It’s almost a new year, and many of us are in planning mode. Whether you like to make New Year’s resolutions or set your goals for the next year, it’s good to reflect on the current year and take time to determine what are the most important things you want to accomplish next year. So why not include goals and actions for your autistic child in your planning for the New Year?
What were your autistic child’s accomplishments this year?
To know how to move forward, it’s good to look back on what your autistic child accomplished this year. What were their wins? What milestones or steps in development did they meet? What life skills did they learn? Write down everything you can think of that was a positive step forward for your child or teen in the current year.
What challenges did your child have this year?
It’s also important to look at your child’s challenges this year. What were misses? What did they struggle with? What could have gone better? Did they have mental health issues they needed help with? Again, write those down so that you have the picture of both achievements and opportunities to improve.
Look to the year ahead and make a plan
Now that you have a list of what’s happened this year with your child and have reflected on it, it’s good to now think of the coming year and what and how you’d like to see your autistic child grow and develop. Then determine what action steps you can take to help your child.
I would recommend having a few goals that you are really going to focus on helping your child with and then create action plans for those.
For example, for my son J, the big goals for next year for him that I want to assist with are:
- Graduate from high school
- Learn how to transport himself to work and school by using our local shuttle bus system, obtaining his driver’s license and understanding how to use Uber as back-up transportation
- Find a new job (even possibly at the retailer that he currently works at on the weekends) that will give him full-time hours next summer and then around 15-20 hours per week when he begins classes at the community college
- Manage his money through his checkbook and You Need a Budget (YNAB) budget (referral link) by himself
- Transition to classes at our local community college (e.g., learning how to manage his classwork in a new environment and systems, advocating for himself, etc.)
Each of these goals will need some action steps. For example, for a new job, we have a new job coach through Vocational Rehabilitation, and she is going to take him through the discovery process again. For graduation from high school, my husband and I met with J’s school principal and teacher of record to put some additional supports in place beyond those in his Individualized Education Plan to ensure he is getting everything he needs to help him cross that finish line.
Goals to consider
What are some goals you should consider for your autistic child when planning for next year?
Here are some suggestions:
- School-related goals
- Behavior goals
- Life skill goals
- Social goals (e.g., what activities you can do to help increase your autistic child’s social circle and friendships?)
- Therapy goals
- Executive function improvement skills
- Support for special interests
- Security of your autistic child’s future (e.g., estate planning, special needs trust and other paperwork/plans you need to put into place for their future)
Additional Resources
If you need help with planning, check out these resources.
Start with the Vision: Six Steps to Effectively Plan, Create Solutions, and Take Action (affiliate link)
Breakthrough Goals!: A Complete System For Setting And Achieving Your Goals (affiliate link)
Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals (affiliate link)
