Transition Planning For The Child With High Functioning Autism

By Louis H. Geigerman, President
National ARD/IEP Advocates

In my special education advocacy practice I represent families with children from ages 3 to 21. In addition, I know a number of adults in the spectrum all the way to their early 60’s. Statistics have shown that only about 3% of individuals in the spectrum are able to live independently and are self supporting. If you have a child in elementary school, the focus on skill acquisition is totally different than the child in high school. But both scenarios should have the same goal in common which is preparing students for further education, employment and independent living. For instance, should we spend an inordinate amount of time coloring the interior of a circle when a student’s communication or social needs are significantly deficient? The key to getting your child in the 3% that are independent is to understand what skills that they will need to master when living alone.

A few ideas to consider:


When the child is an early teen, teach them to schedule their own doctor appointments.


Open a checking account as early as possible to help them understand money management by balancing checkbooks and living within their means.


Have them start cooking simple meals.


Help them to understand about food spoilage and the importance of cleaning out refrigerators.

By thinking ahead, we can insure better outcomes for our kids.


http://www.narda.org/


louis@narda.org