Introduce skills through pretend play

• facilitate exposure to the kitchen center, encouraging play with toy brooms, dusters etc.

Sensory tables such as water or sand tables allow children to practice scooping and pouring, which is a skill many lack as they grow older

• facilitate the automatic use of compensatory strategies

• develop the proprioceptive sense to successfully lift items of various weight

Encourage participation in simple meal or snack preparation

Provide parent education and resources to improve confidence in home carry over

Ensure independence with age-appropriate basic activities of daily living

• can they tell the difference between types of clothing (shirts, shorts, etc.)?

• can they orient them correctly and put them on?

• use the dress-up center to practice

Practice snaps, Velcro, laces, and zippers

Focus on the basic ADL needs of students to participate effectively in school

Ideas to for daily practice

• sorting and identifying different types of clothing and parts of clothing, folding towels or shorts, and eventually folding shirts and pants

• identifying various kitchen utensils or appliances

• discuss what happens when they go out to eat or to the grocery store

• do they order for themselves?

• can they help find items at the store?

At lunch:

• practice appropriate utensil use

• practice cutting food

• practice serving food to oneself

Encourage teachers to assign class jobs such as wiping tables, sweeping, etc.

Providing education to teachers and other staff so they can provide support as needed

Consider what new ILS skills have become age-appropriate

Cooking, household cleaning and organization, money management, and budgeting can be introduced

Introduce Assistive Technology for all areas of ILS including food preparation, money management, shopping, etc.

New meal preparation skills include: kitchen safety, food safety (expiration dates, how to label food in the refrigerator, etc.) and the use of various large and small appliances

Introduce adaptive equipment such as a food chopper, rocker knife, or other safety implements

Continue to practice skills to meet basic ADL needs

Focusing on a student-centered plan will ensure that specific areas of need are met

Introduction to ILS skills related to career development may be required

• this might include appropriate dress code for work or interviews, organization and maintenance of a calendar for appointments or work schedule

For students who are college-bound, similar skills may be required

• specifically, focus on how to organize a class schedule, develop time management skills for long-term assignments, and maintain a calendar of appointments or homework assignments

Teacher of the Visually Impaired

Speech Language Pathologist

Special Education Teacher

General Education Teachers

Orientation and Mobility