At age 18 your child with autism legally becomes an adult with new rights and responsibilities. He or she can vote, engage in legal contracts, move out of your house, decide on medical treatments, and independently make many, many decisions. Many parents decide on legal guardianship of their adult child.  No matter what the decision is there in the legal arena, making sure your child is ready to transition to adulthood is a huge undertaking.  Making sure your child is ready for this milestone is critical and one that Milestones takes very seriously.  At Milestones, one of our amazing programs is geared just for this age.  The Milestones Transition Program can help your child bridge the gap from school to life in the “real world”. Let’s examine the benefits of the transition program for your aging child.

• assess a child’s strengths and independence level so certain skills can be worked on.
• assist in practicing life skills such as personal hygiene, transportation skills, home skills, interpersonal skills, money skills and time management abilities.
• provide internships that allow for practicing of job skills and building a resume. Students are mentored by an adult and guided through jobs of their choosing.
• provide for learning computer skills such as typing, texting, emailing, understanding internet safety, organizing files and searching the web for information.
• help your child understand and practice good nutrition to make healthy choices throughout life.  This can also include practice at restaurants with ordering, manners and paying the server.
• help older children in understanding the appliances around the home including all kitchen appliances, washer/dryer and small appliances such as a vacuum or microwave.
• help with college and post high school education with the Milestones Dual Enrollment program.  Many students take courses at local colleges and are assisted with scheduling and courses by a Milestones staff.
• help students understand how to successfully live in a community through life skills classes. This involves practicing out in the community at stores, restaurants, schools, libraries and other places the student cares to visit.