Life Skills Programs for Adults with Autism: Transforming Challenges into Opportunities

Adults with autism are less likely to be employed or have successful friendships and romantic relationships. They are also more likely to experience depression and anxiety. There are a range of challenges facing them as they try to navigate the world, but a life skills program for autism may help them build their strengths so they are better able to manage the situations that they are likely to encounter.

What challenges do people with autism face?

People living with autism often have difficulties with language, speech and communication more generally. They may also struggle to interpret the words and behavior of others and struggle to understand the basics of social interaction and etiquette. This can make any situation that involves contact with other people, from using public transport, to going to the shops, to being successful at work, to pursuing romantic relationships, challenging.

Another common trait in people with autism is needing repetition and routine. They do not always react well to unexpected situations and do not always know how to adapt to new and unfamiliar environments. This may be aggravated by sensory processing issues that cause them to become over- or under-stimulated, which in turn makes it more difficult for them to focus on and interpret their surroundings.

Often, people with autism will also have other conditions, such as intellectual disability, that may also impact their ability to function. This is why programs that teach life skills for adults with disabilities more generally include provision for students on the autism spectrum.

How can an autism life skills program help?

A life skills program will provide a variety of life skills activities for adults with disabilities to help them prepare for relationships, employment and living in a community. Teachers and coaches can identify the students’ strengths and weaknesses, assist in setting realistic goals, whether for education, work or living independently and then work with them to build the skills they need.

Life skills activities for adults with disabilities may include:

  • Practicing common social situations
  • Learning new ways to communicate, including through assistive technology
  • Working on organization and time management
  • Practicing financial and household management
  • Developing problem-solving skills
  • Preparing for the workplace, from career planning to the application process to the actual workplace environment
  • Generally building a strong base that will allow individuals not just to succeed in their current circumstances, but to adapt when they encounter something new

Strengths and opportunities

Once they have the skills they need to survive and even thrive as independent adults, people with autism can start utilizing their own unique strengths and perspectives to enrich their own lives, and the lives of others. They may look at the world in a different way to people without autism, or notice details that others miss. By strengthening their confidence and ability to self-advocate, life skills programs ensure that their students will be able to express themselves and put what they have learnt, plus their own natural strengths, into practice. Working with the student means not dictating what they can do, but helping them identify their own desires and planning how they will achieve them.

Teaching life skills to adults with disabilities is a way to encourage people with autism and similar conditions to learn new things and challenge themselves, building their confidence so they are willing to pursue their goals and then using their unique perspectives and skills to help them achieve success.

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