Autism and Life Skills, including Relationships and Sexuality Education

Autism and Life Skills, including Relationships and Sexuality Education 

The term Life Skills refers to a varied set of skills used to navigate practical, educational and social challenges daily. There is no definitive list of these skills but broad categorisation includes:   
 

• Practical Living  

• Personal Care 

• Social Skills 

• Personal Safety 

• Job Skills 

• Self-advocacy 

• Relationships and Sexuality, including friendships  

• Executive Skills 

Whilst the skills are varied and often overlap, effectively and successfully using them enable the autistic child or young person deal autonomously with many challenges and opportunities of everyday life.  This impacts positively on the child or young person’s sense of dignity, worthiness, self-esteem and well-being.   

For some autistic young people, these skills can be slower to develop meaning the autistic young person would benefit from specific focus, including explicit teaching, of the life skills that are important and meaningful to them.  Effective teaching of these skills involves close collaboration between school and home.   

This session will examine the impact of adolescence on the young autistic person at the stage of their life where these skills are needed.  The session will explore the broad definition of Life Skills within the contexts of work, leisure, personal care and relationships.  Participants will be shown how to incorporate visual and behavioural strategies to support the autistic teenager develop and use Life Skills. It will also focus on the delivery of relationships and sexuality education for autistic students.  

Expected Outcomes 
Participants will: 

• Have a greater understanding of how autism can affect the development of Life Skills in work, leisure, personal care and relationship domains during the adolescence years.   

• Explore ways of assessing and teaching Life Skills in the school and family environments. 

• Have an increased awareness of daily opportunities to focus on and develop the autistic students’ life skills within the school and home environments. 

• Explore some strategies involving behavioural and visual strategies, that may support the autistic adolescent develop these skills.  

• Provide strategies for the delivery of sex and relationships education to autistic students.