Are you arranging opportunities for the student to practice the targeted skill in natural environments and under natural conditions?
Consider how the natural supports within the setting can continue to support the student’s performance. In the case of a student with a disclosed disability who will require some ongoing support, who will assure that visual supports are in place? Someone needs to be available who can verbally praise and reinforce the student for specific target skills that require praise. Times for feedback can be written in the student’s schedule. In the case of a student who has fewer support needs, does the student self-advocate for the support he will need? In other words, he will need to independently ask a co-worker to check specific tasks that may pose an occasional problem for him.
Be careful not to tax the good nature of co-workers and supervisors. Ongoing need for natural support, including monitoring, rule review, and feedback beyond normal expectations, often leads to problems in sustained employment. How can you assure that natural support needs are at a sustainable level? Also note that when one employee or supervisor who serves as a natural support leaves, the replacement employee or supervisor may not be so willing.
Have you adapted visual supports so that they can remain in the natural environments that this student encounters now, and in the future?
Students who achieve success in using visual supports can become their own best advocates in assuring that they have those supports in future settings. Teaching the student how to care for the supports and to store them in specific locations when not in use can be steps on the student’s schedule. In our experience, more than one young employee has stated “I could not do this job without my schedule!”
Note that for some students, your effort is to design and implement visual supports that the student can later replicate for himself (e.g. load a schedule onto his new mobile device; write down his self-generated task list for the work period).