It's extremely important that your child should learn to do things for him/ herself so that he/ she can become independent.

Three levels of independence

To foster autonomy, you can concentrate on three key levels of independence in self-care skills:

Mastering the basic stages

Learning how to do things on their own like putting on clothes/shoes, brushing teeth, etc.

Making decisions about skill performance

Learning when the skill is required, what materials are required, how to start and if the skill has been done well.

Developing a routine

Completing more than one skill in the correct order, without prompts from anyone.

Mastering the basic steps

  1. Select the skill
  2. Set up and teach the steps
  3. Think about a reward you will give after completion
  4. Set the stage e.g., When to teach the skill? Where will you teach the skill? How will you
  5. lower distractions? What materials will you need?

Making decisions about skill performance

  1. When do they need to do the skill? Your child may not remember/ may forget - when a skill is required, and you may need to remind them.
  2. What materials do they require?
  3. Which steps first and then next?
  4. When to finish and to know that they have done a good job?

Developing a routine

In the beginning, your child may be able to complete several tasks but may need prompts to put them into a routine.

You can make them independent in small easy tasks as follows:

  • Brushing
  • Bathing
  • Combing hair
  • Dressing
  • Wearing shoes

Source:

Teaching Self-Care Skills[Internet]. Available at: www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk.