Jobs for Autistic Teenagers

The teenage years are quite formative in a person’s life. They are met with a lot of new things, whether that be in their own personal physical development, what they’re exposed to, extra freedoms they get and the fact that they usually start thinking about their long-term future.

For many teenagers, this part of their life is the first time they are exposed to careers on a first-hand basis. In fact, many people get their first job when they are teenagers.

Common jobs for teenagers include part-time work at local grocery or convenience stores, malls or other retail environments. If your child has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), though, these jobs may or may not be the best fit for them.

So, what are good jobs for teenagers with autism? While there isn’t a straightforward answer to that question, there are many different types of jobs in which your child with ASD might excel.

Below, we’ll take a look at some jobs that might be a good fit for your autistic teenager, based on their specific strengths and challenges.

Learn more about the unemployment rate for people with autism

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How to Decide What Jobs Are Good for Your Autistic Teenager

ASD affects people in many different ways. That’s why there are so many references to a wide spectrum when discussing autism.

Some teenagers may be considered high-functioning and be affected in relatively minor ways by their neurodevelopmental disorder, while others may be more severely affected and have more significant limitations.

Generally speaking, ASD is characterized by deficits in communication and social interactions, along with restrictive interests, repetitive behaviors and/or sensory sensitivities. That being said, there are many things that teenagers on the autism spectrum excel at.

As such, it’s very important to understand your child’s particular strengths and challenges so you can help them choose a job that would be a fit for them and that they could likely excel at doing.

Your child might be a visual thinker, for instance, and would do quite well in jobs that allowed them to explore and express their creativity. At the same time, many teenagers with autism struggle with short-term memory, making any jobs that require them to use their short-term working memory in quick succession likely bad fits.

What Jobs Might Not Be Good for My Autistic Teenager?

Keeping in mind that your teenager might struggle with making multiple decisions quickly — even if those decisions seem relatively minor to neurotypical individuals — there are some jobs that they might struggle completing.

This includes being a cashier, because they would have to use their short-term working memory too often when making change, for instance. Trying to process that, as well as any other questions that customers have, might be too demanding for them.

In the same vein, being a waiter or short-order cook could also be challenging. Both of these positions require people to multi-task, remember a lot of things at once and keep track of multiple orders.

While this would mean that many typical teenage jobs are likely off the table, there are plenty of other jobs where they could do well.

What Jobs Might Be Good for My Autistic Teenager?

On the flip side, there are many jobs that autistic teenagers could thrive in.

Visual thinkers might do quite well at photography, designing web pages, other forms of art and design, and working with animals.

Non-visual thinkers who like music, math and general facts could be good working in a library, at an accounting office or as a filer or clerk.

These are all jobs that could play to your autistic teenager’s strengths and put them in the best position to succeed.

Are There Other Considerations for Autistic Teenagers Looking for a Job?

Beyond the job itself, it’s also important to consider the company your autistic teenager is going to work for. The company should be understanding of your child’s unique needs and challenges, and be accepting and inclusive of them.

They should help create an environment in which your autistic teenager can flourish — not only in producing for the company but also in building confidence in themselves for a future career.

If your child needs special accommodations, it’s important you help them communicate those to their employer so that they can get whatever they need. By being open about this from the beginning, you can set your autistic teenager up for success in whatever job they get.

Blue Gems ABA Helps Prepare Children with Autism for Careers

There are some jobs that would be great fits for autistic teenagers, such as the ones described above. As we laid out, it’s important to help your child pick a job and environment that would cater to their strengths and challenges.

At Blue Gems ABA, we help support children with autism by administering applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy) on a one-to-one basis. In doing so, we help them improve the social, communication and daily life skills they may struggle with, while teaching them to modify certain behaviors that may be negative and/or harmful.

ABA therapy can help children with ASD build the essential skills they need to build great careers, which can help them live fulfilling, productive and independent lives.

To learn more, please contact us today.