Do you remember your first job? Chances are, you still use some of the lessons you took away from that early experience. You may have even applied them to your career at some point as well. There are invaluable skills that can be learned from working part-time at a young age. There is no reason that a child with autism can’t find the opportunity to do some casual work as well. It builds character and creates a work ethic that will help them their entire lives. Introducing vocational skills early to children with autism can help them gain independence, boost confidence, and prepare for future opportunities. Starting early allows children to build essential life skills at a pace suited to their individual needs, leveraging their strengths and interests. 

Here are ten effective ways to introduce vocational skills to children with autism in Toronto.

1. Emphasize Organization

There’s a poster that you see in some office cubicles that reads: “One of these days, I’m going to get or-gn-az-iz-ed.” Don’t be that person. Make sure that your child doesn’t fall into that trap either. Vocational success often relies on strong organizational and time management skills. At Monarch House, we can teach your child how to use calendars, planners, and to-do lists to manage their day and stay on top of things. We like to work with parents and caregivers to introduce routines for keeping your child on track and meeting their expectations in a reasonable amount of time. Once someone is in the habit of diligently working through a list of tasks, they’ll carry that skill with them for their whole life. 

2. Make Some Visual Supports

When someone is new to the job, it helps for them to have an instructional guide or checklist that they can use to walk through their new responsibilities. So get some construction paper and a few felt markers to make up a little employment guide or workplace poster for your child to reference. We can help you with the strategy and steps. A succinct play-by-play will help them understand the expectations and guide them through the most efficient way to complete a multi-step task. Children with autism respond well to visual aids, such as charts, pictograms, flow charts, checklists, and step-by-step picture guides. Use these tools to demonstrate how to complete various tasks like raking the leaves, tidying up the shoe area, doing the dishes, or cleaning the bathroom mirror. Visual supports help reduce anxiety by offering clear, consistent instructions.

3. Practice Being On Time 

One of the most important parts of having a job is showing up for your shifts on time and meeting deadlines. Starting from an early age, you can instill the importance of time management in your child by doing activities that work with timers, stopwatches, or clocks. Start gradually. Set a specific time that chores need to be completed by, and hold them to it. Also, set expectations of when they need to show up for certain activities, like going to school, and make sure that timeliness is built into the routine. If you need to be on the road by 8:20 am to make it to school on time, have a rule that everyone needs to be ready at exactly 8:15, or else they get marked down as late. Reward punctuality wherever you can to reinforce good behaviour. 

4. Give Your Kid Some Chores

If your child helps out with chores and does work around the house, they’ve already got some experience they can draw from in the workforce. Daily living skills such as cooking, cleaning, or organizing personal spaces are the foundations of vocational skills. So as early as you can, come up with ways that they can help out for a weekly allowance. Start small with tasks like folding laundry, sorting the recycling, or setting the table for dinner. These simple activities teach a child routine, sequencing, and fine motor coordination while fostering a work ethic.

5. Explore Special Interests For Career Opportunities

What’s going to work? Teamwork! Does your child love animals? Are their favourite shows, clothes, and stickers Paw Patrol and Wonder Pets? Do you find that sometimes this fascination borders on obsession? You’re not alone. It’s not uncommon for children with autism to have very strong special interests. Identifying and fostering these interests can open pathways to vocational skills and careers. For example, a love for animals could lead to volunteering at a pet shelter, while an interest in computers might be a perfect fit to coding classes or future technical skills training.

6. Teach Money Management Skills

At Monarch House, we can help your child learn a few basics for the job like counting back change and knowing how money works. We work with parents and caregivers to gradually introduce basic financial concepts, such as identifying coins, knowing how to break a bill, and being familiar with the steps involved in making small purchases. We strive to make the learning fun by incorporating activities like role-playing a store scenario or using play money. As skills progress, we can teach budgeting, saving, and the importance of money management for future employment.

7. Make Use Of Role-Play 

It’s better to learn that the customer is always right in a practice session at our clinic than on your first day on the job. At Monarch House, we use role-play to help teach workplace behaviours and expectations in a safe environment. We create scenarios such as communicating with a coworker, greeting customers, or following instructions from a manager. These fun little interactive games help children understand what to expect in professional settings.

8. Encourage Volunteer Work or Community Service

If your child is short on experience, one of the best ways to build a resume and gain some transferable skills is to volunteer. It might be a few hours a week at the local library, community centre or garden. They can also work with a charity organization, stuffing envelopes, delivering meals on wheels, or helping out at a soup kitchen. Volunteer work provides children with hands-on experience and exposure to real-world tasks. These opportunities help develop work habits, communication skills, and confidence in new settings.

9. Teach Basic Technology Skills

One positive thing about screen time is that it teaches children how to navigate technology efficiently. Tech savviness has become an essential part of many jobs. This fluency shouldn’t stop at the iPad. Get your child familiar with all kinds of programs.  At Monarch House, we can cover some of the fundamentals of basic computer skills, like typing, using software, or navigating the internet safely. That’s only the tip of the iceberg. There are entire courses and programs devoted to learning new tech. We can help you find some of the interactive learning tools and apps designed for children with autism which can provide engaging, skill-building experiences.

10. Provide Positive Reinforcement And Motivation

Work isn’t exactly what most kids consider “fun.” However, you can smooth the wheels with little rewards and good vibes. Money is a good motivator, but also factor in a few treats and a kind word or two to keep them inspired. Consistent praise and positive reinforcement encourages children to practice and build vocational skills. Use perks like stickers, hugs, screen time, or special day trips when tasks are completed successfully. Recognizing progress helps children stay on track and take pride in their accomplishments.

Your first job may have taught you the fundamentals. From that experience you probably familiarized yourself with the basics of how to navigate the workforce, find and keep employment, as well as hone the soft skills that are an integral part of any position. That first job might have even taught you how to find success in your current career by establishing a work ethic and sense of purpose early on. It has been shown that introducing vocational skills early to children with autism paves the way to a more independent and fulfilling future. By starting small, building on their strengths, and using supportive tools, parents, caregivers, and educators can nurture essential life and work-related skills. At Monarch House we have a professional, interdisciplinary staff or occupational therapists, behavioural therapists, psychotherapists, and speech pathologists that are here to help provide strategies to find jobs as well as teach them the basic skills that can be used at their first employment experience. We are a safe, engaging, and consistent environment where children with autism in Toronto can grow at their own pace while developing the confidence and capabilities they need to thrive in adulthood.