Phillips or Flat Head?

I’ve written many times before about my worries for my children with significant disabiltiies as they move to adulthood. It seems that each year older that I get, the more I worry. Go figure!

The school system, with enough prodding, will do a passable job of preparing children with significant disabilities for the workforce. I’m not sure they do enough, but I believe there is only so far they can be pushed (the school system, not my children). The school system also concentrates a lot on things they label ‘life skills’. That usually means cooking and cleaning up but not much more.

A lot of the preparation for true life skills comes from parents. And with my children, I have concentrated on some of the more common skills – being able to do laundry, make a bed, set a table, run the vacuum. But there are so many other things – absolutely critical things, in my opinion – that we often forget. So here is the start of my list of those other things, and I would like to know if you have things that should be added to the list.



I want my children to:

• Know how to use a plunger to unstop a toilet


• Know that if the water to the house if unavailable (which has happened to us during hurricanes), a toilet can be flushed by dumping a bucket of water into the toilet bowl


• Be able to flip a blown circuit breaker and maybe even replace a fuse


• Know how to make a good friend and how to keep that friend


• Know how to be a good host or hostess when people visit


• Understand what a plumber does, what an electrician does, and what a handyman does


• Know how to hang wet laundry to dry (in case the dryer breaks), hang a picture, and hang up clothes


• Understand how to kill a bug rather than drowning it in pesticide


• Know the purpose of a door’s peephole and how to work the home alarm system


• Know how and how often to change the batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors


• Know how to sign for a package


• Know how to locate a pharmacy, drop off a prescription, and then pick up and pay for that prescription


• Know how to use bleach appropriately and know which cleaning solutions to never ever mix


• Understand when and how to use a PERS (Personal Emergency Response System)


• Know what to do if they are in a car accident or witness a car accident


• Know how, when and who to ask for help


• Understand how to dress and act in a courtroom, at the theatre, and in church


• Know that they can challenge what a doctor, nurse or other healthcare provider tells them


• Know how to plant flowers and a vegetable garden, and then how to harvest those things


• Know how to paint a picture, a wall and their nails


• Know what to do if they get a small cut or scrape


• Know what things they want in a lifetime spouse or partner, or even a roommate


• Understand that having a pet requires attention and responsibility on a daily basis


• Know how to use a screwdriver and the difference between the types of screwdrivers

OK, I’ll stop there for now. Please add as you see fit!