Increasing Independence and SelfHelp Skills

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Increasing Independence and Self-Help Skills

• Florida Atlantic University
• Center for Autism and Related Disabilities
• FAU-CARD
• Funded by the Florida Department of Education

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Introduction

• Goals of training
• Choosing skills to teach
• Breaking the skills down to make learning easier
• How to teach independence and self-help skills
• Using rewards
• Troubleshooting learning difficulties
• By the end of this training you will have a
  completed plan to teach the first 1-2 skills.

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Why Teach Independence and Self-Help Skills?

• Increases a persons quality of life
• Helps them to be self-reliant
• Increases dignity
• Removes stress from caregivers
• Etc.

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When Should I Begin?

• As soon as possible
• However, it depends on the skill
• Age appropriate
• Will the skill be used regularly?
• Will the skill be supported?
• Prerequisites acquired
• You probably do the skills for them in their
  presencetherefore, you might as well teach them.

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First Things First...Create a Plan

• Determine the skill that you want to teach.
• What are you doing for them? Make a list.
• What will help them be more independent?
• Does he/she have the prerequisite skills?
• What is the persons interest?
• What do you want to teach to make your day
  easier?
• Pick 1-2 skills so that you do not overload your
  student or yourself.

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Some Sample Skills

• Dressing
• Putting on shoes
• Taking a bath
• Using a fork or spoon to eat
• Shaving
• Brushing teeth
• Washing hair
• Completing work/chores

• Taking out the trash
• Folding clothes
• Pouring a drink
• Using a vending machine
• Putting toys away
• Raking leaves
• Making a snack
• Doing a puzzle
• Playing with toys

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Setting the Stage for Learning

• Determine the best time to teach
• On average 10-15 min. and 1-3 times per day for
  several days a week. Some may need more or less.
  Some may tolerate more or less. Depends on the
  skills and individual.
• Determine where to teach
• Should occur where the skill is needed!
• Determine what materials are needed to teach
• Materials should be those found in the
  environment
• Have materials ready before the learning session
  begins
• Have all rewards ready before the learning
  session begins

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Setting the Stage for Yourself to be a Teacher

• Be patient
• Be persistent
• Stick with it despite set back
• Be optimistic
• Be a careful observer.
• Look to see what you are doing correctly and what
  you can do better
• Observe the appropriateness of materials
• Is the training environment the actual setting
  where the skill is to be used?
• Is the skill supported by others?
• Is the skill really needed?

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Make the Learning EasierBreak the Task Down into
Simple Steps

• Once you have chosen a skill to teach, break the
  skill into smaller steps.
• Example of folding towels
• Takes towel from first basket.
• Puts towel on table.
• Folds first half.
• Folds second half.
• Puts in finish basket.
• The importance of breaking skills down for
  teaching.

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Make the Learning EasierBreak the Task Down into
Simple Steps

• Example of washing hands.
• Turns on water.
• Puts hands under water.
• Get soap.
• Rub hands.
• Rinses hands.
• Turns off water.
• Dry hands.

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Teaching Strategies

• Choose a way to teach the skill.
• Teach backwards.
• Teach the skill starting with the last step in
  the sequence.
• After success, you move back a step until you
  reach the beginning step of the skill.
• Example of folding towels.
• You are taking them along for the ride and
  backing off slowly.
• Useful for complex tasks with many steps.

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Teaching Strategies

• Choose a way to teach the skill.
• Teach all at once.
• You teach each step at once and in proper order.
• Example of washing hands.
• Useful for tasks that are not complex.
• Useful when the person can do some of the steps
  of the task.
• One disadvantage is that teaching all at once may
  confuse the person.

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Prompting Strategies

• Everybody needs helpthat is what prompts are
  for.
• They help the learner to be successful so that
  the experience is rewarding and not frustrating.

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Prompting Strategies

• Types of prompts
• Hand over hand
• Partial hand over hand
• Model
• Gesture
• Verbal
• Visual (including pictures, drawings, and videos)

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How to Choose and Use Prompts

• Determine the students current level on the step
  or steps that you are teaching.
• Prompt right away and with the prompt that is
  likely to be successful, but not too intrusive.
• Try to give less help each time that you teach
  the skill.
• Observe the student while you are prompting.
• Determine how much they are helping.
• If you feel or see them doing more, then begin to
  slowly back off.
• If you do not feel or see them doing more, then
  stay at the current prompt.
• Give more rewards when they require less help.

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Making the Learning Fun and Rewarding

• Either during or at the end of the lesson, the
  person has to be rewarded.
• Choose things that have worked to teach other
  skills.
• You may choose
• Praise
• Food
• Activities, etc.
• After they can do the task, begin to fade the
  rewards.
• For example
• After every 2 times, then every 3, and so on
• Eventually, task completion will be rewarding.

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Adding Visual Aides

• Can show the task step by step
• Can show the overall task
• Removes adults from the situation
• Allows the student to be more independent but
  still get extra environmental support
• Examples and how to use them

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Washing Hands
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Washing Hands
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Going to the Bathroom
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Folding A Towel
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Folding Towels
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Folding and Putting Away Clothes
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Sorting Utensils
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Chores Schedule
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Half Day Activity Schedule
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Full Day Schedule with Centers Schedule
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Making a Sandwich
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Troubleshooting

• Does the person have the prerequisite skills?
• Is the task broken down into small enough steps?
• Are the steps too small?
• Did you choose the right teaching and prompting
  method?
• Are you prompting correctly?
• Are you rewarding the person? Is it often?
• Was the skill acquired and now gone? If so, was
  it supported in the real world?
• Was the skill useful for the person?
• Was it done for them?

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Summary

• Now that you have a learning plan, try it out.
• If you run into problems, begin to troubleshoot.
• If you continue to have problems ask for help
  from a qualified person.
• Remember, The student does not fail to learn.
  Rather, the teaching fails to teach.

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Need Help???

• card_at_fau.edu