What are Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)?
They are the things we do every day such as getting dressed, going to the bathroom, putting our shoes on, brushing our teeth, etc. The following are some strategies for how to best complete getting dressed and undressed to practice them at home so that your child can dress themselves independently.
Click the button below to download the instructions below!
Some Tips:
- Use simple words
- Don’t give too much help, allow child to complete as much of task as possible
- Demonstrate task (i.e. rubbing hands together to wash hands) for child, modeling good technique
- Teach the same sequence each time you practice the task and practice often
- Use music or rhymes to make the task fun!
DRESSING
PUTTING ON A SHIRT
Position your child seated or standing, but child should not be moving around.
STEP 1
PULL SHIRT OVER HEAD
WHAT YOU SAY:
“Shirt on!”
WHAT YOU DO:
Put shirt on head and tug down slightly.
STEP 2
PUSH RIGHT ARM INTO SLEEVE
WHAT YOU SAY:
“Arm in!”
WHAT YOU DO:
Grab end of sleeve and shake it, pulling lightly.
STEP 3
PUSH LEFT ARM INTO SLEEVE
WHAT YOU SAY:
“Arm in!”
WHAT YOU DO:
Grab end of sleeve and shake it, pulling lightly.
STEP 4
PULL SHIRT DOWN
WHAT YOU SAY:
“Pull down!”
WHAT YOU DO:
Tug lightly on the bottom of the shirt.
TAKING OFF A SHIRT
Position your child seated or standing, but child should not be moving around.
STEP 1
PULL SHIRT UP TORSO
WHAT YOU SAY:
“Shirt off!”
WHAT YOU DO:
Tug lightly on bottom of the shirt in the upward direction
STEP 2
TAKE LEFT ARM OUT OF SLEEVE
WHAT YOU SAY:
“Arm out!”
WHAT YOU DO:
Grab end of sleeve and shake it.
STEP 3
TAKE RIGHT ARM OUT OF SLEEVE
WHAT YOU SAY:
“Arm out!”
WHAT YOU DO:
Grab end of sleeve and shake it.
STEP 4
PUSH SHIRT OVER HEAD
WHAT YOU SAY:
“Pull down!”
WHAT YOU DO:
Tug slightly on collar of shirt towards chin.
