Many of these advancements relate to in-home support tools and communication tools, specifically created to assist individuals in an academic setting. Of course, setting up your child for success in the classroom is paramount, but they will continue to need support, and should have continued learning opportunities, once they graduate high school.
After working with individuals with autism and other IDDs for over a decade, I understand that for both the individuals and the family, transitioning from school to adulthood is daunting – and for a good reason. For young adults with ASD and their parents, graduating high school means leaving a steadfast support system. Many young adults with autism fall victim to the "services cliff," following
SUCCESS AND CONFIDENCE : ACQUIRING THE CORRECT DIGITAL ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Connecting with the correct digital support tools to prepare your child for their next phase of life begins with asking future-oriented questions and then understanding your child's current needs.
ASKING FUTURE-ORIENTED QUESTIONS
Digital assistive technologies are designed to support the functional capabilities through a strength-based approach, and overcome any limitations that individuals with disabilities, like autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities, may face. Tools like memory aids, text-to-speech systems, sensors, reminder notifications, note taking software, and mobile devices with specialized apps can all help your child, as they transition into adulthood.
To prevent decision fatigue and ensure that you set your child up for success, ask yourself the following questions when exploring the available assistive tools for your child:
- What are my child's immediate needs and short-term goals?
- What are their strengths and limitations, and how can l find a solution to address these?
- What are both my and my child's goals ten years from now, relating to employment and independent living?
- How can I augment the services and programs my child currently receives through technology?
- What tools is my child already comfortable with?
- Is there a tool my child is already using that can transition from school-based assistance to workplace assistance?
- Does this tool enable independence and help instill confidence in my child?
Answering these questions can help identify the tools that will enable your child to find success and confidence after graduating from high school.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHILD'S CURRENT NEEDS
It can be difficult to understand your child's future needs, without the measurable or concrete academic assessments and goals put in place by their support network. When selecting the most appropriate tools, there are three main categories to consider: your child's communication skills, social skills, and life skills. Digital assistive technologies used to aid in these skills will play a vital role, once an individual has left the classroom.
Ideally, you want to find digital assistive technologies that transfer seamlessly from the workplace to home, to make it easier for your child to learn and benefit from its use. Technologies that work offline are especially useful when it comes to utilizing a resource routine.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
People with autism spectrum disorder may experience a wide variety of communication difficulties while at their first job or in the community. Your child could be anywhere on the spectrum, from non-verbal to having difficulties understanding social cues or appropriate conversation topics. Speech-generating devices are hand-held electronic devices that play words or phrases when the user touches a picture on a screen or presses buttons or keys. Tablets, laptops or other common devices can also provide speech-generating apps or functions.
SOCIAL SKILLS
Social skills do not always come as easily to people on the spectrum, and can cause insecurities in the workforce, as well as in a person's social life. Individuals with ASD or other IDDs, or their caregivers, may develop and hone those social skills by utilizing technology that can help people recognize facial and behavioral cues which assist in social interactions. Video modeling, augmented environments, and script training all aid individuals in learning prosocial behaviors based on imitation. These tools can increase an individual's confidence and improve their relationships with co-workers and friends.
LIFE SKILLS
Understanding and learning basic life skills to complete more complex tasks, like paying bills on time or basic household maintenance, is an important hallmark in any young adult's quest for independence. Specialized software and mobile device solutions that support executive functioning (the skills and mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully) are excellent tools to help individuals excel in their workplace, as well as with independent living. Tools which offer support in sequencing and repetition are also extremely useful in assisting individuals with tasks in the workplace.