Transition Survival 104: Vocational Topics & Job Coaching

Matching a job to a person's interests also involves understanding the workplace's demands and available support. Michele LaMarche examines vocational preparation for autistic adolescents and young adults, including hands-on assessment, job tryouts, communication needs and the roles of job coaches, coworkers and supervisors.

Presenter biographies: Michele LaMarche.

MANDATORY DISCLAIMER: The Behavior Analyst Certification Board (“BACB”) does not sponsor, approve, or endorse Special Learning, the materials, information, or sessions identified herein.

The session compares abstract questionnaires with hands-on discovery and job tryouts, then reviews competitive, customized and supported employment. LaMarche connects preparation to the three P's, pre-teach, practice and perform, and identifies asking for help, requesting breaks and communicating lack of understanding among the starting workplace skills.

Supervisor examples focus on consistent directions, written information, repeat-back and checks of understanding. A case involving a preferred drink break examines how the team reconsidered events before work, tasks, breaks and the employee's control over scheduling.

What does this recording cover?

• The vocational assessment block examines interests, strengths, communication, sensory needs and the workplace's physical and social environment.
• The three P's connect preparation and repeated practice with performance in the actual workplace.
• The discussion of employment models compares competitive, customized and supported placements.
• The supervisor block examines written directions, repeat-back, demonstration and check-in points.
• The break schedule example examines arrival check-ins, revised tasks and greater employee control over scheduling.

Recording context: The recording date is unavailable, and its local vocational rehabilitation discussion offers no verified service timeline.

Three selected learner comments

The six-item evaluation mean was 4.45/5 across 20 complete responses, from 163 recorded rating responses. This mean includes only complete six-score responses. Source: Special Learning's course evaluation records, snapshot October 11, 2026.

Three selected anonymous responses appear below, with the wording and spelling retained. They describe learners' experiences and requests; they are not a guarantee of results or a claim that these comments represent every learner.

Informing about how long takes the process to get services from Vocational Rehabilitation and providing links to the websites to find this type of information.

Course evaluation response, 2023

Recommended further reading/ links to articles or additional, related presentations

Course evaluation response, 2023

Leave the visuals up on the screen longer or do a split-screen…less of a “talking head”

Course evaluation response, 2023

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