How to Teach Independent Living Skills to Special Needs Adults

Adults with special needs include people who are mentally challenged and developmentally disabled. Many special-needs adults are limited in areas of functioning such as conceptual, social and practical life skills. Adults with these challenges often need help in their lives, including at home, in the community and at work. Developing life skills can help people with special needs gain greater independence in all of these areas.

Instructions

• 1

  Make lists of the steps involved in a task. Review this list, and talk the person through these instructions while she completes them. For example, if you are teaching an individual how to brush her teeth, give both oral and written instructions. The list for learning to brush teeth might read, "Pick up toothbrush. Wet the toothbrush. Remove cap from toothpaste," and so on. Lists such as this can be used for many types of independent living skills, such as cooking, cleaning or taking the bus, and can even be used for vocational or job training. A step-by-step approach such as this can be catered to individuals with different ability levels and can be used for both people who are verbal and non-verbal.

• 2

  Use a variety of teaching tasks. For some individuals, joining a group and learning skills with others may provide help and support. Other tools can include family members in the learning process, making a sequence of photos related to the task at hand or using a story to help teach the skill. It is also helpful to teach the task in the place where it usually occurs. For instance, if teaching someone to iron clothes, do it in the room in which she will be ironing clothes, if possible.

• 3

  Tailor your teaching techniques to the individual. Everyone has a preferred learning style, including people with special needs who are a diverse group. Some people learn better by watching; others, by verbal instruction; and still others, by doing. Some people, especially those with developmental disabilities, may learn best through universal communication. This means offering verbal and visual cues. For non-verbal adults, this may include the use of sign language for communication and reinforcement.