How to Teach Life Skills to Special Needs Teens
If you have a special needs child, you've probably spent a lot of time thinking about how they can become independent and what you can do to help. As teens, almost all youth develop a strong desire for independence. Use this desire, your every day "teachable moments" and available classes and resources to teach life skills to special needs teens.
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Instructions
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Find Resources For Special Needs Teens
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List as many of the skills you believe your child will need in the outside world as you can. Do this as you go through your day, working, shopping, paying bills, cooking and performing other normal tasks. Writing the list yourself will make you aware of behaviors that you can model and share with teens.
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Show the list to your child's teacher, doctor, therapist and any other caregiver who helps your child. Ask them to review and add to the tasks, using their knowledge of the child's abilities and problems.
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Look up books and teaching guides that offer practical exercises in the life skills you have listed. Ask teachers and other parents of special needs teens for their recommendations. A practical and highly praised book is Life Skills Activities for Secondary Students With Special Needs (see Resources below).
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Seek out life skills classes sponsored by local schools, community centers, colleges or charitable foundations.
Use Life Skills Resources to Teach Teens
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Turn the everyday activities from your list into "teaching moments." At the grocery store ask your child to find the least expensive canned peaches. Wait at a bus stop and demonstrate how to pay the fare, find a seat and get off at the right stop. Show your child simple cooking and cleaning methods and review them again.
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Find practical help with a free online life skills download from CaseyLifeSkills.org (see Resources below).
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Enroll your child in a life skills class, but continue to teach at home. Stay in touch with teachers to support what your child is learning.
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Tips & Warnings
It may be an uncomfortable subject, but special needs teens need to know both the mechanics and morals connected with sex. Books and classes have suggestions about how to handle the topic (see Resources below).
See that special needs teens get enough experience in normal social etiquette, such as talking to a store clerk, relating to friends at a party or asking for information.
There comes a point where you must accept your child's limitations. Take into consideration your past experiences, evaluations by teachers and doctors and how much measurable progress he or she has made as you decide how much independence is appropriate.
