Thread: Life Skills Curriculum

Our school uses Skills for Adolescents or adolescence. One of the two. I don't know anything about it though.

For a curriculim, many of the ABA books focus, and have fantastic sections on Life Skills. A lot of autistic kids have lousy life skills so this is a training focus.

Ron Leaf's book has exceptional sections on at least some life skills (my son did not need training in that so the memory is not so vivid). I espesially remember dealing with poor sleeping habits, which was en exceptional section.

Great answer Jens - I wondered the same thing. I don't teach special education but I have a close friend who has a son in a special education class. She is constantly asking why he is not learning more "life skills" and less History. I've been working with our special education teachers in our school to see what they do.

Do all schools have life skills classes? I am not sure if my school has it, but I have not been to the special ed classroom. I think all the kids need to take life skills classes, sometimes the kids act like they were raised in a barn! They are rude, do not how to talk nicely to one another, and some kids are just outcasts. Life skills classes would help them a lot!

Many schools offer life schools classes but not enough. I think that life skills for special education programs is a lot different from life skills that other high school students are taught. Our life skills courses focus on managing finances, writing checks, performing household activities, and so on. They also take field trips that are really helpful too.

I had a fellow teacher in the 8th grade one time that during "enrichment" time, taught her regular students life skills. Things like how to write a check, how to balance a check book, how to read recipe directions etc., etc., Her students learned things that they probably wouldn't have otherwise. Sometimes we just assume that everyone has the common sense to figure these things out and they don't. We have to teach them.

I really feel like more schools need to utilize life skills courses, from elementary to high school. There is rarely enough information available for students when they graduate and actually need to find jobs and places to live.

I think that life skills should be taught not only to kids with special needs but also to regular students. There are kids that are so adept at Science, Math, etc but lack the skills needed in dealing with real world or daily living situations.