Post-high-school options for students with autism: transitioning into the real world
Kids hear the question as early as they can remember - what do you want to be when you grow up? The question becomes a reality when high school nears its end… now what? Students with autism and other exceptionalities have just as many possibilities as those without. The question is - are they prepared to make the transition into the real world? What are their options?
After spending their lifetime in school, it can be difficult to make an immediate transition once the caps and gowns come off. To make it as smooth as possible, parents should be considering what’s next before graduation. This is not only to understand the options, but to also ensure that their student has sharpened their real-life skills – the essentials like time management, basic budgeting, daily living skills, and more.
In this post, we provide some tips on preparing for life ahead, the options your student has ahead of them, as well as how transition programs are a great way to offer a setting where they can discover and build their true potential.
Start as early as possible
For many students with autism, taking charge of their own lives and their personal needs is key to future success. Things like preparing meals, creating an agenda, shaving, and more basic life skills should be a priority early on so that the final years of high school can be more focused on education or workplace skills-building. It’s best to start a few years before graduation and work with them through those everyday scenarios.
Things like paying at a restaurant and counting back the change, setting a budget for back-to-school shopping, or going grocery shopping are all great, simple ways to create more independence.
Developing soft skills
Only a portion of our daily communication is verbal – a lot more goes into effectively communicating with someone in conjunction with the words we use.
To sharpen important soft skills like communication and active listening, it’s important your child be enrolled in a school early on that not only focuses on helping them grow academically but also helps with these everyday social skills which are crucial to managing relationships.
Education Transition
If your student is thinking about college, they might be nervous about being away from a stable environment. College is a wonderful place full of new experiences and people, but it can also be incredibly intimidating as it’s the first taste of the “real world” for many.
Instead of rushing right into the school, students should be prepared ahead of time. This can be done either by choosing an effective transition program, or taking it into your own hands and enrolling them into online classes. This way, they can get used to the expected workload and other requirements of a college education.
Before they begin at their new campus, request a tour, and accompany them to walk around the campus to help them get acclimated.
Many universities also have disability assistance or other departments to help with the transition and introduction. You should ask the university what their approach is when it comes to teaching and providing resources to students with autism or other exceptionalities.
Workplace Transition
If your student isn’t considering higher education and wants to be a contributing member of society by finding employment, there are many options available. Take a look at our blog post on careers for people with autism here. People with ASD excel in careers like software engineering, lab technicians, pet grooming, data entry specialists, and much more.
It all depends on your student’s skill set, abilities, and interests! The question is, how do they discover those interests and skills? A transition program is key to helping people with ASD find these answers.
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