When families think about financial independence, the conversation often begins with money—budgeting, saving, earning a paycheck, opening a bank account, and learning how to pay bills. These are important skills, but for many autistic individuals, the foundation for financial independence begins much earlier—and it may not involve money at all. Research has highlighted the importance of daily living skills for later adult outcomes among autistic individuals (Clarke et al., 2021).
Long before an individual manages a checking account or earns their first paycheck, they are developing skills that can influence how independently they navigate financial decisions. Making choices, following routines, completing tasks, asking for help, waiting, comparing options, and navigating community environments are all everyday skills that can support future independence.
From a behavior-analytic perspective, financial independence can therefore be viewed as a long-term developmental process. Rather than waiting until adolescence or adulthood to introduce financial concepts, parents and caregivers can begin building the underlying skills throughout childhood.
Independence Begins With Everyday Choices
One of the simplest ways to build independence is to provide meaningful opportunities to make choices.
Choices can be incorporated into routines throughout the day. A child might choose which shirt to wear, which snack to eat, which activity to complete first, or which item to put in the shopping cart. For an older child, choices might involve deciding how to spend a small amount of money or how to use their free time.
The goal is not simply to teach a child to select between two options. It is to help them take an active role in decisions that affect their lives. As a child becomes more comfortable making choices, caregivers can gradually provide more opportunities. For example, instead of asking, “Do you want an apple or a banana?” a parent might ask, “What snack do you want?” Over time, these experiences can help the child become more independent in making everyday decisions. Self-determination includes autonomy and the ability to make choices based on one’s own wants, needs, and interests, and research suggests that self-determination is associated with quality of life for autistic individuals (Andrews et al., 2024).
Turn Everyday Routines Into Practice Opportunities
Many adaptive skills are already embedded in activities families do every day. Getting dressed, preparing meals, cleaning a bedroom, packing a backpack, and going shopping all provide opportunities to practice independence. Daily living skills are particularly important because research has connected stronger daily living skills with positive outcomes in adulthood, including participation in postsecondary education (Clarke et al., 2021).
Rather than completing a task for a child because it is faster or easier, caregivers can consider whether the child could participate in all or part of the task.
For example, when preparing a meal, a parent might initially have a child gather the ingredients. Later, the child might follow a simple recipe, use measuring tools, prepare part of the meal, and eventually complete more of the routine independently.
The same principle applies to shopping. A young child might help locate a favorite snack or place items in the shopping cart. An older child might use a shopping list, identify the correct quantity, compare products, and check that all needed items have been collected.
These seemingly ordinary activities teach much more than household chores. They provide opportunities to practice planning, organization, problem-solving, attending to relevant information, and completing tasks—skills that can later support employment and financial management.
Teach Comparison, Not Just Purchasing
Shopping is an especially useful environment for teaching financial concepts because it naturally involves choices and tradeoffs.
Caregivers can begin by teaching individuals to notice differences between products:
- Which package contains more?
- Which item is needed?
- Are the products different sizes?
- Does one cost more than the other?
As appropriate, families can introduce concepts such as price, quantity, quality, and personal preference.
Importantly, the goal does not have to be choosing the cheapest option every time. Financial independence also involves learning to make informed choices based on individual needs and priorities.
A person might decide that one product is worth spending more on because they prefer its quality or because it better meets their needs. Teaching individuals how to compare options gives them tools to make these decisions rather than simply telling them what they should buy.
Teach Asking for Help as an Independence Skill
Independence does not mean doing everything without assistance.
For autistic individuals, knowing when and how to ask for help can be an important component of independence. A person who can recognize a problem, determine that they need assistance, locate an appropriate person, and communicate their request has a valuable life skill. Importantly, teaching help-seeking does not necessarily reduce independence. One study found that a child with autism learned to request help when tasks were difficult while also increasing independent task completion and generalizing help-seeking to new tasks (Chen et al., 2022).
Caregivers can intentionally teach these behaviors during everyday routines. For example, a child might practice asking a store employee where an item is located. An adolescent might learn to contact customer service when there is a problem with an order. A young adult might practice asking a supervisor for clarification about a workplace task.
The objective is not to eliminate support. Instead, it is to help the individual become an active participant in recognizing when support is needed and obtaining that support.
Build Waiting and Flexibility
Financial decisions frequently require waiting. A person may need to wait until payday to purchase something, save up, or wait for a sale. Learning to tolerate waiting and delayed access during childhood can provide practice with skills that may later be useful when managing money. Behavior-analytic research supports gradually increasing delays to reinforcement to help individuals tolerate situations in which desired items or activities are not immediately available (Hagopian et al., 2011).
These skills can be practiced during everyday routines without making every interaction about money. For example, at mealtime, a child can practice waiting to begin eating until each family member’s food has been plated and everyone is ready to eat. Experiences like this provide opportunities to practice waiting and learn that something desired may not always be available immediately.
As skills develop, families can introduce more direct saving goals. For example, a child might set aside a small amount of money each day for a week to contribute toward a desired family outing.
Prioritize Autonomy Over Compliance
Perhaps the most important consideration is why we teach independence. Independence should not simply mean following directions or doing things exactly as someone else expects. Instead, it should include opportunities to make choices and take an active role in everyday life.
A person can be very good at following instructions while still having limited opportunities to make their own decisions. Supporting independence means helping individuals learn to communicate their preferences, make informed choices, solve problems, understand the outcomes of their decisions, and ask for help when needed.
This also means providing opportunities to make small, safe mistakes. Parents naturally want to protect their children from poor financial decisions, but everyday mistakes can also create opportunities for learning. For example, a child who spends all of their allowance on one item may later realize they do not have enough money for something else they wanted. With support, this experience can become an opportunity to discuss budgeting, planning, and the consequences of financial choices.
As skills develop, the amount of support provided can gradually change. For example, when teaching a child to pay for an item at a store, a caregiver might initially model how to hand money to the cashier and provide reminders throughout the process. Over time, the caregiver can provide fewer prompts, allowing the child to complete more of the purchase independently and stepping in only when help is needed.
Financial Independence Is a Process
Financial independence does not suddenly begin when an autistic teenager receives their first job offer or turns eighteen. It develops through years of experiences that help a person learn to navigate choices, routines, responsibilities, resources, and relationships.
Families do not need to create complicated financial lessons to begin this process. They can start with routines that are already happening at home and in the community.
Let the child choose. Let them help make the grocery list. Let them locate an item in the store. Let them compare two products. Let them practice asking for help. Let them participate in preparing a meal. Let them practice waiting for something they want. Let them make choices—and, when safe and appropriate, experience the natural outcomes of those choices.
These moments may seem small, but they provide opportunities to build skills that can support greater independence over time.
Ultimately, financial independence is about much more than knowing how to manage money. It is about developing the skills, confidence, communication abilities, and opportunities needed to participate meaningfully in decisions about one’s own life.
For autistic individuals, that foundation can begin with something as ordinary as choosing what goes in the shopping cart.
Elise Beachy is a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. She works with children with autism and their families, with a focus on developing communication, adaptive, social, and daily living skills that support greater independence and quality of life.
References
Andrews, H. E., Hedley, D., & Bury, S. M. (2024). The relationship between autistic traits and quality of life: Investigation of indirect effects through self-determination. Autism in Adulthood, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2022.0117
Chen, M., Kreibich, S., & Hyppa-Martin, J. (2022). Teaching a child with autism to request help only when needed. Advances in Autism, 8(1), 60–70.https://doi.org/10.1108/AIA-09-2020-0052
Clarke, E. B., McCauley, J. B., & Lord, C. (2021). Post-high school daily living skills outcomes in autism spectrum disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 60(8), 978–985. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.11.004
Hagopian, L. P., Boelter, E. W., & Jarmolowicz, D. P. (2011). Reinforcement schedule thinning following functional communication training: Review and recommendations. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 4(1), 4–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03391770
