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Life Skill Training for Special Needs Children
(For Autism, ADHD, ID, Developmental Delay, CP – adapted levels)
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1. Self-Care Skills
A. Dressing
• Practice buttoning-unbuttoning using dressing boards
• Use loose clothing for beginners
• Visual sequence cards: Take dress → Hands in sleeves → Pull down
B. Grooming
• Brushing teeth with visual steps
• Combing hair using hand-over-hand initially
• Washing hands: Wet → Soap → Rub 20 sec → Rinse → Dry
C. Toileting
• Fixed toilet schedule
• Provide clear visual signs
• Reward for each step completed
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2. Feeding & Mealtime Skills
• Holding spoon → Scoop → Bring to mouth
• Drinking from open cup with support
• Practice food tolerance for picky eaters
• Table manners: sit → eat → wipe → clear plate
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3. Household Skills
A. Cleaning
• Sorting laundry by color
• Folding simple clothes (towel → T-shirt → shorts)
• Sweeping small area with mini broom
• Wiping table with circular motion
B. Organizing
• Sorting toys by category
• Keeping shoes on rack
• Arranging books in line
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4. Community Skills
• Identifying money (₹10-20-50)
• Simple shopping: pick item → give money → take balance
• Safety rules:
• Stop at gate
• Hold adult’s hand
• Do not talk to strangers
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5. Communication & Social Skills
• Greeting routine: “Hi → Name → Eye contact”
• Asking for help using PECS-text-gesture
• Turn-taking with simple games
• Identifying emotions using pictures
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6. Cognitive Life Skills
• Understanding time (morning- noon-night)
• Matching symbols (toilet, exit, handwash)
• Daily schedule following
• Simple problem solving:
• “Glass broken → call adult”
• “Water spilled → wipe”
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7. Fine Motor Life Skills
• Zipping jacket
• Opening or closing water bottle
• Lacing shoes
• Picking small items with pincer grip
• Opening food wrappers
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8. Safety & Awareness Skills
• Hot vs cold (practice with pictures, safe objects)
• Electrical safety: don’t touch plugs
• Road safety: stop–look–cross
• Stranger awareness
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9. Emotional & Behavioural Life Skills
• Recognizing basic feelings
• Calm-down techniques:
• Deep pressure
• Breathing
• Squeezing stress ball
• Waiting skills: visual timer, bubbles, music
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10. Money & Time Skills (Advanced)
• Recognizing coins or notes
• Using wallet
• Paying for snack
• Time sequencing: before, after, next
• Following 2–3 step instructions
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