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Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders pp 839–840Cite as

Daily Living Skills

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Synonyms

Activities of daily living; Daily self-care activities; Home living skills; Self-care; Self-help

Definition

The term “daily living skills” refers to a wide range of personal self-care activities across home, school, work, and community settings. Most daily living skills, like food preparation and personal hygiene, need to be performed on a regular basis to maintain a reasonable level of health and safety. Adaptive functioning, or an individual’s ability to care for self and function independently, is a primary consideration when supporting individuals with autism and other disabilities. Daily living skill activities include:

  • Personal hygiene and grooming

  • Dressing and undressing

  • Meal preparation and feeding

  • Mobility and transfer

  • Toileting

  • Housekeeping

  • Laundry

  • Home safety

  • Health and medication management

  • Leisure time and recreation

Children’s abilities to care for themselves have been found to correlate with intellectual functioning and may be a strong predictor of future...

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References and Readings

  • Carter, A. S., Gillham, J. E., Sparrow, S. S., & Volkmar, F. R. (1996). Adaptive behavior in autism. Mental Retardation, 5, 945–960.

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  • Goodlin-Jones, B. L., & Solomon, M. (2003). Contributions of psychology. In S. Ozonoff, S. J. Rogers, & R. L. Hendren (Eds.), Autism spectrum disorders: A research review for practitioners (pp. 55–85). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.

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  • National Research Council. (2001). Educating children with autism. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

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  • Sparrow, S., Balla, D., & Cicchetti, D. (1984). Vineland adaptive behavior scales. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.

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  • Wehman, P., & Targett, P. S. (2004). Principles of curriculum design: Road to transition from school to adulthood. In P. Wehman & J. Kregel (Eds.), Functional curriculum for elementary, middle, and secondary age students with special needs (2nd ed., pp. 1–36). Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California Davis Medical Center, 2315 Stockton Blvd, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA

    Aaron Stabel M.A., BCBA

Authors
  1. Aaron Stabel M.A., BCBA
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aaron Stabel M.A., BCBA .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Psychology Yale University School of Medicine, Chief, Child Psychiatry Children's Hospital at Yale-New Haven Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar (Director, Child Study Center) (Director, Child Study Center)

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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Cite this entry

Stabel, A. (2013). Daily Living Skills. In: Volkmar, F.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_1417

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_1417

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1697-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1698-3

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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