(Photo: WFAa) 
 
 Debra Caudy was frustrated a few years ago, frustrated with the lack of options for her son's future. 
 
 
 
 "I just didn't understand why it wasn't here, in one of the largest cities in our country," Caudy said. 
 
 
 
 The mother of four lives in Dallas. She retired from a long and successful career as an oncologist to help raise and care for her son Jon when he was diagnosed with autism at two-years-old. 
 
 
 
 Her son is now 19-years-old, and Caudy says housing for Jon and all adults with autism is lacking across DFW. She and her husband Clay Heighten, who is also a doctor, decided to create a community unlike any other across North Texas. 
 
 
 
 "The response has been overwhelming. It just shows the great need for this," Caudy said. 
 
 
 
 In 2015 the Dallas couple purchased 29 acres of land in Cross Roads, Texas in Denton County. This year they plan on breaking ground in a "gated community of sorts" where adults with autism will live, go to work and continue to grow. The plan includes 15 homes, job training, recreation and a staff of 150 to 200 trained professionals. 
 
 
 
 "These men and women want jobs. They want to pay taxes. It gives them a feeling of fulfillment like any of us want," Caudy said. 
 
 
 
 Caudy says the city of Cross Roads has been an unbelievable partner. The town of around 1,200 people has welcomed its new neighbors with open arms. 
 
 
 
 "It really is a symbiotic relationship. We're going to see our new neighbors in our stores, at our events and in our community," said Becky Ross, city planner for Cross Roads. 
 
 
 
 Ross worked with Caudy and Heighten to acquire the proper zoning for the 29 acres of land. The couples says they've raised more than $1 million and they're working with investors to reach the $12 million mark. 
 
 
 
 "This is a social enterprise, the return isn't huge, but people are doing this because they're helping and contributing to a community," Caudy said. 
 
 
 
 For Caudy, the most important aspect of 29 acres is its focus on continued growth for adults with autism. She says it's a "heart warming venture" for many, but it also has tangible benefits for the area, things like jobs, research opportunities for nearby UNT and more homeowners as many parents will likely move to be near their adult children. 
 
 
 
 "This is just the beginning," Caudy said. 
 
 
 
 Ultimately Caudy hopes this idea is copied and duplicated across DFW and the world. While she's excited to break ground on the first homes this year, she's even more excited to see where this idea and the men and women it was made for go from here. 
 
 
 
 If you want to donate or want more information, you can visit their website here. You can also contact them at 817-832-9346. 
 
 © 2018 WFAA-TV ||||| Not surprisingly, parents are often the first to come up with creative solutions to manage. Evans is aware of other families who have children with autism in North Texas who have collectively purchased homes together. They share the space, like a co-op, working together to support one another. 
 
 
 
 There are many recent efforts to assist people with autism in finding work, according to Bernick, who has written about trends in autism employment likely to continue in 2017. They include targeted hiring by large employers, the launch of autism-focused small businesses and internet-based creative programs. 
 
 "But we need a wider range of options," he said, noting that he too became involved in the autism community when his son was diagnosed in 1991. "All of us parents of have the concern, " he said. 
 
 Jon Heighten turned 19 last month, but his parents got the idea to start 29 Acres when he was in his early teens. That's when they began to look for housing and employment options diverse enough to meet his needs if they were no longer alive to take care of him. 
 
 "We couldn't find anything. So we just decided to do it ourselves," said Caudy, who is 59. "We want to do it not just for him, but for many of the others out there like him. The need is enormous." 
 
 Multi-media journalist Tommy Noel contributed to this report. ||||| Please enable Javascript to watch this video 
 
 LIMESTONE COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) - Tuesday night at the Limestone County School Board meeting, one determined mother made an emotional plea - or better yet, a prayer - to the board. 
 
 Rene Hoover is the mother of 14-year-old Alex Hoover. She's requesting that her dying son be allowed to attend school, and for her wishes about end of life decisions be granted. Hoover is asking to stay on campus with her son, Alex, and make medical decisions for him. At this time, Alex is not going to school because the board has not approved these wishes. She wants her son's quality of life to trump medical capabilities. 
 
 Alex is a young boy, full of spirit and personality. However, his life has truly been a struggle since his first breath taken. 
 
 “He instantly had to be revived when he was born,” explained Rene. “Life has been a battle.” 
 
 Alex was diagnosed with autism as well as aortic mitral stenosis. As a result, he has heart failure and his valves are failing him. The family was advised by a team of physicians that his chance for the best quality of life would be to let nature take its course. They also asked for hospice to step in at this time. 
 
 “It’s not about you anymore,” said a tearful Rene Hoover over the decision. “It’s about their quality of life and you have to step in and do what you have to do, outside of what your comfort zone, is to protect them.” 
 
 An East Limestone student, Alex is physically able to attend school for about four hours a week to see friends. Because of his autism, he needs routine and is comforted by the friendly faces and atmosphere he has come to know at school. Rene has ordered an Advanced Directive for Alex in case he cannot speak for himself. It orders a DNR; Do not resuscitate. If he begins to pass and is unresponsive, the order directs those around to let nature take its course and let him go. The school would not be able to use any life saving measures on Alex. 
 
 “However, they won’t follow this advanced directive,” explained Hoover about addressing the issue to the school system. “So it put me in a position where I’m having to fight for my son's rights, which I think is human rights, that we have made this decision for him. But they won’t follow them.” 
 
 Alabama State Representative Mac McCutcheon came to the meeting is support of Rene Hoover and to learn about the rights parents and minors have in the state of Alabama. He is advocating for a balance to be found between the school system and medical field in regards to Advanced Directive Laws to support minors. 
 
 “Children have the right to a quality of life,” explained McCutcheon . “This puts the school system in a very difficult position and this is a medical profession issue that needs to be handled through the medical profession and school system.” 
 
 Hoover was told by the Individual Education Program in the Limestone County School System to address the school board, yet no compromise has been made. She is asking for her advanced directive to be honored and for her to stay with Alex. It’s still unknown if they will grant this family the right to let Alex pass naturally if his time comes while he's at school. 
 
 “I just want him to be able to have this time to spend with peers,” said Rene. “They are so supportive and they are declining it.” 
 
 What Rene is asking is complex yet so simple, she pleas for comfort, quality and peace for her son. 
 
 “And hopefully at the end of all this,” Rene said through tears. “That the tomorrow after his yesterday, this is going to help a family and another child later on. They deserve that.” 
 
 State Representative Mac McCutcheon plans to continue following this issue and shed light on the topic at the state level at the next legislative session.
– For years, the parents of a boy on the high-needs end of the autism spectrum have been brainstorming what to do when he enters adulthood. When he was a pre-teen, they hit on the idea of a housing complex designed specifically for adults with autism, and now that he's 19, they are about to break ground on their dream. Debra Caudy, a retired medical oncologist, and her husband Clay Heighten, a retired emergency doctor and founder of a real estate management company, invested $745,000 in 2015 to purchase 29 acres of rolling meadows and woods in Cross Roads, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, and have created the nonprofit 29 Acres as they seek to reach their fundraising goal of $12 million, reports WFAA. "We couldn't find anything, so we just decided to do it ourselves," Caudy tells the Dallas Morning News. With so many young adults like their son, she adds, "The need is enormous." Some estimates put half a million students with autism entering adulthood in the next decade. With 200 staff, the complex will include 15 homes, a community center, a "transitional" academy that teaches life and work skills to those who might be able to live independently, a bus stop, and easy access to ride-sharing for residents needing to shop, get to work, etc. The first residents are expected to move in next year. Caudy hopes her idea will prove successful in Texas and throughout the world. "This is just the beginning," she says. (This form of autism strikes fast and can result in "sharp reversals.")