Article
Levels of Independent Living
Independent Living Skills comprise a range of areas and can be addressed at all ages and levels of abilities.
Independent Living Skills comprise a range of areas and can be addressed at all ages and levels of abilities.
Independent Living Skills Areas
The ILSA (Independent Living Skills Assessment) is a helpful tool that can be used to track a student’s level of independence. Skill areas include:
- eating
- dressing
- toileting
- hygiene
- laundry
- housekeeping
- food preparation
- money
- shopping
- telephone and technology
- mobility
- self-advocacy
- personal safety skills
- abuse and neglect prevention
- health maintenance
- executive functioning
- basic personal information and other personal skills
- time management
- organization of belongings
- organization of information
- problem solving
- decision making
Levels of Independent Living
Students can be arranged into living groups, according the level of their needs. While Perkins has a residential component, a family could go through similar levels teaching independent living skills to their child. The current cottage levels at Perkins follow these levels:
- Level 1: Students focus on communication skills and basic self-help skills
- Level 2: Builds on basic skills and adds ability to take responsibility for organizing and caring for their belongings (such as laundry and bedmaking)
- Level 3: Students plan for, shop and prepare a few meals a week and continue to learn skills for home management (such as cleaning a bathroom)
- Level 4: Students learn to pay rent, develop and follow a budget, and shop using personal shopper and a taxi. They also build on previously learned skills in order to prepare meals and clean their apartment.
- Level 5: Students manage all aspects of living in an apartment including arranging for maintenance and repairs. Schedules and directs supports such as IL Specialist or Case Manager weekly. Goal is for them to be independent when they leave.
Steps of Tasks in Independent Living
Each skill area can be broken down into multiple steps using a task analysis approach. Below are some examples of students at different levels. These excerpts are part of their individual Transition Portfolios, which help to ensure consistency.
Learn more about Transition Portfolios.
Brushing My Teeth
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Attached File(s)
More on Independent Living:
By Denise Fitzgerald
