From school to a working life that fits

Start early

Transition is the move from school to adult life: work, further learning, living as independently as possible and being part of the community. Begin the conversation in middle school. Small, steady steps from age 12 add up to real choices at 22.

Readiness skills

Employers often say these skills matter as much as job tasks. Each one can be practiced at home, a few minutes a day, with whatever supports your teen uses: visual schedules, AAC, checklists or a phone.

Printable readiness checklist

Print this page and mark each skill: not yet, with help or on my own. Share it at the next IEP meeting.

• Gets up and gets ready on time with an alarm or schedule.
• Follows a task with three or more steps from a list or picture.
• Asks for help or clarification when stuck.
• Greets people and says when a task is done.
• Accepts feedback and tries again.
• Dresses for the task and keeps up personal care.
• Pays for an item and checks the change.
• Travels a familiar route safely and knows what to do if plans change.
• Explains their strengths and one support that helps them work.
• Uses a calming strategy or asks for a break when overwhelmed.

Vocational ideas by interest

Start from what your teen enjoys. A strong interest is a good reason to keep showing up, and many autistic people do their best work when the job matches it.

Transition goals in the IEP (USA)

Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), transition planning must be in the first IEP in effect when a student turns 16. Virginia starts earlier: by the first IEP in effect when the student turns 14, or younger if the team agrees. From 16, Virginia IEPs also list links to adult agencies where appropriate.

What a transition plan includes

• Age-appropriate transition assessments: interest inventories, work samples, interviews and observations.
• Measurable postsecondary goals for education or training, employment and, where appropriate, independent living. These describe life after high school.
• Transition services: instruction, community experiences, work-based learning and connections to agencies.
• A course of study that leads toward the goals.
• Annual IEP goals that build the skills, one year at a time.

Sample postsecondary goals

• Within three months of leaving high school, Maya will enroll in a hospitality training program or a college program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• After high school, Maya will work at least 15 hours a week in a competitive, integrated job in hotel or laundry services.
• After graduation, Maya will complete a DARS-supported internship in an office setting.
• After high school, Maya will travel independently by bus to work and manage her weekly spending with a phone app.

Sample annual IEP goals

• By the annual review, given a visual checklist, Maya will complete a five-step folding and stacking task to standard in 4 of 5 work sessions, as measured by job coach data.
• By the annual review, when she does not understand a task, Maya will ask for help using speech or her AAC device in 80% of opportunities across three settings, as measured by teacher tally.
• By the annual review, Maya will arrive at her school-based job within two minutes of her start time on 9 of 10 scheduled days, as measured by a sign-in log.
• By the annual review, given a purchase under $20, Maya will pay and check her change correctly in 4 of 5 community trips, as measured by staff data.
• By the annual review, Maya will state two strengths and one accommodation she needs at work in 3 of 3 mock interviews, as measured by a rubric.
• By the annual review, with a route map, Maya will travel a familiar bus route with no more than one prompt in 4 of 5 trials, as measured by travel trainer data.

Let your teen lead

Virginia schools must invite the student to any IEP meeting where postsecondary goals or transition services are discussed. Start small: your teen can introduce the team, share a slide of their strengths and interests, or read one goal. Each year, add a part, until they can run the meeting with support.

Age 18 in Virginia

At 18, IDEA rights transfer from parents to the student. The IEP must state at least one year before, usually at 17, that the family has been told. A student can sign a power of attorney so a parent keeps receiving notices and joining decisions, and Virginia also has a professional certification process for students who cannot give informed consent. For broader adult decisions, Virginia law recognizes Supported Decision-Making Agreements for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The adult keeps their rights and chooses trusted supporters, a less restrictive option than guardianship. See the Planning ahead page for wills, ABLE accounts and guardianship.

Planning in India

Schools in India may write an individualized education plan (IEP) for an autistic student, and you can ask for one if yours does not. Indian law does not set out a required transition plan the way US law does. Ask the school to add work and life skills goals from about age 14, and keep a simple family plan of your own.

• Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016: lists autism spectrum disorder as a specified disability, requires inclusive education and reasonable accommodation in schools, gives children with benchmark disabilities the right to free education from 6 to 18, and (Section 19) requires the government to run skill training and self-employment schemes, including exclusive programs for autistic people and people with developmental disabilities.
• National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: commits to inclusion in line with the RPwD Act, with a choice of regular or special schooling, home-based education where needed, and resource centers and special educators shared across school complexes. It also recommends a 10-day bagless period in Grades 6–8 in which students intern with local workers such as carpenters, gardeners and potters, a good first taste of work.
• Legal guardianship at 18: under the National Trust Act, 1999, a parent, sibling or relative can apply to the Local Level Committee in their district to appoint a guardian for an autistic adult. Guardianship is optional; ask whether your young adult needs it, and for which decisions.
• Skill routes: register for a UDID card, then explore PM-DAKSH courses, a National Career Service Centre for Differently Abled, National Trust day-care programs that build vocational skills, and supported employment through non-profits listed below.

Places to get started

USA and Virginia

• Pre-ETS and VR Transition ServicesState agency

  Free job exploration, work-based learning, workplace readiness and self-advocacy training for students with disabilities from age 14, plus vocational rehabilitation after school. Call 800-552-5019.

  Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)

• Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation CenterState center

  A vocational training campus in Fishersville with residential services, workplace readiness and credential programs. Its PERT transition program takes students recommended by their IEP transition team.

  Virginia DARS

• Career and Transition ServicesSchool district

  Career assessment, work-based learning, transition planning and community-based programs for students aged 18 to 22.

  Fairfax County Public Schools, Virginia

• Project SEARCHInternship program

  A final-year program of rotating internships at a host business for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In Virginia it runs with DARS and school divisions; use the program finder.

  Project SEARCH, USA and worldwide

• Mason LIFEUniversity program

  A four-year college program with courses, internships and optional campus housing for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It qualifies for federal financial aid.

  George Mason University, Fairfax

• ACE-IT in CollegeUniversity program

  A five-semester inclusive program combining college classes, campus life and employment support for young adults with intellectual disabilities.

  Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond

• VCU Rehabilitation Research and Training CenterResearch center

  Research, training and services in supported and customized employment, with information for individuals and families.

  Virginia Commonwealth University

• Transition to AdulthoodParent center

  A Virginia transition guide, fact sheets, webinars and supported decision-making resources for families.

  Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC), Virginia

• Supported Decision-Making AgreementsState agency

  Free templates, instructions and examples for Virginia's Supported Decision-Making Agreement.

  Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services

• Ticket to WorkFederal program

  Free, voluntary job support for people aged 18 to 64 who receive SSI or SSDI, including help understanding how work affects benefits.

  US Social Security Administration

• ABLEnowSavings program

  Tax-advantaged ABLE savings accounts, so a young worker can save earnings: up to $100,000 does not count toward the SSI resource limit. Since 2026, disability onset before age 46 qualifies.

  Commonwealth Savers Plan, Virginia

• Job Accommodation Network: autismFederal resource

  Free, confidential advice on workplace accommodations, with autism-specific ideas such as written instructions, noise-canceling headsets and flexible schedules.

  Funded by the US Department of Labor

India

• PM-DAKSH-DEPwDGovernment portal

  Register with a UDID card to choose from over 250 skill training courses and find disability-friendly job openings.

  Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Government of India

• National Career Service Centres for Differently AbledGovernment centers

  About two dozen centers, formerly Vocational Rehabilitation Centres, offering capacity assessment, non-formal vocational training with a stipend and placement help.

  Directorate General of Employment, Ministry of Labour and Employment

• The National Trust schemesGovernment body

  Includes Vikaas day care that builds vocational skills, Gharaunda group homes with vocational activities, Gyan Prabha support for vocational courses and Prerna help with selling products.

  Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India

• NIEPIDNational institute

  The national institute for people with intellectual disabilities, with a Department of Adult Independent Living, a placement cell and regional centers in Noida, Kolkata and Mumbai.

  National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, Secunderabad

• Action For AutismNon-profit

  Vocational training, on-the-job training, an employment readiness program, supported employment and technical training in retail and software testing for autistic young adults.

  Action For Autism, New Delhi

• EnAble IndiaNon-profit

  Employability training, placement and self-employment support for people with disabilities, including autistic people.

  EnAble India, Bengaluru

• Youth4JobsNon-profit

  Free skill training and job placement for youth with disabilities, with training centers and the SwarajAbility jobs portal.

  Youth4Jobs Foundation

• Atypical AdvantageLivelihood platform

  A job portal and talent marketplace connecting people with disabilities to employers and paid creative work.

  Atypical Advantage

Disclosure, rights and accommodations

In the USA, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) covers employers with 15 or more employees. They must provide reasonable accommodations, such as written instructions, a quieter workspace or an adjusted schedule, unless it would cause undue hardship. Disclosure is a personal choice. To ask, tell a supervisor or HR that you need a change at work because of a medical condition. Plain words are enough, with no need to mention the ADA, and it is best to ask as soon as a barrier appears, not after problems build up.

In India, the RPwD Act, 2016 bars government establishments from discriminating in employment and requires them to provide reasonable accommodation. Every establishment, private ones included, must publish an equal opportunity policy. At least 4% of government vacancies are reserved for people with benchmark disabilities, with a share set aside for autistic people and people with intellectual disability, specific learning disability or mental illness.