Practicing Adulthood Before Adulthood

One thing I’ve learned about life skills with Ben is that we didn’t suddenly start teaching them when he became an adult.

We practiced adulthood in very small pieces for years.

It might have been having Ben order his own food.

Handing the cashier his money.

Answering a simple question from someone instead of me answering for him.

Practicing what to say on the phone.

Learning what information he needed to know about himself.

Going into familiar places and slowly giving him more responsibility each time.

For Ben, social skills and independent living skills usually worked better when we could practice them before he actually needed them.

And we didn’t work on everything at once.

We picked one little skill, practiced it again and again, and slowly backed away as he became more comfortable doing it himself.

I’d love to start sharing more of the things we worked on with Ben as he got older—social skills, community skills, communication, safety, and everyday independence.

If you have an older child, teen, or adult with autism, what is one life skill you’re currently working on?

0 comments

Practicing Adulthood Before Adulthood

Ben's Circle

skool.com/benscircle

Sharing lived autism experience, practical communication strategies that helped our child find his voice, music, and hope for families!

Leaderboard (30-day)