The career opportunities available for today’s young people are plentiful and
oftentimes overwhelming. There have been significant changes to the curriculum and pathways over the years, and the opportunities made available have both positives and negatives for individuals. Adding to the layers of complexity can be supporting a young person who may have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), among other conditions that impact choices to be made. Through a behaviour support lens, this piece intends to help break down some conversations and answer questions young people might have.
The ‘traditional’ pathway
The traditional pathway can be theorised as finishing Year 12 at a secondary school,
obtaining certifications (such as WACE here in Western Australia) and then pursuing
a further degree at a university. These roles are sometimes things young people
have wanted to do since they were young; other times, they might gain interest in
certain topics throughout their schooling. Regardless, there are often conversations
around the year 10–12-year mark about deciding more concretely what the young
person wants to do, picking the course topics that best interest them, and then
working through the final years of schooling, including exams. Options after the fact
often include ongoing tertiary studies.
TAFE
TAFE has become increasingly popular in recent years, offering an alternative, more
hands-on approach to trades and labour throughout our workforce. Oftentimes,
TAFE can take the role of the year 10-12 slots, with more time dedicated to developing skills while still in a school role (usually 1 or 2 days a week will still occur at school). This offers an opportunity for individuals who want to do more hands-on work to commence getting experience, leaving the school desk behind for various certifications in important roles that society needs and has increasingly been
demanding, with more grants and support from governments to ensure job shortages occur less within sometimes fragile economic situations.
Other options
There are plenty of other options within the workforce or education space, including
homeschooling or commencing paid work if opportunities arise and the legal parameters are met (for example, minimum age requirements). These should not be discounted as options for a young person’s career decisions, as they can provide a great opportunity for future alternatives.
Behaviour support and working with young people
With the options considered, the original assessment of the situation becomes clearer. Essentially, it seems that there are a lot of options for young people to choose from. Some presenting factors of ASD and ADHD include specific and fixating interests with minimal engagement in other interventions, difficulty sitting still and focusing all day (exactly how school does things) and difficulty in ngaging in long-term thinking and planning. If this is combined with those with ASD having difficulty living in uncertainty or the ADHD need for immediate positive pay-off, then the young person in question really can begin to struggle to accurately plan and create a future pathway for themselves. Schools can also feel the burden of many students all needing attention and support and may not be able to effectively cater for all individuals, particularly those who struggle with the demands of the curriculum.
Behaviour support interventions aim to help reduce some of these presentation challenges with working within the school curriculum system, as well as offering opportunities to explore beyond education, should that be where the young person wishes to go. Strategies and targeted PBS interventions can help set them up for success:
- Creating predictability for young people with ASD, including routines and
outlining expectations in advance, can help reduce the feeling of uncertainty
and help make some more concrete decisions. If required, this can be
delivered visually (such as career pathways or pamphlets of options). - What if? A favourite of mine, this involves discussing or role-playing if the individual likes the opportunities available in a better setting for them to understand what may be upcoming. In a school environment, with social
pressures, time pressures and all this new learning, it can become overwhelming for the young person to understand everything they are being taught or shown. Again, bonus points if visuals or even physically moving around can be integrated into this process, as it may be more effective than ‘yet another worksheet’ school is offering all day. - Values and step-by-step goal setting: While it seems bread and butter work, helping a young person identify what they feel strongly about, relating to their values, makes a world of difference when trying to understand the world from their perspective. It also facilitates these values being used in a goal-setting environment. It is important here, as we have discussed, with accurate planning of long-term goals to ideally try and keep them shorter and more step-by-step where possible. Long-term goals, particularly when schools are also giving young people lots of mixed messages, can be confusing to consolidate this information.
- Tap into interests: Often referred to as ‘hyper fixation’, certain tasks and activities may get almost all a young person’s attention. However, there is still
a significant amount of functioning in other tasks that may be worth exploring. Have you seen their interest in cooking or food preparation increase? Could a conversation about being a chef be helpful? What about a potential interest in computer work, even if it is playing games? Could they further explore game-making or computer management skills? By encouraging interests and providing less resistance to ‘everyday’ tasks, there can be an opportunity to have that conversation about potential options, which could create change in your teen or young adult.
It should be noted that there are many other strategies and options not discussed today, and ultimately, there are many steps that need to be considered before any strategies are applied.
However, using these approaches in a PBS manner can help create opportunities for discussion, help young people understand the often-confusing process of entering the workforce or studying, and ultimately help create plans for the future while reducing anxiety and uncertainty about what may be next.
https://news.mit.edu/2014/autism-disorder-prediction-anxiety-1007
