A big part of adulthood is being able to navigate everyday life with increasing independence. This includes getting to places such as work, the supermarket, or a friend or family member’s home. It also means communicating effectively: asking for information, understanding and responding to others, and interacting with both familiar and unfamiliar people in a kind and respectful way. Also important are the organizational skills that help individuals manage responsibilities, remember what needs to be done, and adapt when plans change.
Below are the second set of skills in three key areas: community participation, communication, and executive functioning. Each skill is divided into three levels of independence: foundational, skill building, and generalization and independence.
Guide for Growth : Nine Daily Living Skills That Support Everyday Life
Community Skills
These skills help teens navigate the world outside the home safely, confidently, and with greater independence.
10. Navigating Familiar Places
1. Foundational Skills: The teens know where commonly used items are located in familiar environments. Example: When there is no toilet paper in the bathroom, they know to go to the supply closet and bring more upstairs.
2. Skill Building: The teens can navigate familiar community settings independently, such as school, the library, supermarket, or restaurants. Example: They can transition between classes independently, locate the bathroom in a restaurant, and find common items in a supermarket.
3. Generalization and Independence: The teens can follow familiar routes and use directions to navigate to new locations. Example: They can get to the supermarket by walking, driving, or using public transportation and can follow directions on their phone to meet friends at a new restaurant.
11. Making Simple Purchases
1. Foundational Skills: The teens can use cash or a debit card to make a purchase when given enough money. Example: Their parents give them $20 to get dinner with friends, and they know how to pay the cashier.
2. Skill Building: The teens understand the concept of having enough money to make a purchase and can make simple spending decisions. Example: They recognize that they cannot purchase a $30 item if they only have $25, or they choose a hamburger instead of a steak when they do not have enough money.
3. Generalization and Independence: The teens begin to understand basic budgeting and can plan spending around needs and priorities. Example: They set aside money for gas each week or stay within a clothing budget, rather than spending all their money on one expensive item.
12. Understanding Basic Safety Rules
1. Foundational Skills: The teens understand basic safety rules related to knives, scissors, hot surfaces, fire, water, and unfamiliar people. Example: They understand that fire is dangerous and know not to answer the door for a stranger.
2. Skill Building: The teens can safely manage common hazards and participate in activities that require safety awareness. Example: They can prepare a simple meal using a knife and stove, swim safely, and wear a life jacket when boating.
3. Generalization and Independence: The teens can recognize unsafe situations, respond appropriately, and seek help when necessary. Example: They know how to call 911 during a fire or notify an adult if they are injured while cooking.
4. Communication Skills: Effective communication allows teens to advocate for themselves, build relationships, and navigate both familiar and unfamiliar social situations.
13. Basic Social Interaction Skills
1. Foundational Skills: The teens can respond to and initiate basic greetings and pleasantries with familiar people. Example: They say hello and goodbye to teachers and peers, and thank a cashier after completing a purchase.
2. Skill Building: The teens can participate in short conversations with familiar people about both preferred and non-preferred topics. Example: They share information about their school day, tell a parent about a test, and ask how someone else’s day went.
3. Generalization and Independence: The teens can use these skills with both familiar and unfamiliar people. Example: They can interact with a new coach and teammates on a sports team, or make small talk with a new coworker.
14. Using a Phone for Communication
1. Foundational Skills: The teens are learning to manage phone use and communicate with family and friends through calls and texts, with support. Example: They follow established rules about where and when they can use their phone and can send or respond to texts with guidance.
2. Skill Building: The teens demonstrate increasing self-control with phone use and can use their phone to communicate important information independently. Example: They have increased access to their phone while continuing to follow agreed-upon limits and can communicate with friends and family through texts and calls.
3. Generalization and Independence: The teens independently manage their phone use and use it as a tool for communication and accessing information. Example: They know when to put their phone away and can independently look up a restaurant menu, directions, or other information they need.
15. Requesting Help
1. Foundational Skills: The teens know how to ask for help at home and school. Example: They ask where an unfamiliar item belongs when unloading the dishwasher or ask a teacher for help with an assignment.
2. Skill Building: The teens can independently request help in familiar community settings. Example: They know how to ask an employee for help when a bowling ball gets stuck or ask a restaurant server where the bathroom is.
3. Generalization and Independence: The teens can seek assistance from unfamiliar people in unfamiliar situations and respond appropriately when something unexpected happens. Example: If a movie is sold out, they can approach an employee to explore another showing. If they cannot find an item in an unfamiliar store, they can ask a sales associate for assistance.
Executive Functioning AND Responsibility
Executive functioning skills are often challenging for neurodiverse teens, but they are essential for managing responsibilities, adapting to change, and functioning independently as adults.
16. Time Awareness & Scheduling
1. Foundational Skills: The teens understand basic routines and can respond to alarms and established schedules. Example: They get out of bed when their alarm sounds and know when it is time to shower or begin another daily routine.
2. Skill Building: The teens can set their own alarms, manage their time, and adjust when plans change. Example: If they want to relax before starting homework, they set an alarm for 20 minutes and transition to homework when it rings.
3. Generalization and Independence: The teens can independently manage their daily schedule, including appointments, one-time events, travel time, and changes to plans. Example: They keep track of a monthly after-school club meeting and remember to notify their parents that they will be home later than usual.
17. Following Multi-Step Routines
1. Foundational Skills: The teens can follow a daily multi-step routine using visual supports. Example: Their morning routine is written on a whiteboard, and they check it to know what to do next.
2. Skill Building: The teens can independently complete familiar routines and use visual supports for less frequent or changing routines. Example: They know how to get ready for school and follow their bedtime routine without support, but use a written schedule to manage changing afternoon activities.
3. Generalization and Independence: The teens can learn and follow new multi-step routines, break larger tasks into manageable steps, and identify accommodations that help them succeed. Example: When starting a new job, they ask their supervisor for a written list of tasks. For a large school project, they break the assignment into smaller steps and work through them independently.
18. Managing Responsibilities
1. Foundational Skills: The teens can complete daily responsibilities when they are part of an established routine. Example: They complete their homework after school and make their bed each morning.
2. Skill Building: The teens can remember less frequent responsibilities when supported by reminders or other organizational tools. Example: They take out the trash on Mondays and Thursdays using reminders their parents helped them set up on their phone.
3. Generalization and Independence: The teens take ownership of their responsibilities and independently plan for upcoming tasks. Example: When they have a test the following week, they enter it into their calendar and set aside time to study without assistance from parents or teachers.
These levels are not a pass-or-fail checklist. Rather, they provide a framework for understanding how skills develop over time. Every teen’s path toward independence will look different. While this list is not exhaustive, it can help families identify strengths, recognize opportunities for growth, and build independence one skill at a time.
Independence is built one skill at a time. While daily living and household skills lay the groundwork, they’re only part of the picture. In Part 2 of this series, we’ll explore the community and executive functioning skills that help young adults successfully manage the demands of everyday life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kristin Lombardi, MA, BCBA, LBA, is a behavior analyst and special education professional with more than 20 years of experience helping neurodiverse children and teens build skills for greater independence and long-term success. She has supported families navigating autism diagnoses, school placement challenges, and the transition to college and adulthood. Kristin is the coauthor of Spectrum of Independence and provides consultations nationally and internationally through Zeal Behavior Services LLC. To learn more or schedule a consultation, visit spectrumofindependence.com or contact Kristin at klombardi@zealbehavior.com
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