If you are autistic, you might worry about your ability to be independent and to have an incredible career before you, and, as a parent, you might worry about the same for your child. Independence is important whether you are autistic or not, but this can be more difficult to achieve for autistic people. To combat the challenges that the world can throw at you as an autistic person, here are some of the life skills that can empower your independence and that of your child and can allow you to have the greatest career possible.
1. Communication
Many autistic people can have problems with communication, and they might struggle to express themselves, understand tone, or hold down a conversation with another person, especially a stranger. This can impair them at work, especially if they have a customer-facing role or are in a position that values verbal communication above all else. To strengthen your or your child’s communication skills, it is important to join social groups where you or they might have the opportunity to connect with and chat with other people. You might also consider using social scripts or requesting a different type of communication, such as written communication. Some autistic people will use visual aids, such as mood boards.
2. Organization
Some people with autism struggle with organization, especially since a lot of autistic people also have ADHD. To improve your organization skills, you should consider setting alarms, creating to-do lists, and investing in a calendar. You might also set reminders for yourself or your child and consider using apps that can send you alerts when you have an upcoming event. By doing this, you will be ensuring that nothing urgent gets missed. If you are still struggling with certain life skills, or your child is, you might consider looking for an app that can help you to develop these. There are many apps for autism that can allow you to track your or your child’s behavior and set goals and help you enjoy life and your workplace with autism.
3. Managing Emotions
Autistic people can sometimes struggle to manage their emotions and this can lead to a meltdown or shutdown. To help your autistic child manage their emotions or to manage your own, you should consider devising ways of calming yourself or your child, such as creating a quiet space or giving them a comfort item. You might also take yourself out of the situation for a few moments and return when you are feeling better. Although you cannot close down or ignore these emotions entirely, learning to manage them may prevent intense situations and these emotions getting out of hand and overwhelming you.
4. Flexibility
It can be hard for autistic people to deal with change. Although they might cope by developing a routine for themselves and only placing themselves within familiar situations, this is not always possible in a neurotypical world, especially in a fast-paced work environment. This means that autistic people need to learn some amount of flexibility. To do this, you might consider making small changes to your routine and trying a few new things, placing yourself or your child in a different situation than normal, and learning coping strategies for when changes occur.
