Essential Life Skills to Teach Your Child with Autism: What I Learned from My Son’s SPED Class
- Milette
- Jan 26
- 4 min read
When my son was diagnosed with autism, I remember feeling completely lost. I didn’t know where to start, and even as the years went by, every stage brought new challenges. It’s been almost a decade since then, but I can still recall those feelings vividly.
One thing I’ve always been grateful for is having the resources to fund my son’s therapy and schooling. This gave me access to invaluable insights and strategies from educators and experts that helped us along the way.
Now, when I see parents struggling—especially those waiting for therapy slots or facing financial difficulties—I can’t help but think of how overwhelming it must feel for them. I know how hard it is to navigate this journey without guidance.
Thankfully, I saved some notes and resources from my son’s special education class, and I want to share them. This contains life skills and activities you can definitely teach at home and will help your kid with autism.
My intention isn’t to copy or infringe on any rights but to provide a starting point for parents who feel lost.
These strategies are practical, and while they require effort, they’re not overly complicated. I truly hope they can make a difference for families navigating similar challenges.
Special Education Life Skills Activities for Kids with Autism
Here are some essential skills you can teach your little ones at home, based on the guidelines I received from my son’s Special Education (SPED) class.
ATTENDING SKILLS
Establishing eye contact
Increasing eye contact
Making eye contact in response to their name
Maintaining eye contact for 5 seconds
Making eye contact while playing
Coming when called
Sitting for a longer period of time
Sitting while doing tasks
SELF-HELP SKILLS
Putting on socks
Putting on a T-shirt
Putting on short pants
Combing hair
Buttoning and unbuttoning
Hooking and unhooking
Buckling and unbuckling
Snapping and snapping back
Zipping and unzipping
Tying and untying
Lacing and unlacing
Making a bow
TOILETING
Asking permission to go
Removing shorts or underwear
Sitting on the toilet bowl
Flushing the toilet
Wearing underwear and shorts
Washing of hands
LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS: Expressive Skills
Exercising Mouth (Tongue Movements):
Tongue out and tongue in
Tongue left and tongue right
Tongue up and tongue down
Tongue roll
Saying Words:
"Hi"
"Hello"
"Good morning"
"Good afternoon"
"Good evening"
"Goodbye"
"Thank you"
"Please open"
"Sorry"
"You're welcome"
"Help me, please"
"It's okay/alright"
"Excuse me, may I pass?"
Personal Information:
Telling name
Telling age
LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS: Expressive Skills
Exercising Mouth (Tongue Movements):
Tongue out and tongue in
Tongue left and tongue right
Tongue up and tongue down
Tongue roll
Saying Words:
"Hi"
"Hello"
"Good morning"
"Good afternoon"
"Good evening"
"Goodbye"
"Thank you"
"Please open"
"Sorry"
"You're welcome"
"Help me, please"
"It's okay/alright"
"Excuse me, may I pass?"
Personal Information:
Telling name
Telling age
LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS: Receptive Language
Following Simple Requests and Commands:
Stand up
Sit down
Hands on lap
Come here
Nod head
Quiet mouth
Wave hands
Shake hands
High five
Clap
Jump
Walk
Wait
Bless
Pack away
Other Commands:
"Give me the ___."
"Give it to me."
"Come to me."
"Put it on the ___."
"Put it under the ___."
"Show me your ___."
"Bring it to me."
"Put ___ in your pocket."
"Bring me the ___."
"Put ___ by the ___."
"Put ___ next to the ___."
"Put ___ around the ___."
"Put ___ beside the ___."
UNDERSTANDING DANGER AND SAFETY SIGNS
No running
Caution: Danger
Sharp surface
Poison
Not drinkable
Do not touch
PERCEPTUAL - COGNITIVE SKILLS: Pre-Reading Exercises
Visual Directions:
Recognizing left and right positions
Matching objects from left to right
Tracing lines from left to right
Recognizing up and down positions
Matching objects from top (up) to bottom (down)
Tracing lines from top to bottom
Reinforcing left-right and up-down directions
Auditory Discrimination:
Detecting the direction of specific sounds by identifying the sound and its source
Associating things with their sounds
Identifying soft and loud sounds
Identifying sounds of animals
Reading:
Recognizing and identifying alphabet letters
Tracing letters A to Z
Producing the sound of each letter
Matching the name of a picture/object with its beginning letter or sound
PERCEPTUAL - COGNITIVE SKILLS: Number Readiness
Identifying colors
Identifying shapes
Identifying sizes
Identifying numbers
PERCEPTUAL - COGNITIVE SKILLS: Science
Identifying parts of the head
Identifying parts of the body
PSYCHOMOTOR SKILLS: Fine Motor Skills
A. Tracing:
Tracing broken lines of horizontal lines
Tracing broken lines of vertical lines
Tracing broken lines of slant lines
Tracing broken lines of curved lines
B. Connecting the dots:
Connecting the dots of a horizontal line
Connecting the dots of a vertical line
Connecting the dots of a slant line
Connecting the dots of a curved line
C. Forming shapes:
Circle
Square
Rectangle
Triangle
D. Copying:
Copying nickname
Copying full name
PSYCHOMOTOR SKILLS: Gross Motor Skills
Jumping
Marching
Playing with a ball
Balancing and dancing
Swimming
Stretching before swimming
Taking a shower before swimming
Bubbling on water
Doing flutter kicks
Notes from the Spectrum Mommy
Remember, every small step counts, and your efforts are making a bigger difference than you may realize. The journey with autism may not always be easy, but with patience, love, and the right guidance, our little ones can thrive. Keep believing in their potential—you’re doing an amazing job!
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