Core Skills Analysis
Life Skills and Personal Development
During a session with a support worker, Olivia worked on developing life skills. This gave Olivia an opportunity to practise skills intended to support everyday independence and personal development. The activity connected learning with practical life, helping Olivia build familiarity with using skills in real situations. Olivia’s work highlighted how life skills can be developed through guided practice.
Community Engagement and Social Studies
Olivia took part in a support-worker session focused on community engagement. The activity introduced learning about participating in the wider community and how support can help make that participation more accessible. Olivia explored community involvement as a practical part of everyday life. This connected personal development with understanding how people engage with the places and communities around them.
Tips
Tips Extend Olivia’s learning by choosing a familiar community activity together and inviting Olivia to help plan its steps, such as deciding what information to gather beforehand. Afterward, talk through what happened and let Olivia identify which life skills were useful. A simple visual checklist or reflection journal could help make these skills easier to notice and practise again. Over time, gradually offer Olivia more responsibility for planning and reflecting on community activities.
Book Recommendations
- The Social Skills Picture Book: Teaching Play, Emotion, and Communication to Children with Autism by Jed Baker: Uses visual examples to explore social communication and interaction skills that can support participation in everyday settings.
- The Kids' Guide to Social Action by Barbara A. Lewis: Introduces ways young people can take part in their communities and contribute to causes they care about.
Try This Next
- Create a simple checklist Olivia can use to plan and reflect on a community activity.
- Write or draw a community map showing places Olivia knows and activities that happen there.
- Use scenario cards to practise choosing steps for everyday tasks and community participation.