Adaptive skills are practiced and integrated within the home, community and natural environments. Parent training in which parents can demonstrate their ability to use intervention strategies to further promote their child’s/adolescent’s/young adult’s skills is a core component of the Adaptive Skills Program. Functional Independence and self-reliance, problem solving and decision making, self monitoring and coping skills, social pragmatics and social skills, social communication, pursue recreational and leisure activities, which are generalized with their parents, siblings, family members, adults and peers in their home and community.
Specific Procedures including task analysis, chaining, visual schedules including checklists and charts, TEACCH strategies, Miller Method strategies, Visualization and Verbalization, Self-monitoring strategies, use of augmentative communication (PECS, voice output systems, sign language) will be utilized to teach skill acquisitions.
Adaptive skills come from adaptive behavior, or the conceptual, social, functional skills that individuals have learned and use in their daily lives. These skill areas include:
- Self-Care – bathing, dressing, grooming, and feeding one’s self
- Communication Skills – understanding and using verbal and nonverbal language
- Self-Direction – problem solving, exercising choice, initiating and planning activities
- Social Skills – maintaining interpersonal relationships, understanding emotions and social cues, understanding fairness and honesty, obeying rules and laws
- Leisure Skills – taking responsibility for one’s own activities, having the ability to participate in the community
- Home or School Living – housekeeping, cooking, doing laundry, maintaining living space
- Functional Academics – using reading, writing, and math skills in everyday life
- Community Use – shopping, using public transportation, using community services
- Work – ability to maintain part-time or full-time employment, either competitive or sheltered, ability to work under supervision, cooperate with coworkers, be reliable and punctual, and meet work standards
- Health and Safety – ability to protect one’s self, responding to health problems.
