How can I teach a child with Autism to do basic chores?
Are you an autism parent who wishes your child or teen on the spectrum would tidy up their toys or help with laundry? Are you a special education teacher who’s working on teaching simple chores to your life skills class?
Here are my top tips for teaching your kids with autism to do everyday chores:
It might sound obvious, but make sure your child with autism knows exactly what you’re asking them to do. Digital reminders and visuals prompts won’t help if your child or teen on the autism spectrum does not know how to actually carry out the task you’re asking them to do.
Break the task into simple steps. Download this free life skills planner to help you do that.
Model the chore you are teaching, and then do it together.
If your child or student is younger, make tidy-up-time into a game, and even sing your own made-up songs too eg “Now it’s time to tidy up” or “This is the way we sweep the floor”.
Be specific about what you expect your child with autism to do. For example, instead of saying “tidy your room”, say “pick your clothes up and put them in the laundry basket” or “put your books on the shelf”.
Explain why you need them to do a chore, e.g. “we need to sweep the floor after dinner so that it’s clean.”
Do the chores regularly. Make it part of the regular routine for your child or teen with autism. This makes it easier for everyone to remember to do them, and how to do them.
Help your older child or teen to think about what chores they might need to do in different situations with these “What Should They Do?” cards and worksheets.
I hope you’ve found this helpful!
Kirsten
