Encouraging Independence At Home Reinforces Positive Behaviors In School

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Helpful Strategies From Laurel Schneider, Behavior Therapist at JB Akron

From very early on at Julie Billiart Schools we work on incorporating and increasing independence in our students’ curriculum. When working with children on any skill, you have to think ahead to the future. How will this look and function at age 5, 10, or 18? Imagining where you want this person to be as an adult is a good motivator to teach independence skills. It gives a framework to set goals. To increase independence, students need help learning the building blocks and working their way up to completing tasks on their own without assistance. Laurel Schneider, our Behavior Therapist at JB Akron, has put together some helpful tips to assist in increasing independence at home!

1. Using a visual schedule with your child can help the transition from activity to activity with less prompting. Review each item on the schedule with your child and then remind him or her to check the schedule before every transition. Over time, he or she will be able to complete this task with increasing independence, practice decision making, and pursue the activities that interest him or her without assistance.

2. Work on self-care skills: Brushing teeth, combing hair, and other activities of daily living are important life skills. Introducing them as early as possible can allow your child to master them down the line. Make sure to include these things on your child’s schedule so he or she gets used to having them as part of the daily routine. Down the road, it will help them to be able to complete them independently.

3. Household chores: Having children complete household chores can teach them responsibility, get them involved in family routines, and embed useful skills to take with them as they get older. If you think your child may have trouble understanding how to complete an entire chore, you can consider using task analysis. This is a method that involves breaking down large tasks into smaller steps. Be sure to model the steps yourself or provide prompts if your child has trouble at first! Then, fade them away as the child masters each step and can do it on their own.

Developing strong independence from an early age, as well as continuing to reinforce those skills throughout a child’s life, can really set your child up for success in and out of the classroom!

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