Navigating Jobs for Neurodiverse Youth: Insights into Adaptable Work Environments for Teenagers and Young Adults with Neuro-related Differences

Navigating Jobs for Neurodiverse Youth: Insights into Adaptable Work Environments for Teenagers and Young Adults with Neuro-related Differences

In today's world, it's crucial for teens to develop a set of essential daily living skills (DLS) that will help them thrive as independent adults. This article will discuss 25 key DLS categorized into six core areas, drawn from expert sources on teen independent living skills.

Communication Skills

1. Be Assertive: Teens should learn to express their needs and boundaries clearly and respectfully to maintain healthy relationships.
2. Journal Emotions and Experiences: Encourage your teen to develop emotional awareness and coping by regularly writing down thoughts and feelings.
3. Social Media Reflection: Teach your teen to monitor the emotional impact of social media use to foster healthier online interactions.

Executive Functioning Skills - Tasks

1. Time Management: Teach your teen to use planners or digital calendars to balance responsibilities and downtime effectively.
2. Goal Planning: Help your teen set and track short- and long-term personal and professional goals.
3. Laundry Skills: Teach your teen how to wash clothes properly and put them away.
4. House Cleaning: Teach your teen how to wash dishes, clean bathrooms, vacuum, and dust.
5. Simple Home Maintenance: Teach your teen how to perform basic repairs and upkeep, such as changing a light bulb.
6. Book Travel: Show your teen how to book flights, check-in online, and pack luggage effectively.

Executive Functioning Skills - Behaviors

1. Emotional Self-Awareness: Encourage your teen to regularly identify and name emotions felt physically and mentally.
2. Values Clarification: Help your teen recognize personal values to guide decisions.
3. Maintaining Physical Exercise: Encourage your teen to develop and stick to regular exercise habits to support physical and mental health.
4. Stress Management: Teach your teen to practice mindfulness, deep breathing, and journaling to cope with stress effectively.

Primary Daily Living Skills - Health, Safety & Household

1. Healthy Cooking: Teach your teen how to prepare nutritious, budget-friendly meals with basic cooking skills.
2. Grocery Shopping on a Budget: Help your teen learn to plan and shop for groceries wisely to maintain nutrition and save money.
3. Basic Car Maintenance: Teach your teen how to check car essentials and change a tire if needed.
4. Safety Awareness: Teach your teen about personal safety basics, such as knowing how to find polling places for voting or absentee registration.

Secondary Daily Living Skills - Career Planning, Personal Finance, Transportation

1. Budgeting Money: Teach your teen how to budget personal finances for daily living.
2. Transportation Skills: Show your teen how to use public transport or handle a vehicle responsibly.
3. Career Planning Basics: Help your teen develop skills to explore and pursue career goals, including scheduling and interviewing.

Advanced Daily Living Skills - Leisure, Recreation & Wellness

1. Leisure Planning: Encourage your teen to schedule and balance fun activities to maintain wellness and social connections.
2. Body Awareness & Relaxation: Teach your teen to practice body scans or other mindfulness exercises to connect mind and body.
3. Strength Recognition: Help your teen reflect daily on personal strengths to boost confidence and resilience.

Advanced Plus+ - Citizenship, Legal & Personal Advocacy

1. Understanding Voting Rights: Teach your teen how to register and vote in elections, including absentee ballots if away from home.
2. Personal Advocacy: Help your teen learn to advocate for personal needs in various settings such as school, work, and medical contexts.

These skills cover a comprehensive set of communication, organizational, health, domestic, financial, and civic competencies essential for teens transitioning to independent adult life, helping them build practical, emotional, and social capabilities.

In addition, your teen should set and achieve SMART goals, know who to call and for what reason in case of an emergency, and understand primary DLS such as eating a well-balanced diet, managing personal hygiene, and following safety rules. Teach your teen to articulate online safety concerns and save for long-term purchases while demonstrating self-control when it comes to finances. Encourage your teen to contribute to your family's home or your classroom using a list and engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity daily, outside of school.

References:

1. Understood
2. Teen Life
3. Youth.gov
4. KidsHealth
5. Psychology Today
6. Teens should also learn financial literacy, such as budgeting, saving for long-term purchases, and understanding personal financial responsibilities.
7. Incorporate 'mindfulness' in teaching stress management, encouraging deep breathing, journaling, and body scans to calm the mind.
8. A well-rounded approach to education-and-self-development includes cognitive skills like science, as well as life skills like goal setting and career development.
9. Facilitate the acquisition of personal-growth skills, such as self-awareness, values clarification, and recognizing personal strengths to foster resilience.
10. For career-development, involve your teen in skills-training activities like scheduling, interviewing, and researching career options.
11. In addition to these essential skills, encourage health-and-wellness practices like regular exercise, maintaining physical exercise habits, and practising body awareness and relaxation.

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