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Independent Living Skills

Independent Living Skills include everything from making choices about how and where one lives in the community to when and what you want to eat. These are skills that every child should develop to live their life as independently as possible.

Independent Living Skills

There are several components to independent living skills. Creating a checklist of what your child can already do and what they need to learn will help give you and your child a blueprint of what goals and objectives should be developed.

Get more information here: Getting Ready for Independent Living at the Age of Majority

PEATC WAZE to Adulthood
Life Skills Checklist (English)
Life Skills Checklist (Spanish)

Checklist of Independent Skills

Sample Checklist 

Housing 

• Can he/she live alone? If not, what kinds of supports would he/she need?
• Can he/she read and understand a lease agreement?

Home Management 

• Can your child maintain a house cleaning routine?
• Can he/she do their own laundry?

Meal Planning and Preparation 

• Can your child shop for groceries? 
• Can they safely use common kitchen appliances?
• Can they plan and prepare a simple meal with or without supervision?

Money Management     

• Can your child read, understand, and pay bills?   
• Do they know how to manage a bank account?
• Can they budget and work within that budget?

Transportation 

• Does your child know to get to and from places such as his/her work place, school, friends’ homes or community settings?

Health Management

• Are they able to describe their symptoms?
• Do they know how to make a doctor’s appointment? 

Time Management

• Can they identify and establish goals?
• Can he/she identify what time of the day is most productive?
• Can your child identify basic needs such as sleeping, eating, hobbies, etc?

Personal Safety

• Can your child check smoke detectors?
• Is your child aware of what constitutes hazardous materials?
• Does your child use precaution while walking or using public transportation?
• Is your child able to describe gender boundaries?

Healthy Relationships

• Is your child able to recognize and understand abusive/dangerous relationships?
• Can they identify traits in themselves and others that are necessary for a healthy relationship?
• Can your child name a good person or place to go if they are afraid?
• What does your child do when they feel angry or sad?

Sukie Living Independently

For a little over a year, I have been a resident of Georgia. Before taking the leap to live here independently, I lived in the sunshine state – Florida! Boy, how much I miss it. Great friends, gorgeous weather, so many memories . . . as a young adult, I was missing something.

Yes, I was making my own decisions (good, bad or indifferent – they were still mine.) I just felt as though I had a little more room to make this life more of my own – but how? 

When I was 16, just finishing up my junior year of high school, my parents, brother and I moved from Connecticut to Florida. Whenever anyone pursues a transition of any kind, it’s advised that they seek the proper supports and start to become familiar with local resourses. And that’s just what my parents had done for this big move . . . Read more of Sukie’s story and follow her blog.