Everyday Functional Life Skills

Everyday life-functioning skills allow people to be productive and happy members of society. Deficits in these skills, whether caused by physical or emotional issues, can prevent people from living up to their personal and professional potential and can also cause unneeded stress. There are many ways for both adults and children to compensate for deficits in everyday life-functioning skills.

Identification

• Everyday functional life skills are sometimes also known as executive functioning skills. These are the skills that allow people to plan, execute, organize, and interpret---in other words, to function as a successful person, both personally and professionally. In everyday life, people need the skills to keep themselves and their possessions organized, keep appointments and to meet deadlines, distinguish appropriate behavior from inappropriate behavior, learn from mistakes and incorporate new information in a seamless and productive way.

Causes of Deficits

• Various issues, including chronic health conditions, psychiatric conditions, substance abuse and learning differences can lead to deficits in everyday life-functioning skills. Children who have an underlying health condition or a learning disability may also have trouble with everyday life-functioning skills, though deficits often present differently in children than they do in adults.

Signs of Deficits

• Common signs of deficits in everyday life-functioning skills are being chronically late, constantly misplacing items, forgetting appointments and feeling unable to keep a home clean or stay on top of personal affairs. Children with everyday life-functioning deficits frequently misplace assignments, often forgetting completely that they even have an assignment; they may have noticeably disorganized binders, lockers, and bedrooms; they may have particular trouble completing long-term assignments, leaving much of the work until the night before the due date.

Results of Deficits

• As a result of these deficits, people may not live up to their full potential and may develop feelings of inadequacy. They may feel flustered and overwhelmed, despite having the same number of responsibilities as peers who appear calm and composed. Children with deficits in everyday life-functioning skills may perform poorly in school and frequently get into trouble. They may feel isolated and have trouble connecting with their peers, often suffering from low self-esteem.

Overcoming Deficits

• There are many actions a person can take to compensate for weak life-functioning skills, such as keeping a datebook or a PDA handy. Utilizing calendar functions on computers, including pop-up reminders, can also help people remember appointments or tasks. Children may benefit from having a large, colorful calendar in their room or in a common area. For long-term tasks, children will need help deciding on interim goals to be met. At home, it may help to pick a designated place where important things like keys and glasses will "live," lessening the chance of misplacing them. Finally, adults and children can benefit from picking one day a week or a month to clean clutter areas such as desks or binders.