Life Skills for Transitioning Autistic Children

January 25, 2017

In our last few blogs we have been discussing transitioning from the tween and teen years into adulthood. Whether a child (or soon-to-be-adult) has the skills to enter college, live independently, maintain a job or do typical self care routines is really dependent on the life skills they have practiced and learned over the years, whether in school, at home or through therapies. Most schools and therapists believe in using the skills in every area and having parents reinforce these skills in the same manner at home. Here is a quick check list of transitioning life skills to practice with your teen who is transitioning.

Life skills are not just checked off on a master list but rather repeated over and over again until it becomes an integral part of the child’s life. Some of the most important life skill include: self care, safety, self-esteem, self-advocacy, self regulation and independent living skills. Each task should be broken down into smaller tasks and repeated, repeated and repeated.

Here, at Advancing Milestones, we have our own series of checklists for transitioning teens.  Find ours on our website, here. Our life skills are broken down into the following categories:

  • Academic
  • Social
  • Executive Functioning
  • Technology and Consumerism
  • Home, Food, Hygiene Related, Transportation and Leisure
  • Self-Advocacy, Disability Related
  • Medical Health, Mental Health and Sexuality
  • Jobs and College

In addition to our lists, here are a few other resources that may be helpful.

Here is a detailed list from the Children’s Administration Division of Children and Family Services – Life Skills Inventory and Independent Living Skills Assessment Tool. 

Here is an article with information on College programs and skills needed for Autistic children from the Interactive Autism Network.

The Autism Helper uses visual clues and step-by-step guides to help children learn skills.  Read more.