Advanced Life Skills Program

Our Advanced Life Skills program was created by Heidi Chapman, a proudly autistic teacher, to specifically support young, autistic adults increase their capacity for independence. This program is designed to ensure participants have the tools and strategies they need to survive and thrive in their day to day lives through five core modules: housing essentials, succeeding in the workplace, responsible citizenship, positive relationships, and well-being.

Program format

The Advanced Life Skills program is a blended learning format with a 10-week duration. The program features two hours of face-to-face learning weekly in Brisbane, facilitated by a trainer. This face-to-face component will also be converted to an online format (i.e. Zoom or Microsoft Teams) on an ongoing basis for regional/remote locations or where COVID-19* impacts Empower Autism’s capacity to deliver the program in person. In the face-to-face learning component, the program trainer teaches participants about each topic through a series of activities and discussions.

In addition to face-to-face learning, there is one-hour of online learning for participants to complete each week to increase their depth of knowledge on the topic covered. Participants will also be encouraged to develop a peer-led study group to support their learning and enhance their sense of community.

In total, participants can expect to commit to 2-4 hours of time to the course each week.

The program features five modules:

Living Arrangements
Succeeding in the workplace
Responsible Citizenship
Positive Relationships
Wellbeing

Who is the program for?

The program is suited to autistic young adults (ASD Level 1 or 2) who are ready to or considering living independently – from around the age of 18 to 30 years old.

Program Competencies

If you complete all modules in this course, you will have the option to complete short, simple assessments to gain the competencies aligned with the program. These may be able to be credited to a future relevant vocational course.