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. Co-workers need to know what to discuss with the student, what not to bring up, how to socially reinforce him and label his skills. Your advocacy for the student is often greatly appreciated by office personnel. Involve them in the process of moving this student towards a successful career; give them specific guidance in supporting him with his immediate goals. 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.
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. Your first goal is to make those supports easily accessible and independently used. 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).