55. Functional Skills and a Functional Curriculum

In this episode, we review the importance of incorporating
functional skills and a functional curriculum in our children's
daily lives.  


A functional skill is a skill that a person needs to live
independently and a functional curriculum focuses on the life
skills a student needs for independent living.  Teaching our
children how to function in the world is just as important if not
more important than teaching academic skills.  These
“functional” skills are what they will need to live as
independently as possible.


Think about activities of everyday life. These include
communication, social skills, appropriate behavior, hygiene,
safety, transportation, and self-help skills. Life skills go hand
in hand with development and these skills can be incorporated
into their daily routines. Functional skills are the skills that
are necessary for daily living and if they are not done by an
individual, they will have to be done by someone else.


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