Supporting your teen with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can start with recognizing their needs and understanding the unique challenges they face.
A teenager with ASD will typically struggle as they navigate the complexities of adolescence, transitioning from childhood to adulthood can be especially difficult for them.
3 Challenges Teens with Autism Face
1. Socially awkward. ASD teenagers have difficulties making, and particularly keeping friends. They struggle with social cues as well as fitting into a social group.
2. Self-control. Autistic teens often have very little self-control, are not able to self-regulate their emotions as they can be quick to anger or even rage within seconds. This can lead to meltdowns or aggressive and destructive behavior.
3. Academics and education. In many situations, teens with Autism are very intelligent however struggle with academic settings. Teens with ASD may require additional support in a classroom environment, such as Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and accommodations to address their specific learning and emotional needs.
How Life Skills Programs Can Support Teens with Autism
Parenting young adult teenagers (17 years-old and up) with ASD can be frustrating as you start witnessing them not being able to maintain friendships due to their lack of social skills, or possibly lack of hygiene habits, or even their impulse control.
Some parents begin to worry if their teenager will be able to function as an adult, maybe they have become withdrawn or lack the desire to plan their future. Whether it’s considering a trade school or attending college, it’s about encouraging them to consider their future options and set goals.
Life skills programs can help teens with autism by giving them support in the areas they struggle with as they are developing into an adult.
The key areas of support are:
- Social skills
- Life skills
- Goal setting
- Emotional growth
- Self-worth
Therapeutic Life Skills Programs are designed to support young adults (17 years-old and up) by giving them an environment that is right balance between staying busy and having down time. They build encouragement through a positive peer culture that continue to enhance your teen’s self-worth.
Teenagers will learn social skills, how to interact with their peers (without judgement) as well as in group settings. They will also typically learn table manners (how to have dinner conversations) and to be a respectful guest.
Life skills can include, cooking (making healthy diet decisions), doing laundry, financial literacy, cleaning their room, hygiene, as well as basic chores. It also includes helping teenagers with better communication skills, problem-solving and decision making.
Having the support of a professional at a Therapeutic Life Skills Program can truly help your teenager flourish. In many situations, the teen has completely shut down at home and they need to be removed from their environment to make changes.
Parents have experienced their young adult with ASD that are having problems self-regulating, dealing with their emotions and behaving aggressively at home. This sometimes leads to explosive and destructive behavior which can be targeted at a parent.
Therapeutic Life Skills Programs are designed to help your ASD teenager to learn coping skills to handle their emotions, giving them the tools to self-regulate and decompress before they explode.
Talk therapy in conjunction with other types of therapies, such as animal therapy, art therapy, music or horticulture therapy — can help your teenager develop skills to control their emotions and impulses.
Lastly, a Life Skills Program can help motivate your ASD teenager with their future by continuing their education (whether it’s completing high school or starting core classes in college or a trade school), as well as helping them set goals for their future. Giving them a direction in life — whether it’s a trade or a degree, helping them find what they are passionate about and working towards it.
Life Skills Program can equip your ASD teen with coping skills to deal with adversity and change that real-life can throw at them, as well as help students identify who they are by what they can do, rather than what they have done.
Also read:
Why Residential Therapy Works When Home Fails
Why Group Therapy Benefits Struggling Teens
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