catch the ball. and the kids were smart. they knew that he couldn't catch the ball. so they would just throw it at his face and he couldn't stop it in time. they had broken his nose several times. >> even then, brandon had been diagnosed only with epilepsy. not until years later, after a psychologist friend gave her a book on autism did amelia realize her son was afflicted. >> it was difficult. i read the book. there was a -- i checked every single box was brandon. every single one. can't make friends. communication difficulty. >> all of the attributes of an oughtist i person? >> every single one. i remember being so relieved and yet saddened at the same time. >> for amelia star and other parents of oughtist i children support from public education stops after high school. most stop at age 18. a few, including california,

provide some support until age 22. then, the families are on their own. >> what's it like for parents of autistic children when that educational support suddenly ends? >> parents are scared to death. the number one question is. what time will happen to my children or my child after my husband and i die, sand along comes with that is, what will happen to them as an adult. >> there we go. >> amelia was able to help brandon find this apartment in an government subsidized housing complex. it's timing less than 400 square feet but brandon is able to live here independently with financial help from social security. he's been on his own now for 16 years. >> i like it a lot because i can, like, come and go as i please. i don't have to worry about -- i just feel happier >> you don't have to worry about somebody checking up on you?

you are your own man? >> exactly. ever so often, my mom checks on me on the phone or whenever. she comes out here. and then i call her and let her know what's going on. and stuff like that. >> take a right here or keep going. >> keep going. >> okay. fewer than 1 in 10 autistic adults hold a full-time job according to social security. brandon is unable to work because his epileptic seizures can be severe. he cannot drive or ride a bike. so, he spends his days walking the sunny streets of santa monica. >> what is this called here. >> the promenade. it's like an out door mall. it's easy for me because you can walk everywhere and it's nice. >> a good place for you to be independent? >> exactly because it's everything for me to do. >> sometimes brands on runs errands and fetches coffee for the julier, one of his better friends in the neighborhood. >> a beautiful day.

>> yeah. >> you look good today. look at you. >> yeah. >> fresh. >> all fresh, all dressed up just for having fun. >> yeah. >> and he likes to visit with the para medics who have rushed him to the hospital after his epileptic seizures. >> then you have the old one over here? >> right here. >> 1952. >> wow. >> one is kind of cool. >> over lunch, brandon tells me feels safe and secure here at least until the sun goes down. >> what's this neighborhood like? >> oh, the neighborhood is nice unless you have to be careful at certain times of the day or night. and then -- >> you have to be careful. >> just a little bit. like because sometimes at night, it gets a little -- >> a little rough? >> yeah. and then when it gets overwhelming with things, then i go home and relax because i sometimes we get overloaded with

people out here, too. >> in california, where brandon lives, more than 70,000 individuals have been diagnosed with autism. most of them are children. over the last 10 years, the number of cases across the country has exploded by more than 80%. >> means a tidal wave of austistic adults are on the way, nearly half a million over the next 10 years. brandon's mother is on a mission to help other parents help their autistic children carve a path to independence. >> i had such an add miration for those of you who blaze the trail for the rest of us. >> at a recent conference, more than a thousand parents and professionals showed up to here her keynote speech. >> a lot of us become stuck like glue. how could we be anything else? we are co-dependent. we allow our children to grow and maybe one day go. they will have a better life now than after we are gone.

>> how are you doing? >> nice to see you. >> now, amelia star has made a career of counseling parents of oughtiautistic children who are entering adulthood. >> they will get there when they get there. it will be perfect timing for them. maybe not for us. but for them. >> molly harris is laying the groundwork so her 19-year-old son, james, can live and thrive on his own. >> what's your biggest concern about him becoming independent, leaving your home? >> i think the biggest concern is that he -- well, one of them is that he would have something to do, like to have a job. but, also, it's safety because james is, you know, he is naive and trusting. so we do need to work with teaching him about, you know, what's safe, what's not safe. where do you go if you need help? how to ask for help. >> sort of thing. ? >> when he we as parents can understand that our children will live 75% of their lifetime

as adults and much of that time is without us, our job, whether they are two years old and newly diagnosed or they are 22, our job is to help those children reach maximum independence. >> that's our job. our next job after that is to learn the art of letting go. >> sometimes i play this cd, and it doesn't work. >> for amelia, letting go has not been easy. now, she sees her adult son only once a month or so. >> i think it's time for a new one just like all of the other stuff. >> okay. that's a good thing to put on your list. >> yeah. >> brandon, too, has some add views for others dealing with autism. >> what do you say to other ought i wantic adults who are worried about leaving mom and dad? >> i tell them, look at me and how i have done and you can do it, too. >> now, brandon hopes to join his mother on the speaking

circuit, spreading the gospel of independence to other families struggling with autism. >> bran, look. >> what. >> loose look what's going now, the ferris wheel. they represent the leading edge of a giant wave, tleaving childhood behind and sub seeding on their own as adults. chris feary, al jazeera, santa monica, california. >> we will continue our in-depth look at autism. what services are available to help them live independent lives?

welcome back. before the break, we met amelia star, working to help her 40-year-old son with autism live independently. in the coming years, a wave of adults lumping with autism is expected to really grow since the 1970s. experts estimate a 600% increase in the number of people living with autism. more than half a million children with autism will reach adulthood in the next decade. joining us here from autism's senior regional director and the mother of a young adult with autism is ann gibbons. also with us from the autism

institution is james connel. appreciate you being with us. ann, we were talking a moment ago about the magnitude and how few people really seem to understand how big a group of people we are talking about. >> i know. the numbers are almost unfathomable. when my son, phillip, was diagnosed in 1990, the incidents was 1 in 2500. now, the centers of disease control say it's 1 in 88 children and 1 in every 54 boys. >> this is part of the research that is going on. doctor acog nell, i have a certain sense we are starting to understand more about the challenges and the numbers, but why hasn't there been more research done on the number of adults living with autism? >> that's a great question. i think the reason that there is has at any time' been more research on the adolescent and adult age possession is because there has been so much interest in investigation in early diagnosis and early

intervention. and as a result of the increased awareness back in 2004, 2005, 2006, early identification and early intervention has gotten a significant amount of interest. but i think at that time, we weren't looking ahead to adolescent-related services,trition services and education systems and that adult services post education. it's not until this huge wave of individuals beginning to leave the education system -- and it's an enormous number of individuals -- are we now starting to say, oh, goodness. there aren't services available. we haven't thought about this. we need to start moving up and ramping up the research on these programs now. >> in terms of what is availa e available, ann, in the case of your son, you are talking about a 25-year-old. at this point, a lot of families would be looking to see their child get into the workforce and do more. but these really, these sorts of opportunities are not so

available. the opportunity to work. 53.4% are employed within eight years of high school. 20.9% hold full-time jobs. we are talking about people who are not able to find work. why is that? >> absolutely. and it was wonder to see the tory of the young -- story of the young man earlier able to live alone. we completed a national housing serve awith 10,000 respondents of those, 84% of the family members with autism were living at home with their parents. they are not able to live independently. what's more, 78% of the respondents said that their individual, their loved one with autism needed at least some daily support. >> right. dr. acog nell, you see that as well, these tints for a young adult to really gain independence. even an older adult to gain independence and have the opportunity to work, live

independently independently, do things that we expect adult children to be able to do. this is really going to be limited. i mean i know ann talks about in the state of maryland having pretty good support. is this the case across the country? >> i think the support that's available now is extremely limited. i think it guns with the education system beginning with thetrition services that begin at age 14 and thinking about career development and post secondary education and something really, really important, and that is self advocacy, how to advocate for your rights and for your interests and for your needs. those programs and evidenced-based programs beginning in the education system are really absent right now, and there is no, you know, set of models or group of programs that are proven to be effective for teaching those skills and focusing on the transitioning services into adulthood and, thus, preparing, you know, young adults for entering the social sphere with the rest of us. >> last quick thought from you

here, ann. a lot of people say maybe this is an unfortunate thing for some families but it doesn't affect mine. it really does in terms of the cost to the entire community. enormous costs. >> absolutely. if i had been diagnosed with autism as a toddler, i probably would have been institutionalized. i am a baby boomer which means we are facing a baby boomlet of young men and women with autism who need support and the community has to embrace them, and that comes at a cost. >> tremendous cost indeed. appreciate your joining us. look forward to having more conversations about the place of autism and adults in the community ann gibbons from autism speaks and james connell from the autism institute. we want to hear from you if you have an autistic child aging out of the support system. e-mail us. sharing my story at al jazeera.net and find us on twitter. join the conversation with u

us @america tonight. >> they designed the school. so students could attend during the rainy season. next, why the government of nigeria is considering thinking this floating school and the dreams of its students. consider this: the news of the day plus so much more. >> we begin with the government shutdown. >> answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> it seems like they can't agree to anything in washington no matter what. >> antonio mora, award winning and hard hitting. >> we've heard you talk about the history of suicide in your family. >> there's no status quo, just the bottom line. >> but, what about buying shares in a professional athlete? real perspective, consider this on al jazeera america

>> tafficked labor on the front lines? >> they're things...they're commodities... >> we go undercover... >> it isn't easy to talk at this base... >> what's happining on u.s. bases... >> the taxpayer directly pays the human trafficker. >> fault lines... al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> they're locking the doors... >> groung breaking... >> they killed evan dead. >> truth seeking... >> they don't wanna show what's really going on... >> breakthough investigative documentary series america's war workers only on al jazeera america al jazeera america. we open up your world. >> here on america tonight, an opportunity for all of america to be heard. >> our shows explore the issues that shape our lives. >> new questions are raised about the american intervention. >> from unexpected viewpoints to live changing innovations, dollars and cents to powerful storytelling. >> we are at a tipping point in america's history! >> al jazeera america.

there's more to it. >> finally from us, a very finally, from us, very special unusual school in nigeria has been nominated for design of the year in london. the state government has threatened to demolish it and the area to make way for more development. this primary school was built as a solution to allow children to attend class during the current tree's rainy season when many buildings in the area flood. al jazeera's yvonne lindiga reports. >> this is the school that's been nominated for design of the year award handed out by the design museum in london. 250 empty bowels keep it aflowed. it was put together using only a hand drill in six weeks. it's the tallest structure here,

in a sprawling slum. they will study because their current school floods during the rainy season. >> this is not -- when the rape rises, it is a school. it will rise. if it goes down, it goes down. >> the school's design is showing people how to build structures that can withstand flooding. it was built by local people using local materials. >> the state government has threatened to demolish it for development. >> means the floating school could be demolished, too. it can't be towed away either. it would be too far away for

local students. the government says it wants to build proper houses here the school's design thufrningz the noting school can be integrated noting school can be integrated into any plan the government might have. he says it makes environmental sense. >> i believe if you think about it in the view of climate change and the fact that there is increase in flooding and rainfall, you perhaps, you can think about how we can use these kind of communities and think about them as models for cultivating and contemporary cities in strike. >> for now, the school is the only floating building in macoco. winning a design award may be the only thing that saves it. he von dega, al jazeera, lagos.

>> fascinating structure. >> that's it for us here on "america tonight." please remember if you like to comment on any stories you have seen here, log onto aljazeera.com/americato be. join the conversation with us on twitter or at our facebook page. good night. we will have more of "america tonight" tomorrow. >> al jazeera america presents extrodanary documentaries. colin comes from a long line of ferrymen. >> you're a riverman from start to finish... >> now he leaves home to see what life is like on the waters of bangladesh. >> it's absolutely filthy... >> he learns how difficult working ther can be. >> how do you say..."get out the way"? >> shoro >> can this brittish man find common ground with his local host? >> "must really take it out of mr. loteef"... >> toughest place to be a ferryman

on al jazeera america >> >> announcer: this is al jazeera. . hello there, good to have you with us. you're watching the newshour live from our headquarters in doha. the top stories... >> we condemn the russian federation's act of aggression. >> the u.s. threatens moscow with further isolation over ukraine. in crimea, we find soldiers pressured to take sides. three of the al jazeera journalists detained in an