Daily Living Skills Children Can (and Should) be Taught

Many parents may have experienced the distressing thought of what may happen to their children if they weren’t around to support their everyday needs. Perhaps this is a frequent occurrence for those with children who are on the autism spectrum. To promote independence, parents can teach their children daily living skills early on so the skills can be developed over time and new skills can be taught accordingly. Daily living skills refers to a wide range of self-care activities that are used in our daily lives. Here are some of the daily living skills that children can (and should) be taught:

Self-Help: When thinking of daily living skills, self-help skills may be the most obvious set of skills that comes to mind. Teaching self-help skills enables your child to be independent and meet their basic needs in everyday tasks. These skills include dressing, utilizing utensils, toileting, and personal hygiene routines such as brushing teeth, flossing, bathing, and washing hands. When teaching these skills, try breaking them down into small steps, show your child how to do it by doing it yourself, or use visuals. Remember, it takes time and practice.

Safety Skills: Does your child know what constitutes an emergency and what to do or who to call if there is one? Even if they do know who to call, do they know the phone number or have the skills to report key facts? These are skills that parents can teach their children so they can remain safe along with stranger danger, water safety, street safety, dangerous household items, and location of necessary items such as the first aid kit.

Organization: No doubt organization skills are important to keep our daily lives in order. It’s important for children to learn and practice at an early age as well! Children can be taught to utilize calendars, checklists, activity schedules, and/ or task lists to help them structure their day and plan activities. For example, a checklist may be a helpful tool for your child to pack necessary items for school. Once your child becomes accustomed to the routine, the checklist may no longer be needed and faded out. Designating specific areas / spaces where items will be kept or where certain activities such as homework will be performed will also help develop children’s organization skills. Use color codes, be specific, and be consistent!

Leisure Skills: With busy schedules, sometimes we may forget that engaging in leisure activities is a part of our daily lives and self-care routine. Teaching children appropriate leisure skills will improve their well being and quality of life by enabling them to access activities that make them happy. Explore various leisure activities with your child to find what activities they may enjoy. Here are some ideas: Outdoor recreational activities (bike riding, basketball, swimming, etc.), musical instruments, reading, puzzles, martial arts, Legos, art (drawing, painting, origami, etc.), and dancing.

Technology: In our technologically advanced world today, it will be useful to know how to operate technology devices for various reasons. For example, appliances such as the microwave or toaster can be utilized by older children to independently prepare their meals or a simple snack. A child will need to know how to operate a phone in order to make a phone call during an emergency or surf the web to find information such as today’s weather to dress accordingly. Being able to operate technology devices such as a computer, iPod, or camera will also enable children to access leisure activities.

Get started today - rather than completely doing all daily living tasks for your child, slowly take a step back to allow them the opportunity to practice the skills themselves and gain independence!

Jennifer Luu, M.A., BCBA
Behavior Supervisor, San Gabriel Valley, CA
Tuesday, July 28, 2020

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