The Moviuses' solution was to enter the department's self-determination program, in which a regional center gives money to an eligible adult and their family to spend on programming instead of paying a service provider for it.

Movius and her husband created an art class for people with profound autism that runs a couple of times a week, giving Aidan much-needed contact with his peers.

Reflecting on the "excruciating process" her family went through, Movius said it was manageable only because she and her husband reworked their schedules and did their best to tag-team Aidan's care.

"What I would rather for Aidan, though, is that he has a program he can go to with his peers without us, with staff, but no more Mom and Dad," she said.

The Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, a state law that passed in 1969, entitles any person with developmental disabilities to the services and support needed to have a full and inclusive life. That right extends to their families as well.

"The state has fallen short of that promise," said Jordan Lindsey, executive director of advocacy group the Arc of California.

When a family goes to a referred provider, they're often met with waiting lists with months- or years-long backlogs, Lindsey said. Or they're turned away entirely because the provider doesn't have enough staff to support the varying needs of new clients.

Staffing levels are low across the state, Lindsey argues, because wages start between $16 and $20 an hour for a difficult, complex job.

A support staffer aids their client with daily life, helps connect them to people and resources in their communities, schedules transportation and works with other service providers.

The providers haven't recovered from a mass exodus of the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving them unable to support the more than 430,000 people who receive assistance through California's regional centers, Lindsey said.

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