Baker, Bruce L., and Alan J. Brightman with Jan B. Blacher, Louis J. Heifetz, Stephen P. Hinshaw, and Diane M. Murphy. Steps to Independence: Teaching Everyday Skills to Children with Special Needs, Third Edition. (2002).
Appropriate for: Parents of children with fine and gross motor and processing delays
This book is a great tool to help parents teach their children important independent living skills from brushing their teeth and dressing themselves to using a telephone. The authors outline how to target a skill, break a skill down into steps, pick a reward system, and set the stage for success. There are many examples, checklists, and techniques that are practical and helpful. The authors also address behavior problems and use an ABC (antecedent, behavior, consequence) approach. The section on personal computing is outdated in this era of the iPad, but I perhaps the subsequent edition addresses this (there is a fourth edition out now). The authors’ methodical, comprehensive, and systematic approach to skill building and behavior management makes teaching these critical skills doable.
Appropriate for: Parents of children with fine and gross motor and processing delays
This book is a great tool to help parents teach their children important independent living skills from brushing their teeth and dressing themselves to using a telephone. The authors outline how to target a skill, break a skill down into steps, pick a reward system, and set the stage for success. There are many examples, checklists, and techniques that are practical and helpful. The authors also address behavior problems and use an ABC (antecedent, behavior, consequence) approach. The section on personal computing is outdated in this era of the iPad, but I perhaps the subsequent edition addresses this (there is a fourth edition out now). The authors’ methodical, comprehensive, and systematic approach to skill building and behavior management makes teaching these critical skills doable.
