The Truth About Autism, Vocational Skills and the Road to Independence

The truth about autism, vocational skills and the road to independence, is school isn't enough. People, including teachers will underestimate your child, which means your child may not be given a chance to reach their potential if you can't prove what they are capable of. Our kids could be in school all day and never learn what they need to individually achieve their greatest level of independence.  Its all about show and tell, the skills have to start at home, and they have to start early. We have to show and tell everyone what he/she can do and then prove it. 

We began with vacuuming when he was 10. 

People tell me all the time "I wish my kids would do as much as Nick".  He's quite impressive for a teen boy - any teen for that matter - when it comes to chores. I am so proud of how helpful Nick is now, but when we introduced chores when he was 10, I wasn't thinking about how great it would be to have help around the house.  My only thought was working and doing is his only road to independence and tiny steps toward teaching vocational skills.  It's been slow and we have been relentless fashion, but it will have been worth it if it increases his independence much less and God willing results in a job! But, enough with talking about it these pictures tell the story :). 

Then we added after you eat, clear the table, and then feed the dogs. Then clean up after the dogs....Then taking out the trash and empty the recycle bin and the pattern continued from when he was ten until today.  Here's what it looks like now..

• Feed the dogs 

• Give the dogs water

• Clean up after the dogs in the yard

• Put clean silverware away

• Take the trashcans out on trash pick up day

• Organize cloths for the week

• Empty Dishwasher

• Gather his dirty laundry

• Sort mom's filing alphabetically (new I'm tapping into this love for letters)

• Shed papers
• Take out trash and recycle

Then we read "Little Red Hen"
& motivated his to learn how to cook 
the treats he wanted to eat! 

Then  taking him to the Grocery Store and 
having him get me what I needed. 

And Cleaning up after the dogs 

 Now he's working in the School Garden 

 AND HE'S WORKING IN THE SCHOOL CAFETERIA!!

AND YES, WE ARE ALL EXHAUSTED!!!  BUT IT'S BEEN WORTH IT BECAUSE...

NOW NICK HAS A ROUTINE HE EXECUTES EVERYDAY!!!