Transition to Adulthood in Autism: What to Prepare From Age 14

For many families the hardest moment is not the diagnosis: it is the day school ends. Overnight, the structure, the professionals, the classmates and the filled hours disappear. You only reach that moment well if you start preparing years earlier. FROM 14: SELF-KNOWLEDGE Explain the diagnosis to the person, if not done already, framed as a profile rather than a deficit: what they are good at, what overloads them, what supports they need. Without that knowledge they cannot ask for help or advocate for themselves later. Teach them to identify and name overload before reaching the limit, and to use their own regulation strategies that do not depend on an adult being present. Start self-determination small: choosing clothes, managing weekly money, deciding one day's menu, rescheduling an appointment. FROM 16: LIFE SKILLS The competencies that most determine adult autonomy are surprisingly mundane: cooking five meals, using the washing machine, shopping with a list, managing money and a card, using public transport, booking a medical appointment and taking medication. They are taught one by one, as visual sequences and with real practice. Mastering five recipes is more useful than passing one more subject. At this age also work on safety: what to do if lost, how to recognise a scam, how to say no, who to call. FROM 18: THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE This is the most forgotten part. Review in good time the disability certificate and its level, the dependency assessment if applicable, entitlements and benefits, the legal situation (supported decision-making rather than removal of legal capacity, under current standards) and the handover of healthcare from paediatrics to adult services, which usually happens with no support. And start long-term planning: who provides support when parents are gone, what residential resources exist locally, and whether a protected trust or estate arrangement is advisable. EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT Explore every route: university with disability support services, vocational training, supported employment, sheltered employment, mainstream employment with adjustments. The criterion is not academic level but the fit between profile and environment. A badly matched job with a good salary lasts six months. A well-matched one lasts years. SOCIAL LIFE AND MENTAL HEALTH Isolation after school is the main risk factor for depression. Deliberately build at least one weekly social space tied to a genuine interest: a club, an association, an online group, an activity. Monitor mental health closely, because anxiety and depression are far more common in autistic adults, especially after years of masking. HOW AUTISMDOCK HELPS Micro-step sequences teach each adult life skill with visual support, and routines hold the structure when school no longer provides it. The communication passport and profile can be printed for a new job or service, and the Support Circle keeps the support network coordinated into adulthood. Transition is not improvised in the final year: it is built over seven.