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It’s never too soon to begin helping your youth build responsibility and new skills. You play an instrumental role in helping your child develop life skills and attitudes that impact their adulthood.

Key things to know:

  • You can help your child develop skills and responsibility from an early age.

  • Chores at home can teach your child skills and to assume responsibility.

  • Important skills for adult life include interpersonal skills, time and money management skills, self-advocacy skills, skills for daily life and more.

  • Key resource: Life Skills checklist

Strategies for building responsibility and skills

Building responsibility may seem like a difficult task for youth with high support needs, but it simply implies that a youth work hard and be expected to do the best they can. Part of learning responsibility is trying new things and handling failure.

You may be apprehensive to hold your youth accountable for their effort and behavior, but this accountability is an important part of building skills for adulthood. It’s important for you to give your youth chores to do at home and expect them to complete assigned school work.

Below are strategies to use to help your child develop the skills they’ll need in adulthood. You can help them develop independence in learning, studying, and living skills. Positive traits, such as being eager to learn new things, effectively managing time, and taking responsibility for doing a good job, will serve your youth well in the adult world, especially when it comes to employment and postsecondary education.

Employment skills include understanding what’s expected of an employee and knowing how to show responsibility and motivation on the job.

At home, you can teach and help your youth practice “soft skills” (the interpersonal skills needed for work and in life), including:

  • Maintaining personal appearance

  • Communicating so others can understand

  • Showing personal responsibility

  • Taking direction

  • Having enthusiasm and a good attitude

  • Speaking up for what's “important to” and “important for” them

[Note: The text below is copied directly from PACER Center (https://www.pacer.org/transition/learning-center/planning/supporting-your-teen.asp). If this topic is included, the copy may need to be edited, unless its ok to copy it.]

“Time management and organization are major skills for success in high school and are also important life skills to carry over for future education and employment success. Help your youth practice strategies to find balance in their lives, maintain consistent attendance, and stay up to date on classroom assignments.

It is very important to have your youth get caught up on missing assignments in high school. If work completion is an issue for your student because of his or her disability, make sure to address this in the IEP by including goals and any necessary accommodations or services. Some examples include extra time for completion, modifying assignments, and allowing access to a resource room for support.”

Financial literacy
[Note: The text below in quotes is modified only slightly from the PACER Center resource: https://www.pacer.org/transition/resource-library/publications/NPC-40.pdf. It may need to be edited further unless using directly is ok.]

"Financial literacy and money-management skills are important for adult life. Children can develop knowledge and skills for saving, spending, gift giving, and budgeting. You might begin by opening a savings account for your child and helping them to regularly deposit part of his or her allowance, earnings, or cash gifts. Learning how to use an ATM card for saving and withdrawals may be appropriate for many youth. Your child can practice his or her skills if you include him or her in budget decisions concerning birthday parties, holiday dinners, or family vacations. As your child transitions to independent living and adult responsibilities, their previous experience with spending and saving will allow them to participate more fully in their own decisions."

Check out the LEAD Center's "Financial Empowerment" area for help planning your youth's financial future and preparing them to manage their financial life. The LEAD Center's mission is to increase the financial literacy and financial capability of people with disabilities.

Managing benefits
If your son or daughter qualifies (or may qualify as an adult at the age of 18) for State or Federal benefits due to disability and limited financial resources, planning ahead is important. Learn more about planning for benefits and work »

[Note: The text below in quotes is copied directly from the PACER Center resource: https://www.pacer.org/transition/resource-library/publications/NPC-40.pdf ]

“All young people need a strong sense of their strengths, abilities, interests, and values. If students have a disability, they should also be aware of how it might affect them at work, in the community, and in their educational pursuits, and they should be able to explain it to others. Helping youth speak with understanding about their disability is one step to empowering them as they take on adult responsibilities of work, education, and independent living.

Many young adults know that they have received special education services but do not understand why. They may not have realized the supports they need in employment or independent living to be successful, which may cause unnecessary frustration and low self-esteem.

Transition is a time to explore how youth will talk about their disability in different settings and ask for any support or accommodation they will need. You can make sure your youth has a variety of opportunities to learn and practice self-advocacy and self-determination skills in the classroom, at student work sites, and in the community. The IEP could provide some of these opportunities.

It is important for students to develop the skills to talk about their disability before they enter postsecondary education and the workforce. In order to be protected from discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the individual must disclose information about his or her disability to an employer or educational institution and explain the need for specific accommodations.”

To learn more, check out the video below, as well as the Hub's information about self-advocacy and youth and independence.

Self-Advocacy

More self-advocacy resources:

 

Learning and practicing life skills is an important step for your youth as they plan for transitioning into adulthood. Consider how you can help your youth develop responsibility and skills at home including:

  • Skills to be safe at home and in the community

  • Maintaining a clean and safe household

  • Nutrition and meal preparation

  • Transportation

  • Clothing care

  • Managing appointments

  • Telephone use and etiquette

  • Digital literacy

Helping youth speak with understanding about their disability is an important step to empowering them as they take on adult responsibilities of work, education, and independent living.

PEATC Lifeskillschecklist

Life skills checklist

The Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) offers a life skills checklist (PDF) to help youth ages 14 to 22, their families and their IEP teams track independent life skills.

Download the checklist (PDF) »

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