In a previous post we have mentioned the importance for Flora and students with ASC to develop skills necessary for everyday life, such as making their own toast or boiling eggs.
The goal of planning such activities is to help the student become as independent as possible in their daily life.
Life skills include self-care, cooking, shopping/using money, traveling independently, and organizing/tidying up rooms.
During this time Flora is learning to dress herself.
1. Choosing skills that appropriate to student’s abilities and needs
As in every activity, it is important to consider the student's cognitive level, their abilities and needs, and what they are learning at the time.
Currently, Flora is developing her fine motor skills, building her own robot. More information about fine motor skills can be found here.
To generalize the knowledge she has gained and start using it in her everyday life, we have decided to Flora how to dress herself. More specifically, Flora is learning to put on her jacket by buttoning/unbuttoning and zipping up/ unzipping her coat, and putting on her shoes.
2. Clear instructions
It is important to give the student clear instructions so that they know exactly what to do. Using symbols helps the student understand what steps to follow and what to do.
3. Purpose
It is important when planning life skills activities that they are combined with a purpose relevant to the skill we are focusing on. For example, ask Flora to put on her jacket when it’s time to go outside.
4. Frequent repetition
As with all activities, it is important to give the student opportunities to practice the new skill by gradually decreasing the adult's support. This is why it is also good to organize it as a classroom activity.
More information about the activity can be found here.
We will share more tips and activities in the future, so keep visiting us.
We are looking forward to hearing your views and experiences.
You can email us at florastophasma@gmail.com.