Preparing Autistic Teens for Adulthood After Graduation: Building Skills, Confidence, and Opportunities

• By: Ronald B. Smith, MBA, PMP
• November 3rd, 2026
• employment, graduation, healthcare transition, IEP transition planning, life skills, post-secondary education, teens, transition to adulthood
• 17    0

Graduation is supposed to be the beginning. For an autistic teenager, however, it can also be a major disruption. For 12 or more years, life has been structured around school. There are teachers, schedules, classmates, assignments, transportation, and familiar routines. Then the diploma arrives,...

Helping Autistic Teens Thrive: Shifting the Focus from Stigma to Strength

• By: Heidi Hillman, PhD, BCBA-D, LMHC Eastern Washington University
• July 9th, 2025
• acceptance, adolescence, burnout, inclusive communities, masking, neurodiversity, self-advocacy, stigma, Summer 2025 Issue, support, teens
• 2829    0

In recent years, our understanding of autism has grown. Yet, despite this progress, many autistic individuals—especially teens—continue to face negative stigmas and outdated assumptions (Turnock & Langley, 2023). Adolescence is already a time of major change and self-discovery, and for...

Supporting Teens and Adults in Becoming the Best Self-Advocate They Can

• By: Meghan Herring, MSW, LCSW Michelle Heyman, MA Emily Judovits Trevor Marsh Ashley McClennen, MEd, BCBA, LBS (PA) John Pagnoni Melanie Schwartz Devereux
• January 2nd, 2023
• actually autistic, adolescents, advocacy, interview, mentoring, mentors, neurodiversity, problem-solving skills, self-advocacy, teens, Winter 2023 Issue
• 4994    0

The creation of self-advocacy is a story that is one of pioneering and revolution dating back as far as 1968 (Glumbić et al., 2022). Today, many self-advocacy organizations target elevating neurodiverse voices and providing space for neurodiverse individuals to advocate for themselves. The current...

Transition from Middle School to High School – Valuable Advice from a High School Senior with Asperger Syndrome

• By: Grace Barrett-Snyder Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Association (AHA)
• April 1st, 2012
• advice, extracurricular activities, friendship, high school, high school transition, IEP accommodations, organization skills, self-advocacy, study skills, teacher support, teens
• 3049    0

The hallways are crowded. Lockers are lined with chatty students and the cafeteria is serving what may or may not be food. Where will you fit in? The homework is demanding. Your teachers have high expectations and you may be unsure about how to meet them. Would they understand? As you’ve heard,...