Fostering Independence in Transition-Aged Students

ASUA Students participating in Work-Based Learning

Here at ASUA, we understand that every child with autism deserves quality, compassionate services across their entire lifespan. With that in mind, we recognize where every student is in their educational journey and use that to inform how we prepare them for life beyond our walls, especially as they reach Transition age (14-21 yrs). Unfortunately, a student reaching this age can be very stressful for families, who now worry what might happen to their child when they age out of school. However, those of us at ASUA who work in our High School, Transition, and Bridge programs are ready to help those students learn new skills, gain independence, and reach milestones so this phase of life can welcome the excitement it deserves!

One of the most important aspects of transition-aged programming is molding the students’ school day to emulate the “real world” as much as possible — almost every part of the day should serve the purpose of preparing students to be independent in their home and community. With that, students may find themselves moving away from a traditional school setting of sitting at a desk and learning grade-level curriculum. While this can be a huge adjustment for students and families alike, changing up their schooling environment now will make it far easier when they age out of the school system in the next few years. One of the ways we do this is by incorporating things like Life & Career Instruction, Community-Based Instruction (CBI), and Work-Based Learning (WBL). 

ASUA student hard at work in the Weavers Way Co-op Farm greenhouse at Awbury Arboretum.

During Life & Career instruction, students work on life and vocational skills in the school building that focus on growing their independence. They might find themselves doing laundry and making a bed, cleaning the classrooms and hallways, and even cooking meals; all valuable skills for living independently. Students even gain work experience in the school building by screen printing ASUA-designed t-shirts, making deliveries, and manning the school store. 

In addition to this, students will enter the community throughout the week to work on independence in safe transportation, shopping from a grocery list, and even utilizing community spaces like libraries and public parks. This is part of our Community-Based Instruction (CBI) program, where students begin practicing and generalizing their skills beyond our four walls. 

ASUA student participating in Work-Based Learning at Weavers Way Co-op.

With the help of a few generous community partnerships, students at ASUA also have access to our Work-Based Learning program. These students get to work short shifts 1-2 times per week at a non-ASUA location, where the manager of the business provides them with job tasks and ASUA staff provide support as needed. This opportunity provides students the ability to get a taste for real-life work experience before they are ready to fully transition away from academic classes and into a vocational based program. Not only do they learn the skills specific to their job placement, but they also learn things like independent task completion, time management, self-advocacy, and so much more. Students that have participated in this program have described feeling excited to go to work and happy that they get to help out a community business. 

Transition programming is incredibly crucial for a student’s outcome in adulthood, which is something we here at ASUA will never take lightly. Our High School, Transition, and Bridge teams are filled with passionate, dedicated professionals who cannot wait to see our students flourish here and in the future. We remain committed to fostering independence in our students so they can always be set up for success — wherever life may take them.

Megan Conville, M.S., BCBA, LBS (she/her)

Senior Director of Bridge Programming