How can I help my child with autism to become self sufficient?

Licensed psychologist and autism specialist Ronald Leaf, PhD, discusses how parents can help their child with autism to become self-sufficient.

Transcript

00:00

It's a matter of also providing the skill areas for independence. It's teaching them self-help skills.

00:06

It's teaching them community safety skills. It's taking those skills that lead to independence and devoting time and energy to teaching those skills.

00:14

[FRANTIC MUSIC]

00:29

Self-sufficiency is all about creating independence, which is a critical feature in the treatment of autism.

00:35

Because we want our children to emerge into adolescents and adults that are independent, that don't need ongoing supports.

00:43

It's a matter of using supports as necessary and skillfully and quickly pulling those supports out

00:50

so children can become more and more independent. It's a matter of also providing the skill areas

00:57

for independence. It's teaching them self-help skills. It's teaching them community safety skills. It's taking those skills that lead to independence.

01:06

And devoting time and energy to teaching those skills, but doing them in a way where we pull ourselves out as adults,

01:12

as teachers, as supports, and we leave our children, our adolescents, our adults so they can do it on their own. It's a matter of making it a priority.

01:21

It's a matter of taking ourselves out of the equation. [AUDIO LOGO]