Self-care/Activities of Daily Living
Self-care skills/Activities of daily living (ADL's) are the everyday tasks undertaken so children can participate in life activities (including dressing, eating, etc.). Although we can support them to complete these tasks, it is important that we give the kids an opportunity to do it themself so they can learn to be independent!
Feeding
During snack time and lunch, it is important to recognize how your student interacts with food:
Foods presented- What type of food? What brand?
Tolerance of food- Are there behavioral reactions?
Avoidant behaviors exhibited- Are they saying no? Pushing the food away? Leaning back?
Positioning- Making sure they are positioned in a way that supports an upright posture
Use of utensils- Are they able to self-feed?
Level of independence with feeding
Oral motor skills- Are they able to close the lips?
Dressing
Dressing is an important life skill that a child should develop over time; throughout the school day students need to be able to take off/put on their coat for recess as well as be able to efficiently dress after tolieting. Eventually, your student should be able to manipulate fasteners, take off/put on clothes, identify what articles of clothing go where, and know what order the clothing goes on.
Hygiene
Working on developing skills so that your student can be more independent with hygiene care throughout the school day is important. To complete self-care tasks such as toileting and handwashing one must have good hand and finger strength, hand control, and planning/sequencing.
​​