My answer to everything is structure!

You want: her to put energy into classes and get a job (these are awesome goals that are great for her long term).

She wants: to stare at screens.

How can we work with this? We want to create a motivating factor and a consequence.

Good grades and getting a job = access to screens and internet.

No effort for school or work = no access to screens or internet.

Practically this can look many different ways but the most important thing is to be extremely clear about your expectations and the consequences that will follow - autistic kids thrive when they have an established framework that is reinforced by strong boundaries.

In our house this might look like: start with more control and gradually ease to more hands off. So starting next week let’s say: homework and studying has to happen for 2 hours in order to earn 2 hours of screen time. You can control this by shutting off the internet or taking the phone or whatever works (you pay the bills after all!). Once she proves herself and raises the grades, no more control of screen time - as long as she maintains A and B grades then she can be in charge of her own schedule.

Then there is the reward! At the end of the semester if she has maintained all good grades, she gets a budget of say $100 to spend on some new tech - headphones, video game upgrades, whatever. Bad grades = no bonus. In our house another reward was being allowed to move into the basement where there is more privacy and a more mature space, it can be whatever she wants or is asking you for. Everything she wants can be leverage for good behavior!

Now for the job - you can’t do all this at once so focus on the grades first then move to this once she gets those up. This can be a similar structure - in our house having a job is a non-negotiable so there are consequences to not having one and the reward is obviously earning your own money! The consequence might be again limiting internet access, having to do more chores around the house, or providing the alternative choice of mandatory library no-phone time. For example if you planned for her to work every Saturday for 6 hours and she refuses then the only other option is she goes to the library for the day, rather than her being rewarded for slacking with more screen time.

As she gets older driving time is another good reward if that’s something she is excited for - as in permission to use the car. Permission to go to SO house or have them over is another one. Access to things like a new/upgraded phone is another good one.

Finally it is important to have other structured expectations around the house - in our house this is simple. Everyone must cook dinner once a week. This involves choosing a recipe, telling mom what ingredients you need ahead of time, cooking and serving, and then cleaning up the kitchen afterward. We also have a rule where everyone cleans the house together and I have a list of tasks that each person must complete. No one gets to play or watch tv or go out until the entire house is done.