ASD, what happens after school?

A post secondary school pathway for a person diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder could be variable and can change over time during adulthood. Your secondary school will have discussed options that have included: further study, work, an apprenticeship, supported employment, an adult day placement facility or a mix of options.

Your secondary education results will assist to determine what your options are going to be. Most secondary schools have a careers or transition support teacher who will have worked with you to begin this planning process. To further assist with this take a look at our Transition Checklist Post School Pathways resource.

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Many schools offer work experience opportunities while you are at school that provide you with a variety of experiences in an area of interest to see if in fact this is what you want to continue with after secondary school has finished.

What are my pathway possibilities?

  • Further study – eg University, TAFE, Online Courses
  • Work – eg office, hospitality, retail
  • An apprenticeship – eg bakery, carpentry, beautican
  • Supported employment – a job where I can have a support person help me in my area of skill
  • An adult day program- programs for adults who have a severe learning disability such as ID and ASD

Some of the things that will help your planning can be guided by thinking about the following questions:

  • Who can help me investigate options
  • How will I know if this is right for me
  • What do I do if I don’t like my first choice
  • Does this place have people there that I can ask to help me
  • Will I still be living at home
  • How far will I have to travel
  • Can I travel by myself or will I need help initially or for the long term
  • Can I organise or can someone assist me to organise an orientation visit to the venue

All this planning will take place in the last two years of secondary school. The careers or transition support teacher will meet with you to discuss what you want to do when you leave school and how to set some goals. Together you will look at your skills, your suggestions and what you need to do to plan to move in that direction. You need to consider the possibility that if you don’t get your first choice of what you would like to do, so discuss  a couple of options with your teachers and family and put several plans into place.

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