Independent Living

Personal Management - The student engages in coordinated decision-making and actions that affect personal appearance, such as hygiene, grooming, and outward behavior. WRS: 4, 5, 6

Safety and Health - The student takes action that impacts the wellbeing of self or others including safety (prevents and reduces accidents and/or exposure to harm) and health knowledge. WRS: 2, 11

Social and Communication - The student demonstrates skills necessary for positive interpersonal interactions and relationships. WRS: 3, 5, 6, 8

Mobility - The student demonstrates skills required to travel from one place to another.

Recreation and Leisure - The student demonstrates a repertoire of skills for alone time, personal development and/or community involvement.

Food Preparation - The student demonstrates skill that include organizing, planning, and preparing food including food safety and storage.

Home Living/Management - The student demonstrates independence with completing routine cleaning, laundry, minor repairs, and other common tasks.

Using Services - The student utilizes services and community resources such as a laundromat, post office, library, hair salon, take out, banks, etc.

Wellness - The student demonstrates knowledge and engages in healthy practices in everyday life.

Nutrition - The student demonstrates understanding of proper nutrition in order to lead a healthy life.

Recognize and Recall

Identify and Comprehend

Interpret and Understand

Apply and Generalize

Recognize and Recall 

Identify and Comprehend

Interpret and Understand

Apply and Generalize

Recognize and Recall

Identify and Comprehend

Interpret and Understand

Apply and Generalize

Recognize and Recall

Identify and Comprehend

Interpret and Understand

Apply and Generalize

Recognize and Recall

Identify and Comprehend

Interpret and Understand

Apply and Generalize

Recognize and Recall 

Identify and Comprehend

Interpret and Understand

Apply and Generalize 

Recognize and Recall

Identify and Comprehend

Interpret and Understand

Apply and Generalize

Recognize and Recall 

Identify and Comprehend

Interpret and Understand

Apply and Generalize

Recognize and Recall

Identify and Comprehend

Interpret and Understand

Apply and Generalize

Recognize and Recall

Identify and Comprehend

Interpret and Understand

Apply and Generalize

Participate and respond to others in externally managed self-care routines

Indicate SPIN(strengths, preferences, interests, and needs)

Seek assistance when help is needed

Communicate need to use the bathroom or need for assistance

Recognize appropriate and challenging behavior identified in rules, laws and personal positive behavior support system

Express preferences and perform portions of self-care routines

Identify clothing appropriate to the weather

Complete all components of getting dressed

Complete several grooming tasks

Make adjustments to appearance when notified

Follow rules and routines in response to a positive behavior support system

Make choices in a variety of situations and identifies reasons for making the choice

Understand causes of conflict

Identify changes and stress caused by changes

Identify strategies to deal with stress

Communicate anger, frustration or disapproval

Make choices and complete most selfcare routines

Adhere to most expectations 

Use a self management system to follow rules, complete routines, regulate sensory needs, and/or manage individual stress

Utilize and describe a decision making process

Use time wisely

Communicate calmly and directly when there is conflict

Utilize strategies to deal with stress and anxiety

Maintain, manage and modify appearance and self-care as needed 

Regularly check appearance and make adjustments as needed

Follow rules and procedures

Self-manage behavior and stress 

Self-advocate in adverse situations

Recognize a “bad day” and determine how to impact it in a way that turns negative into positive 

Set priorities

Find ways to handle conflict

Handle stress in an appropriate manner

Participate in and responds to another during health care routines and safety protocols

Recognize safety hazards and health concerns

Recognize personal boundaries

Identify names and faces of family, peers, teachers, and employers

Identify personal information (written or verbal to include, name, phone number, address, age, social security number)

Recognize warnings, hazardous materials, and dangerous situations 

Recognize personal physical conditions (i.e. fever, dizzy tired, hungry) 

Recognize people that can help 

Respond to questions and expresses choices about health concerns

Identify personal boundaries and inappropriate and appropriate touching

Protest exploitative behaviors

Respond to questions about interpersonal violations

Identify community people, places, and functions

Identify emergency and non-emergency situations

Identify public and private information

Identify persons to contact or when to remove oneself from a dangerous environment, hazardous situation 

Identify ways to maintain safety in common environments

Communicate personal medical information (allergies, current medications)

Respond to safety hazard warnings 

Report health concerns

Take care of some personal health needs

Maintain personal boundaries

Seek help when needed

Know persons to contact for assistance in emergency and nonemergency situations 

Follow learned routine during emergency and non-emergency tasks (i.e., accessing services)

Relay information about hazardous situation by independently seeing assistance in situations (i.e., physically locating persons or calling family members or emergency personnel)

Safely self-administer medication using script, product labels, or task list.

Engage in exercise activities on a regular basis

Go to the doctor/ dentist on a regular basis

Avoid tobacco and other harmful substances

Recognize and respond to safety hazards

Follow safety protocols

Warn and assist others in emergency situations 

Practice self-care for minor injuries and illness

Seek information and medical help as needed

Follow prescribed medical treatments

Adhere to interpersonal boundaries and protocols

Escape or stop intrusive behavior

Report violations of self or witnessed to others

Integrate information and problem solves during emergency and non-emergency situations in the community, home or school

Identify situations to relay personal information and situations to withhold information

Independently terminate hazardous situation within control and seeks assistance in situations requiring additional assistance 

Independently arrange to refill medications, make appointments, or identify necessary medical providers

Share space and tolerate the presence of others

Display positive expressions when sees a familiar face

Greet others with a smile or appropriate gesture

Display basic functions of communication: (making choices, requesting, gaining attention and/or rejecting) to interact with others within the context of familiar routines 

State likes and dislikes

Gain attention of others 

Invite others to participate in recreational activities

Allow peers to join in an activity

Display basic functional communication in a variety of novel situations with a variety of communication partners

Effectively communicate need for clarification

Identify positive peer interactions

Identify meaning of body language and responds appropriately

Introduce self to others

Identify conversational topics appropriate for different relationships

Accept being corrected

Refuse requests by others appropriately

End conversations appropriately

Establish peer relationships based on shared interest

Help others when needed and appropriate

Initiate and respond in communication exchanges with others 

Demonstrate positive social interactions with both familiar and unfamiliar people

Seek information from others in a variety of settings

Discuss activities from the immediate past

Offer corrections politely or not at all 

Make predictions about result of social interactions (social mapping)

Relay pertinent information from social exchanges

Maintain privacy for information that has been shared with them

Reciprocally communicate

Elaborate upon information and seeks clarification as needed

Apply and generalize effective communication and social conventions with a variety of people in a variety of settings and activities

Take control of aversive situations, advocates with peers

Demonstrate empathy toward others

Detect level of interest of others within activities, adjusts behavior as needed

Respond to or follows another in movement from one place to another in a familiar environment

Navigate the school building by independently moving from one place to another

Recognize travel and safety signs

Navigate from current location to a desired destination in a familiar environment/ community

Identify personal transportation services or needs

Identify the function of various community locations

Understand the meaning of travel and safety signs

Obey traffic laws as a pedestrian

Access public transportation services to travel to and from familiar places within the community with assistance

Participate in travel training and/or is in possession of learner’s permit for driving

Secure and maintain personal transportation services

Obey traffic laws as a pedestrian or cyclist

Use maps, signs, technology, and other resources to plan and navigate safe travel from one place to another

Estimate travel time

Modify and adapt travel plans as needed

Contact others to report changes in travel plans/times as necessary

Demonstrate driving skills and possess a driver’s license OR navigates community with public/private transportation

Respond in structured recreation, leisure activities facilitated by another

Participate in Health and Physical Education Classes

Participate in a variety of leisure activities with others

Express choices and engages in highly preferred recreational/leisure activities

Participate in self-directed leisure activities as part of a schedule (start and terminate activities independently

Actively participate in new activities

Self-initiate and engage in preferred recreation and leisure activities during alone or down time 

Attend community events as participant or spectator

Act on preferences to develop, engage and expand personal interests and hobbies 

Effectively self-manage expected and unexpected free time

Seek and maintain membership and participation in groups that develop personal interests and pursuits

Recognize common materials and items related to food prep (kitchen items, foods)

Avoid potential dangers in the kitchen

Eat a variety of healthy foods

Clean up eating area when finished 

Use appropriate materials to eat food

Sort food by storage requirements

Categorize food by storage type, food group

Prepare a simple snack

Choose nutritious foods

Safely manage all kitchen materials and equipment

Identify different methods for cooking

Safely manage and stores food items

Maintain clean work areas.

Identify food by nutrient (protein, carbohydrate, fiber, sugar, etc.) 

Prepare a variety of simple meals for self

Store food appropriately

Plan snacks and meals for self

Eat balanced meals

Follow recipes to shop for meals

Identify and dispose of food based on smell, appearance, and/or expiration date

Determine appropriate time to reheat using a microwave

Plan and prepare a variety of meals for self and others utilizing a variety of cooking techniques

Simultaneously manage multiple components of meal preparation

Clean up after meals

Clean up activities when complete

Return materials to designated places within structured routines

Identify examples of tools, cleaning supplies

Sort clean and dirty laundry

Maintain organized living space

Return materials to designated places out of the context of routines 

Utilize correct materials to clean (dishes, clothes, bathrooms, floors, etc.) 

Clean as part of guided routines (dishes, laundry, dusting, vacuuming, etc.)

Recognize a mess and clean it up

Maintain a clean living space through regular cleaning

Complete laundry by identifying appropriate wash cycle, washing, drying, and folding

Independently clean specified areas

Plan and abide by household maintenance schedule (cleaning, emptying trash, collecting mail, changing sheets, etc.)

Effectively clean a variety of rooms typically found in a home

Organize home and work space in a functional way

Make minor home repairs/adjustments (clear a clogged drain, setup Wi-Fi, tighten loose accessories, change light bulbs) 

Recognize need for additional help

Maintain a cleaning schedule

Utilize a variety of resources to troubleshoot household problems

Identify common locations by function/service provided

Use library

Order and pick up take-out food

Ask for assistance in stores

Pay bills on time

Maintain a bank account 

Use laundromat/dry cleaner routine

Utilize movie rental services

Identify and utilize services for home maintenance and repair (calling landlord or contractor) 

Make and keep appointments  

Order and manage utilities and bills (electric, water, phone, cable, etc.) 

Utilize customer service to address needs

Practice healthy habits and routines to limit spread of germs for a number of everyday tasks (bathroom use, washing hands, eating food, and blowing nose)

Identify signs, words and symbols associated with poisonous products

Use a prompt (visual or auditory) to increase independence with daily routines (i.e., picture task analysis, notes on iPad, timer or alarm reminders)

Recognize signs of illness in self and/or others

Express rules and guidelines related to intake of potentially poisonous or poisonous products used in your everyday life (i.e., mouthwash, bleach, detergent, aspirin, and nail polish)

Identify who to call when feeling ill

Practice advanced skills to promote cleanliness and hygiene (wash clothing, clean surfaces, staying away from others who are sick, covering mouth/nose)

Demonstrate understanding of germs/germ safety and associated risks 

Store and use protective gear to ensure safety and generalize knowledge about commonly used poisonous products to unfamiliar products (i.e., paint, gasoline, oil, turpentine) 

Use portable devices to provide task analysis of novel tasks and reminders (i.e., alarm for medicine intake, bathroom use)

Demonstrate understanding of healthy habits by generalizing steps in routines to novel situations or environments

Demonstrate understanding of germs/germ safety and associated risks

Demonstrate proper selection, use, storage, and disposal of various poisonous products (safety guidelines)

Independently create and use task analyses or reminders to ensure safe and healthy practices (input medicine reminders)

Exercises universal precautions

Demonstrate understanding of who or how to contact  others in an emergency or when feeling ill

Differentiate between food items (food vs. non- food items)

Find menus of favorite restaurants on the internet

Sample a variety of healthy food choices

Identify food you need for health (fruit and vegetables vs. candy and chips)

Demonstrate knowledge of labels and vocabulary (reading or site words) related to healthy eating (vitamin, calorie, sugars, fat, and salt)

Identify nutritional information provided for select food on internet or on food labels (i.e., calories, fat, and saturated fat)

Identify a variety of preferred healthy foods

Identify portion size and nutritionally balanced meals (i.e., Knowledge of food pyramid, ability to identify healthy portions, ability to develop daily menu)

Read labels to select healthy foods based on two to three key nutritional values 

Compare and contrast nutritional information provided for select food on internet (i.e., calories, fat, saturated fat, vitamins, cholesterol, and salt)

Purchase preferred healthy food or share healthy food choices with persons purchasing food in household and teachers or cooks/clerks in school cafeteria

Plan, prepare and consume at least two nutritionally balanced meals daily

Make selections based on labels and individualized health needs (high cholesterol- look for low salt content, overweight - look for low calorie or fat or high fiber values, maintaining health-look for foods with Vitamins and fiber)

Analyze differences in foods in terms of nutrition listed by researching food nutritional values on the internet

Use knowledge of healthy food preferences to prepare  and cook meals