ASD, teenagers and organising leisure time

Generally teenagers are engaged in several leisure activities some of which are done at home. Leisure time at home can also be taken up with doing other things such as school work and helping out around the house.

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As a teenager with ASD you need to be able to manage the demands of home, school, a social life and having ‘me time’. Me time is important because your ASD demands so much energy to manage on a day to day basis that you need to gain some calm quiet time in your life. To manage this time you need to be able to identify what it is that you enjoy. Brainstorm some ideas or use a mindmap to jot down ideas of things you are good at, what you would like to get better at and something new you might like to explore.

So how do you manage all of this in your leisure time? You can do this by organising your day. You need to get a balance of all the things you need to do and those that you want to do.

So think about your daily routine and what needs to be done in regards to:

  • Personal- hygiene, laundry, shopping etc
  • Homework- what assignments and homework tasks are due
  • Social/family commitments- are there any functions that you need to attend, household jobs
  • Community commitments- do you have sporting commitments
  • Me time- what do I want to do

Today many teenagers spend a lot of time using technology for a number of different reasons. Technology serves a purpose for researching, recording and listening to information and making connections to other people. It is important to put time limits on these devices as they can become a way of avoiding contact with real people and situations. It has also been suggested that technology can over stimulate the brain and should be used in moderation. If you are using the internet frequently, you need to also be aware of how to use the internet safely.

Use your teenage years to explore the possibilities, these may lead to your future employment, further study and develop connections with others who have the same interests. Enjoy!

 

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