As High School students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), begin their postsecondary journey towards employment, they may begin to feel overwhelmed by the process of pursing their first job. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the families to help their child make a plan throughout high school to prepare for employment beginning in ninth grade as outlined in the Employment Resource Guide: Successfully Preparing Students with Disabilities for Competitive Integrated Employment.
Each year, specific goals are set to encourage the student to be prepared for employment, such as understanding their strengths and areas for improvement and utilizing them to improve their weaknesses, utilizing career exploration activities such as skill inventories, career aptitude, and career investigation, practice self-advocacy skills and deciding what living arrangements they will choose after high school.
It is important for families to discuss how to assist their child and plan for the transition process from high school to living independently and gaining employment. Families can begin to identify what skills need to be developed before they begin looking for employment. Once this is done, parents can utilize various strategies to improve the skills that are needed for employment. These include such things as assigning chores at home, using calendars or planners to practice time management, practice self-advocacy, communication, social skills. and volunteering in the community.
As families begin planning for their child’s transition to adulthood, it is important to remember that plans can change no matter how carefully they have been thought out over the high school years. It is important to be flexible regarding future plans for your child and continue to help them develop the self-determination and self-advocacy skills that are so important for adult life.
To learn more about the Employment Resource Guide: Successfully Preparing Students with Disabilities for Competitive Integrated Employment created by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Department of Employment & Economic Development (DEED) click on the link below: