Helping Autistic Teens Build Independence and Life Skills
July 16, 2025
One thing that can help autistic teens grow their independence and set them up for more success in adulthood is to support them in managing everyday tasks at home and in the community. This area of learning may be variously referred to as life skills, daily living skills or independent living skills. It includes things like self-care activities; managing money; navigating public transportation; accessing recreation opportunities; meal planning and cooking; taking medications; or making medical appointments. For some people with autism, developing independent living skills might also mean working on the executive function and communication skills that support each one.
Every autistic person is different, so the skills they’ll want or need to learn at any given stage, and how much time and support they’ll need to get there, will be different too. Many school and therapy programs support participants with daily living skills. Here are some resources to help you and your teen think about skills you may want to work on, and useful tools and information about how to do this.
- This free webinar hosted by SPARK for Autism on Surviving and Thriving in the Real World-Building Practical Life Skills in Autistic Adolescents. (Register at the link join the webinar on July 23, 2025, at 9 a.m. Pacific time.)
- This Adolescent Autonomy Checklist developed by the University of Washington Division of Adolescent Medicine
- This article about Life Skills for Autism from Autism Speaks
You can learn more about the SPARK community of families, autistic adults and researchers working to understand autism and improve lives, and check out their full resource library, by visiting the SPARK website.