At Horizon Recovery, we aim to teach independent living skills to young adults who need help, especially those with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Living independently is vital for everyone, and we seek to empower young people to excel in this necessary life task. Learning to live independently prepares young people to handle essential responsibilities and live with confidence.
- What are examples of independent living skills?
- What is the difference between ILS and SLS?
- Why teach independent living skills?
- How do you teach skills for independent living?
What are examples of independent living skills?
Independent living skills are the basic abilities necessary to order, manage, and execute tasks that are essential for living independently.
The following list provides numerous examples of independent living skills:
- Hygiene: Daily routines like brushing teeth, bathing, dressing, and grooming help maintain hygiene and build self-confidence.
- Health/Medical Care: Especially for those who deal with diseases, illnesses, and various mental health conditions, managing their appointments, medications, and unforeseen emergencies is crucial to fulfilling.
- Food/Nutrition: Knowledge and execution of meal preparation, making shopping lists, and buying healthy and nutritious foods are essential to promote and maintain nutritional health.
- Financial Literacy: Learning to manage money by budgeting, paying bills, and saving is key.
Other independent living skills that must be learned:
- Managing Household
- Home and Community Safety
- Driving/Transportation
- Employment
- Self-Advocacy Skills
- Leisure Skills
- Executive Functioning
- Social Skills/Relationships/Sexuality
What is the difference between ILS and SLS?
Independent Living Skills (ILS) and Supported Living Services may seem to overlap, but they serve different ends.
ILS emphasizes living skills, enabling individuals to live independently or with others. It may be provided in multiple settings, often in a person’s home, a licensed facility, or in the community. The goal of ILS is for the individual to achieve reasonable self-sufficiency.
SLS emphasizes supported living arrangements, usually in residential facilities, to come alongside someone’s intellectual or developmental disabilities. This is naturally more direct and integrated. This is where ILS and SLS overlap, though SLS seeks to build up a person through side-by-side coaching and teaching of life skills and self-advocacy. SLS often supports choosing a home, selecting housemates, managing daily living activities, and adapting to the needs of the individual.
Why teach independent living skills?
Independence is essential for all areas of life. Independent living skills help everyone become self-sufficient and are especially important for those transitioning into adulthood, like young adults. Without being able to execute tasks like paying bills, grocery shopping, cleaning your home and bedroom area, driving, and other important things, one might find their life chaotic and disordered. ILS provides the skills to offer genuine well-being, peace, and freedom in life to focus on the things that bring us joy. It affords the skills to grow as an adult who faces and overcomes daily challenges.
How do you teach skills for independent living?
Here are some tips for teaching skills that promote daily independence:
- Cooking: Parents should seek to teach their kids about kitchen safety, navigating cooking utensils and the stove, and other aspects of cooking. By doing this, parents encourage their children to be forward and independent thinkers about their health and nutrition. While fast food might be an easy option, it is always far more inexpensive to prepare meals at home for oneself and one’s family.
- Household Chores: In setting up a routine of daily, weekly, and monthly household tasks, adolescents will learn important skills and gain a sense of appropriate responsibility. Chores that might be acceptable for older teens could be vacuuming, mopping, cleaning restrooms, washing dishes, cleaning out the refrigerator, taking out the trash, doing their laundry, and doing yard work.
- Starting Early: Everyone would benefit from being taught independent living skills as early as possible. It is essential that the task be appropriate for the child’s age.
- Breaking Down Tasks: A good way to teach particular skills, especially for younger children, is to simplify complex tasks into smaller steps. Writing a shopping list, doing the shopping, paying the cashier, loading and unloading the car, and so on constitutes a step in the greater picture of preparing a healthy meal. This way, when the time comes to complete a bigger task, the child is familiar with each particular step or has at least seen it from beginning to end.
- Getting Professional Help: If your child struggles with certain life skills, consider professional skills training. Programs like those offered at Horizon Recovery provide targeted support.
ILS Training for Teens at Horizon Recovery
At Horizon Recovery, we offer specialized training in independent living skills. Our programs help teens, especially those with developmental disabilities, master the skills needed to live independently. Our expert trainers cover all the skills mentioned above and more! With our support, your teen can develop the confidence and skills needed for independent living.
Contact us today to learn more about our comprehensive independent living services by calling (602) 755-7858
