The Tribune

By VANIQUE SMITH

Life skills are the most basic of the functional skills. They are the building blocks for a productive life. We usually acquire these skills in the first few years of life.

Life skills cover a wide variety of milestones which include:

self- feeding

dressing

self-toileting

walking

making simple requests

health & money management

home management

community integration

Students with developmental delays often need to have these skills taught through breaking them down, modeling them or through interventions.

Life skills are the foundation of my classroom and are at the core my teaching instruction. Of course, conventional academics are super important and every child should be encouraged to reach their highest academic goal. Nevertheless, where conventional academics may fail or plateau, life skills can make up for.

I’m often saddened and sometimes frustrated at the fact life skills are not viewed as one of the core subject areas in a typical school. Even though most of the foundational skills are effortlessly developed, there are still several that need to be taught - and not just to individuals with developmental delays!

Some of these include: money management (not to be confused with money identification and counting money), time management (not to be confused with telling time), health management, conflict-resolution, job seeking skills, to name a few.

Without some form of life skills, you wouldn’t be able to read this article. Think about it. You had to have some idea of where to buy a newspaper from within the community. In addition, you had to have some sort of money management skills in order to pay for this paper.

What Exactly are Life Skills?

Life skills are:

· those skills which will assist an individual in interacting with his or her environment as independently as possible (interpersonal skills)

· those skills that are necessary to allow an individual to become a contributing member of society.

· those skills which develop in the student a sense of dignity and worthiness

· those skills which permit an individual to problem solve appropriately and responsibly in life situations.

· those skills which are necessary for an individual to manage his/her own personal affairs.

The entire aforementioned help make a balanced individual. Without these skills being instilled in our children at an early age, we risk robbing them of a fulfilled life.

The beauty about teaching life skills is that you can find teachable moments everywhere - not just in the classroom!

Here are some ways you can incorporate life skills lessons into everyday life.

1. Allow students to independently follow a daily schedule. Note: Lower functioning students with developmental delays may benefit from the use of visuals.

2. Allow students to make small purchases with their money from the school’s tuck shop or restaurants.

3. Allow students to resolve minor conflicts with peers or siblings without intervening.

4. Allow students to run complexed errands to different parts of the school. Note: Some students with developmental delays may need some assistance finding different areas of the school.

5. Create a meal preparation lesson allowing students to follow a simple recipe. (This one is my favourite!)

Learning life skills can be challenging for people with developmental delays. However, it is essential for safety, self- esteem, independence and overall fulfillment in an individual. Teach them, be consistent and your child will thank you for it.

• For workshop inquiries or if you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

Contacts: 242-552-5909

Email: tutoringtherapy@gmail.com

Facebook: Therapy Learning Center