Tis the Season of: “Too Much to Do." How to Incorporate Adaptive Daily Living Skills This Holiday

Author: Julie Beasley, Ph.D.

The Holiday season has arrived – early as usual!  As Thanksgiving concludes and we head into the December holidays, I am thinking about how often we are rushed with “too much to do” during the holidays.  And that thought led to thinking about how much we “do for our kids” these days compared to when I was younger (oh so long ago!) 

Practice Adaptive Daily Living Skills (ADLs)

Doing too much for our kids does not give them the valuable practice of self-care and chores within each family that are often “non-preferred” but necessary to function.  Self-care and chores make up the primary tasks in Adaptive Daily Living Skills or “ADL’s” for short.  ADL’s present the time to practice the “non-preferred” tasks that will be required to develop levels of independence as our kids grow.  Making sure that our kids are participating in their own self-care and chores (ADL’s) within the family are crucial to their outcomes when they are adults. 

From very early on, we include daily living skills including: eating, dressing, toileting, bathing, and personal hygiene, as well as household chores as part of behavioral programs here at GGAF Ackerman Center.  Because there is always “so much to do” for our kids – including speech, OT, PT, behavior therapies as well as social skills, activities, and don’t forget school, we often let “chores” go and don’t focus on one more thing in the schedule. 

However, research on outcomes for students with disabilities, we know the power of ADL’s in the later development of jobs, relationships, transportation, homes – in short Levels of Independence.  Those children and teens who have higher daily living skills and participate in household chores have higher independent skills as adults and better overall outcomes.

Practice Tasks During the Holiday Season

So, this holiday season – I encourage all of us to “recruit” some help from our kids as we work on all the tasks that help us celebrate our holidays.  This will require some additional time to think about what our kids are able to do and what are the next steps.  It takes some adult patience and a little extra time to have them get dressed, brush their teeth, sort the silverware, clear their plates, and help feed the pets.  Younger children usually like to participate in chores and working together with their parents – this routine and habit helps when they grow older and start to avoid tasks.  Older children and teens need to participate in “non-preferred” tasks because much of what we do as adults is “non-preferred.”  Helping with dishes, food preparation, cleaning common areas of the home, taking out trash, and increasing their independent daily self-care and hygiene is always important.

Taking into account sensory challenges: use rubber/plastic gloves to clean dishes/touch wet things, long socks on arms for dusting, noise canceling earphones for vacuuming, and carrying groceries in for movement are just a few ideas.  Nothing is perfect, so working towards the skills is the goal! 

It may be another “challenge,” but it is a challenge with a big payoff in the end and some help along the way! 

Happy Holidays!