Teaching life skills to adults?
July 6, 2013 12:52 PM Subscribe
I just started a new job where I'll be working primarily with adults with developmental disabilities. Trouble is, I don't have much experience doing that! I know things will get easier as I gain more experience, but I'd like to get a head start. What resources might be of help to me?
My job is to design programming for this group. The current programs seem pretty dull and not very relevant, and I'd like to change that, but I'm not sure how to go about gearing a cooking class or a very basic auto repair class to this population. I'm currently spending as much time with our consumers as I can to get a handle on how they think and what they might like to do (and of course recognizing that every individual has different needs and wants), but I would love to have some background to work from. I'm looking for books or websites that have lesson plans, demos, ideas, methods...you get the picture.
My job is to design programming for this group. The current programs seem pretty dull and not very relevant, and I'd like to change that, but I'm not sure how to go about gearing a cooking class or a very basic auto repair class to this population. I'm currently spending as much time with our consumers as I can to get a handle on how they think and what they might like to do (and of course recognizing that every individual has different needs and wants), but I would love to have some background to work from. I'm looking for books or websites that have lesson plans, demos, ideas, methods...you get the picture.
I would probably have a computer/internet class. That gets seen as "extra"/icing on the cake. But I am handicapped and internet access makes my life like 10,000 times better. I can get stuff done that would be a nigtmare some other way. (Though I am medically handicapped, not developmentally disabled.)
posted by Michele in California at 2:10 PM on July 6, 2013
posted by Michele in California at 2:10 PM on July 6, 2013
Look for activities that will allow them to be useful. A cooking class where they donate everything they bake to a local kindergarden class for special treat or, if space allows, a gardening program where they can grow food to be sold at a local farmer's market or donated to families in need. Everyone wants to give back, to be useful, even people who need extra help to do it.
posted by myselfasme at 3:22 PM on July 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by myselfasme at 3:22 PM on July 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
What's boring for you might not be boring for someone with developmental disabilities.
But yes, everyone likes to be needed and wanted, so anything that is productive is certainly a positive.
Honestly though, I think you need to assess what your clients' needs are, and start from there.
posted by gjc at 4:19 PM on July 6, 2013
But yes, everyone likes to be needed and wanted, so anything that is productive is certainly a positive.
Honestly though, I think you need to assess what your clients' needs are, and start from there.
posted by gjc at 4:19 PM on July 6, 2013
A friend in Denver has been doing this for decades and she does a lot of gardening with her clients. They grow edibles and flowers, they have a greenhouse, and I think maybe they sell their stuff at a farmer's market. Another useful skill for anyone is basic sewing, like replacing buttons and hemming pants or skirts.
posted by mareli at 5:07 PM on July 6, 2013
posted by mareli at 5:07 PM on July 6, 2013
Roommate of stoneegg21 here.
I've worked with the developmentally disabled for a while, and it really depends on how high-functioning the group is and what kind of independence they're going to be able to achieve. Do they have high behaviors?
More often than not, the plans that have worked best for me were ones that helped them resolve conflicts with each other in low stress situations. I used to run a computer lab where there were two televisions set up with a Wii console each. Every consumer I had loved to play Wii Bowling. If allowed, most of them would play it all day, especially if the staff members would play with them. Now, sometimes someone would make a mistake by accidentally taking another's turn, or in the excitement of swinging the remote, they accidentally hit someone. In any case, they were expected to resolve their situation with minimal intervention on the part of the staff. They've been taught since very young how to apologize and to make amends. And here was a situation for them to put that knowledge to work and form stronger bonds with their fellow students.
Before this, I used to host small lectures on science and nature where they learned about animals and what ocean they were wading in when they visited the beach. While their ability to learn information and retain it improved remarkably, the material never really stuck even with almost daily repetition. It just wasn't relevant.
Many of the consumers that I instructed moved onto work programs where they performed assembly line work. So, activities that involve matching and sorting might be a good idea.
So much depends on their level of potential independence and how high their functioning level is. Ultimately, I'd stay away from work books on grammar, reading, and math. It seems like they would need it, but I have never seen so much wasted paper at my old job than what came from worksheets. Consumers have been doing them for many years long before you came along, and what value it had to their learning has long since passed.
Although, I did help my consumers put together a weekly newsletter where they published birthdays, interesting facts, interviews with other classes, movie reviews, and fun activities. Teaching them how to type on the keyboard and use a mouse is never overrated.
Sorry, my thoughts are little scattered about, but I hope some of this might help!
posted by stoneegg21 at 9:25 PM on July 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
I've worked with the developmentally disabled for a while, and it really depends on how high-functioning the group is and what kind of independence they're going to be able to achieve. Do they have high behaviors?
More often than not, the plans that have worked best for me were ones that helped them resolve conflicts with each other in low stress situations. I used to run a computer lab where there were two televisions set up with a Wii console each. Every consumer I had loved to play Wii Bowling. If allowed, most of them would play it all day, especially if the staff members would play with them. Now, sometimes someone would make a mistake by accidentally taking another's turn, or in the excitement of swinging the remote, they accidentally hit someone. In any case, they were expected to resolve their situation with minimal intervention on the part of the staff. They've been taught since very young how to apologize and to make amends. And here was a situation for them to put that knowledge to work and form stronger bonds with their fellow students.
Before this, I used to host small lectures on science and nature where they learned about animals and what ocean they were wading in when they visited the beach. While their ability to learn information and retain it improved remarkably, the material never really stuck even with almost daily repetition. It just wasn't relevant.
Many of the consumers that I instructed moved onto work programs where they performed assembly line work. So, activities that involve matching and sorting might be a good idea.
So much depends on their level of potential independence and how high their functioning level is. Ultimately, I'd stay away from work books on grammar, reading, and math. It seems like they would need it, but I have never seen so much wasted paper at my old job than what came from worksheets. Consumers have been doing them for many years long before you came along, and what value it had to their learning has long since passed.
Although, I did help my consumers put together a weekly newsletter where they published birthdays, interesting facts, interviews with other classes, movie reviews, and fun activities. Teaching them how to type on the keyboard and use a mouse is never overrated.
Sorry, my thoughts are little scattered about, but I hope some of this might help!
posted by stoneegg21 at 9:25 PM on July 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
You might gets some ideas from the Everday Life Tutorials here:
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/everydaylife
This blog might be helpful too:
http://teachinglearnerswithmultipleneeds.blogspot.com/
I would find the life skills section in the library and look through some books.
posted by 1smartcookie at 7:42 PM on July 7, 2013
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/everydaylife
This blog might be helpful too:
http://teachinglearnerswithmultipleneeds.blogspot.com/
I would find the life skills section in the library and look through some books.
posted by 1smartcookie at 7:42 PM on July 7, 2013
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FLASH
Sex ed often gets overlooked!
posted by Stewriffic at 1:14 PM on July 6, 2013