How to Teach Life Skills to Mentally Retarded Students

Students with mental retardation are capable of learning a great deal; however, they often need to be taught systematically and creatively in order to master certain skills. Many life skills need to be taught and practiced multiple times to help them independently participate in daily routines and activities. With the right environment and training program, students with mental retardation should show improvements in current life skills and begin to make progress with new skills.

Instructions

1. Evaluate the current skill level of the students through observation, testing and parent interview. Discuss with parents and caregivers the skills that they would like to see the student master. Life skills can include from self-care activities including eating, grooming and dressing; to skills such as cleaning, shopping and maintaining one’s environment; and skills needed in the work force.

2. Now that you have determined the set of skills you will be focusing on, you will want to create an environment that supports the use of these skills. If you are teaching teeth brushing, make sure you have a bathroom set aside for that activity and that it has a sink, mirror, toothbrush, toothpaste and cup. Your student will generalize the skill into his home environment more quickly if you use the same type of toothbrush and toothpaste in both environments.

3. Break down the skills you want to teach into simple measurable steps so that you can track progress. If the skill is to have your student clean up the kitchen after she eats, the first step you work on could be bringing her dish to the sink. The second step could be turning on the water and the third step could be scrubbing her dish with a soapy sponge. When she masters one step, move onto the next one.

4. Share the skills and particular steps you are working on with the parents and caregivers so that they can be working on the same steps at the same time. Doing this will reinforce the skill for your student and should help increase the speed of progress.

5. Follow a predictable schedule and stay consistent so working on life skills will be a part of your student’s daily routine. This will help build confidence and reduce the stress and anxiety that can come with performing new or challenging skills.

6. Be patient and realistic. It may take a while for your student to master certain skills, but a systematic approach should eventually pay off.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish