Living as a successful adult requires a range of different skills at home, in public, at work, and in your relationships. It may be more difficult for adults with intellectual disabilities, autism and other conditions to learn these skills, but they are essential if you want to live happily and independently.
Organization
Organizational skills mean being able to manage your time, such as meeting deadlines or keeping appointments. It is about planning and prioritizing the things you need to do, which becomes particularly important when trying to hold down a job or maintain a relationship. Tools to aid organization include calendars and online reminders.
Communication and social skills
Many adults with intellectual disabilities, particularly those who are also autistic, struggle with communication and social interaction. They may find it difficult to read someone else’s body language, or to understand social mores, and they may experience challenges expressing their own needs or regulating their feelings. Assistive technology can aid with communication problems, particularly for those who are non-verbal, by providing alternatives to speaking or writing, whilst social skills for adults with disabilities may be taught through role play, which can help practice and prepare for common social situations.
Foundational skills
Foundational skills include language, literacy, numeracy and in the modern world, digital literacy. These academic foundations also help with communication, as well as allowing you to manage your finances, read recipes when cooking, or fill in a job application, among many other essential tasks.
Household management
Increased independence is a primary goal for many adults with intellectual disabilities. This may mean living in their own home, either alone or with others, and therefore needing to contribute to household chores such as cooking and cleaning. Cooking, in particular, means being able to plan nutritionally balanced meals, read recipes and buy ingredients before actually preparing the food. Shared meals are a powerful way to build relationships.
Financial management
Managing your income and outgoings is vital if you want to live independently, particularly if you are working and receiving a salary. This does not just involve calculating which expenses are essential or discretionary, but also a certain level of comfort using cash, credit/debit cards or checks, and potentially visiting the bank.
Living in the community
Just moving through public spaces requires an understanding of etiquette and social norms. Things such as using public transport or visiting a café, which can be highly stressful for someone with sensory processing issues or difficulty with communication and social skills, are often thought of as ordinary parts of everyday life, allowing you to visit friends and family and participate in community events, which in turn prevents isolation.
Workplace skills
Not every adult with intellectual disabilities can work, but for those who can, it provides increased independence and self-confidence. That is, the teaching of social skills should include those that are workplace specific. Work experience placements can offer an opportunity to practice these skills in a controlled environment with understanding employers.
Self-advocacy
One of the strongest signs that adults with disabilities are confident in themselves and their skills is when they can argue their own cases, including asking for accommodations if needed. The more skills they build, the greater their confidence and the more likely they can act as self-advocates.
Conclusion
Every adult with disabilities has different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the skills they can learn, but with the right support and accommodations, they should be able to increase their independence, self-confidence and quality of life.
