Self-Care Skills

Self-Care Skills

Getting dressed, brushing teeth, washing hands, eating a meal — these everyday skills are the building blocks of independence. Our self-care program helps children with autism ages 2–7 learn to care for themselves, one small step at a time.

What are self-care skills?
Also called daily living or adaptive skills, these are the routines that let your child participate more independently at home, at our center, and in the community — and they grow confidence along the way.

How we teach them
We break each routine into small steps (a method called task analysis), teach one step at a time with prompting and positive reinforcement, and use visual supports like picture schedules. We're patient with sensory sensitivities and practice within the natural routine.

Skills we work on:

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• Dressing — shirts, pants, socks, shoes; zippers, snaps, and buttons

• Hygiene — handwashing, tooth brushing, bathing steps, hair brushing

• Feeding — using utensils, drinking from a cup, self-feeding, mealtime routines

• Grooming and tidying up after activities

• (Toileting is a self-care skill too — see our Toilet Training program.)

Why our center helps

Our trained team teaches these routines consistently every day, then our parent training helps you reinforce the same steps at home so skills stick.

Frequently Asked Questions

My child resists brushing teeth or getting dressed — can ABA help?

Yes. We break the routine down and make each step positive and achievable.

What about sensory issues with textures, water, or toothpaste?

We introduce these gradually and gently, at your child's pace.

Are these taught at the center or at home?

We teach at our center and coach you to reinforce them at home.

When will my child do these independently?

Every child is different; we track progress and fade our help as they master each step.