Top 5 Life Skills Every Teen with Autism Should Learn
Life skills build the foundation for confidence, independence, and meaningful adulthood. Many teens with autism struggle with tasks like organizing their day, preparing meals, managing money, or navigating their community. Skills such as waking up on time, cleaning, shopping, and organizing are important building blocks of independence. When teens develop these skills, they not only reduce their reliance on others but also boost their self-esteem and feel more capable in daily life.
At PS Academy Arizona, we prioritize both life skills and academics. We understand that mastery in these areas helps students thrive across school, work, and community settings. Here are the top 5 life skills we think teens with autism should know.
Life Skill #1: Self-Care & Personal Hygiene
One of the most foundational life skills is learning to care for one’s own body and appearance. Self-care includes tasks such as showering, grooming, dressing appropriately, and managing personal hygiene routines.
These skills matter because when teens can manage their own hygiene and self-presentation, it supports social confidence, reduces anxiety about public settings, and gives them a sense of autonomy.
Tips for teaching:
Break each self-care routine into small steps or a short list. For example:
Add toothpaste
Wet toothbrush
Brush teeth for 2 minutes
Use visual supports or checklists to help your child follow the steps independently.
Practice these tasks alongside your teen daily until they become automatic.
As your teen becomes more consistent with self-care, their sense of personal dignity and control over their body will grow.
Life Skill #2: Household Tasks
Being able to prepare basic meals, clean up, and maintain personal space are life skills that are essential to creating independence. For teens with autism, cooking and household chores are more than daily tasks; they’re opportunities to build confidence, practice sequencing, and develop real-world executive functioning skills. These everyday responsibilities teach planning, organization, and follow-through, all of which prepare them for an adulthood full of self-sufficiency.
Tips for teaching:
Start with simple recipes (like a sandwich or smoothie for one) and grow gradually to more advanced meals.
Use a “recipe checklist” or recipe cards your teen can follow.
Practice skills in the kitchen with real appliances and cookware.
Break household chores into manageable steps, such as sorting laundry, sweeping, or making the bed, to make them easier to complete.
Create a visual task board with daily or weekly chores to build structure and consistency.
Cooking and household tasks teach problem-solving and time management skills. As your teen begins to handle more responsibilities at home, like preparing meals, cleaning their room, or loading the dishwasher, they start to see themselves as capable. They can even more on to being home alone and learning the boundaries that come with it. These hands-on experiences are powerful tools for growing both confidence and lifelong independence.
Life Skill #3: Financial Management
Managing money is a skill that everyone needs, but it’s often not taught early enough. Financial skills are among the top life skills for independent living; life skills programs often include money management, shopping, and fiscal responsibility.
Why it’s important: Knowing how to budget, make purchases, and handle both cash and digital payments prevents exploitation, builds confidence, and fosters greater self-reliance.
Tips for teaching:
Create allowance or earnings charts to visually display finances.
Practice real transactions in stores such as:
Counting out cash and change
Budgeting a certain amount of money on a task (such as using $10 for a family meal)
Utilize digital budgets or expense-tracking apps to manage your expenses.
As your teen becomes more comfortable managing small amounts, you can progress to more complex tasks, such as saving, paying bills, and tracking subscriptions. Financial responsibility and independence go hand in hand by providing your teen with insight into the value of what they earn.
Life Skill #4: Community Navigation
Getting around independently, whether by walking, taking public transit, or using ride-sharing services, is a skill that everyone uses throughout their lives. Navigating the community safely without adult support is an important part of developing independence, which involves teaching road safety, route planning, adaptability in the face of delays or changes, and building confidence in unfamiliar environments.
Tips for teaching:
Start with short walks in your local area, practicing the use of identifying landmarks and street names.
Use public transit in low-stakes settings to build familiarity.
Role-play “what if” scenarios: “If the bus is late, what do you do?”
When your teen can navigate their surroundings safely, it opens doors to opportunities, social engagements, and increased autonomy. You can help your teen understand the importance of transportation now and how to use it in the future.
Life Skill #5: Self-Advocacy & Decision Making
As your teen matures, self-advocacy, the ability to speak up for their needs, will be required more and more in their everyday lives. Even if your teenager knows what they need, they must learn to ask for it in school, at work, or in social settings. Tips for teaching:
Model requesting accommodations or support in real-world settings.
Use visual planners and to-do lists to help break down tasks.
Give your teen choices and ask them to make decisions (help guide them as needed).
Practice making common requests in real situations, such as saying “I need a quiet break,” or asking “Can I use noise-canceling headphones?”
Strong executive skills enable your teen with autism to plan tasks effectively, manage their time, adapt to changing circumstances, and make informed choices that align with their goals. When your teen with autism learns to advocate for and plan their own success, they can take the lead rather than waiting on others.
How to Get Started
It’s tempting to try to teach all skills at once, but progress is better when you build them step by step. Focus first on one or two skills at a time across a few areas. Build on those skills daily, and increase the difficulty or number of skills as they master the old ones.
More tips for success:
Use visual supports (charts, checklists, pictures) to guide tasks.
Teach skills in neutral settings, like at home, school, or a familiar grocery store.
Repetition is key; teens may need more practice to internalize routines.
Over time, these life skills become part of your teen’s everyday toolkit, leading toward greater confidence, capability, and freedom.
The Impact of Mastering Life Skills
When a teenager with autism masters these life skills, the ripple effects are enormous: improved self-esteem, increased opportunities, reduced daily friction, and greater independence. Since consistent support is key, a school environment that values these skills, such as PS Academy Arizona, can provide ongoing support that complements the support your teen receives from you at home. If your teen struggles with independent tasks, or if you want support in prioritizing and teaching these skills, we’d be glad to help. Reach out today to learn more.
