Practical Living Program

Diamond Care’s Practical Living Program (PLP) assists people with autism spectrum disorders to become as independent as possible. Our independence training and job training is tailored to the unique needs and abilities of each of our clients. Our trainers work to answer 2 major questions when creating unique Practical Living Programs for our clients:

• What are our client’s unique abilities and how can we leverage those abilities to make them more independent or help them find and keep a job?

• What are our client’s unique challenges with regard to communication with others and how can we help them overcome those challenges?

In our first sessions with a new autistic client, our trainers work to identify the client’s unique abilities and determine what sort of job they are suited to. In subsequent sessions, the trainers work with the client to help him or her see him or herself in that job, and they focus on honing our client’s abilities and building our client’s confidence. Finally, the trainers create a quasi-work environment to get the client used to the demands and structure of the workplace.
We also assess our client’s limitations with regard to communication and work with him or her to overcome those limitations. Our trainers work one-on-one with our clients, intervening regularly to encourage them to provide responses and feedback. They work on building both the client’s language skills and non-verbal skills so that the client is able to communicate his or her needs and wishes as clearly as possible.

Additionally, we can train and support employers to prepare them to have an autistic employee in their place of business.