Daily Living Project (ADL & Social Skills)

Tools for embedding communication throughout the day at school!

​The Classroom Communication Project is a series of group trainings, tools & resources, in classroom coaching and troubleshooting.  We have tools to help you incorporate communication instruction throughout your school day!

Daily Living Project Introduction

Welcome to the Daily Living Project—your all-in-one resource for teaching Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Social Skills to students with complex communication and learning needs. Whether you're supporting a kindergartener learning to brush their teeth or preparing a high school student for independent living, this page provides everything you need to build functional independence, foster confidence, and meet IEP transition goals.

🧠 Why Teach Daily Living Skills in the Classroom?

Teaching Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Social Skills is essential for preparing students with complex communication and learning needs for real-world independence. These skills—ranging from brushing teeth and choosing weather-appropriate clothes to navigating public spaces and planning meals—build the foundation for autonomy, confidence, and dignity.

This type of instruction goes far beyond "life skills": it offers daily, functional learning opportunities that align with IEP goals, communication development, and transition planning. Our students thrive when learning is predictable, meaningful, and connected to their everyday lives. That’s why the Daily Living Project is designed as a fully integrated program that provides structure, supports communication growth, and offers multiple entry points for all learners, no matter their age or current ability.

Life Skills Plan, Lagrange High, Troup County
Kitchen at Lagrange HS, Troup County, notice the visual over the sink and cabinet?
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Daily Living Skills Are Communication Opportunities

Every ADL routine—from getting dressed to cooking a snack—is a chance to practice functional communication.

  • Asking for help when tying shoes
  • Commenting on food while following a recipe
  • Describing steps while brushing teeth
  • Making clothing choices using core words on an AAC device
  • Requesting a preferred hygiene product or rejecting one that causes discomfort

To support this, our ADL lessons embed communication supports into every step of instruction. Resources include:

  • Visual schedules and task analysis charts
  • Core and fringe vocabulary communication boards
  • Interactive books that model descriptive and action words
  • AAC partner strategies like aided language input

These tools ensure students are learning how to do the task and how to talk about it.

Eager to get started? Jump right in and explore our library for ADL Kits!

Sample pages from our Clothing Unit Teacher Manual

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ADL Tools from the Classroom Toolbox and Library

Amy delivers a book from the Washing Hands Set to Lagrange High in Troup County.

The Daily Living Project is supported by printable and digital tools found in the Classroom Toolbox and Library, which help teachers provide instruction that is:

  • Visual
  • Predictable
  • Language-rich
  • Developmentally appropriate
  • Scaffolded for learners across all grade bands

Sample tools include:

  • Visual Task Cards for routines like “Make the Bed” or “Use Deodorant”
  • Interactive Books such as Let’s Brush Our Teeth or Superheroes Wear Clothes
  • AAC Core Word Boards specific to daily living topics
  • Simple Visual Recipes with step-by-step supports
  • Communication Partner Prompts to support staff in modeling vocabulary
  • Social Skills Mini-Stories that reinforce daily routines in context

These materials are designed to layer visual and language support into instruction, helping students learn through modeling, repetition, and multi-sensory engagement.

Check out these areas of the DTA Toolbox and Library

  • Activities of Daily Living: ADL units for handwashing, laundry, brushing teeth and more!
  • Original Recipes: Fun whole group snacks and treats, as well as our Build Your Own Recipe Book option with multiple Simple Visual Recipe Cards for everyday easy meal options!
  • Social Skills & Stories: Simple, visually appealing stories studnet can relate to including friendship, classroom visitors and handling frustration.

Activities of Daily Living Kits

Take a look at the different activities of daily living kits we have available here.

Each ADL Set includes communication boards, mind maps, a storybook, worksheets, picture cards and step by step directions.

Let’s Get Social Series

Let’s Get Social Series: Building Social Understanding One Story at a Time

DTA Schools’ Let’s Get Social Series is a growing collection of short, accessible social stories designed specifically for students with complex learning and communication needs. These visual supports help students understand expectations, build emotional regulation strategies, and practice positive social behaviors in school settings.

Why Social Stories Matter

Students in special education classrooms often benefit from direct instruction and repeated exposure to social and emotional skills. These books:

  • Use clear, concrete language and simple illustrations to support comprehension.
  • Reinforce positive behavior and self-regulation through repetition and visual modeling.
  • Help reduce anxiety by preparing students for common classroom events and social situations.

Each story promotes independence, emotional safety, and participation—critical outcomes for students learning to navigate a complex social world.

Featured Titles

🧠 When I Am Frustrated

Helps students identify feelings of frustration and learn calming strategies such as deep breathing, counting to 10, and focusing attention.

🚪 Classroom Visitors

Prepares students for the sometimes unpredictable presence of guests in the classroom. Offers calming techniques and expected behaviors during interruptions.

🤝 Being a Good Friend

Models both helpful and unhelpful social behaviors, helping students recognize and practice respectful friendship skills like sharing, giving space, and kind communication.

What’s Included in Each Book

  • Real-life visuals tailored to adapted classrooms.
  • Short, predictable sentences for emergent readers or students using AAC.
  • Opportunities for modeling and role-play during group lessons.
  • Prompts for interactive practice, such as identifying behaviors or rehearsing responses.
  • Each book is printable and compatible with AAC and symbol-supported classrooms.

Ideas for Implementation

These stories are versatile and easy to embed into your daily routine:

💬 Morning Meeting or Circle Time

Use a social story as your “story of the day” to introduce or reinforce classroom expectations.

🔄 Behavior Regulation Breaks

Offer the story when a student is upset or needs a reset. Pair with sensory tools or calming strategies.

🧩 Small Group SEL Instruction

Use during social skills groups or speech therapy sessions to build understanding through repetition and discussion.

🧠 AAC Modeling Opportunities

Model core and fringe vocabulary (e.g., "stop," "feel," "friend," "calm") while reading the story on the student’s device.

📌 Visual Schedule Integration

Link the books to specific activities (e.g., “Visitors” before assemblies or evaluations) so students can review expectations ahead of time.

Designed with Your Students in Mind

Whether you’re teaching social skills, introducing classroom expectations, or supporting emotional regulation, the Let’s Get Social Series provides developmentally appropriate tools for learners who thrive on clarity, structure, and visual support.

📚 Explore the full series and download your own

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ADL Suggested Scope & Sequence

The included ADL & Communication Scope & Sequence outlines targeted skills across grade bands (K–12), allowing teachers to:

  • Select developmentally appropriate goals
  • Scaffold instruction based on student readiness
  • Integrate communication strategies with functional skill teaching
  • Support transition goals and IEP development

Example progressions include:

  • K–2: Washing hands, brushing teeth, choosing clothes
  • 3–5: Packing for a trip, reading food labels, using deodorant
  • 6–8: Planning meals, budgeting, dressing for events
  • 9–12: Scheduling health appointments, meal prep, workplace attire

“Instruction in daily living skills must be systematic, sequential, and taught in meaningful, real-world contexts.” — Wehman, 2013, Essentials of Transition Planning*

At DTA Schools, we are building our library to include these topics for you. We have multiple ADL Kits available now, with MORE TO COME!

Real Impact in Real Classrooms

When classrooms build routines around ADLs and embed language-rich supports, students:
✅ Gain independence
✅ Develop confidence
✅ Generalize communication skills
✅ Increase social interaction
✅ Meet transition and IEP goals
✅ Learn to advocate for their needs

Whether you're supporting a student learning how to tie shoes or preparing another to live independently, the Daily Living Project provides the tools, structure, and communication integration you need to make each step count.

📚 References

  • Council for Exceptional Children (2017). High-Leverage Practices in Special Education.
  • Light, J., & McNaughton, D. (2012). Supporting the communication, language, and literacy development of children with complex communication needs.
  • Erickson, K., & Koppenhaver, D. (2020). Comprehensive Literacy for All.
  • Wehman, P. (2013). Essentials of Transition Planning. Brookes Publishing.
  • American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Communication Bill of Rights.
  • American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD). Supports Intensity Scale and Life Activities Domains.

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Evidence Base for the ADL & Communication Scope & Sequence

What do the experts tell us is important about teaching daily living and social skills?

1. Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) – High Leverage Practices

"Teachers systematically design instruction toward a specific learning goal and adapt as needed based on learner performance."
The CEC’s High-Leverage Practices (2017) emphasize explicit instruction, visual supports, and opportunities for student practice—methods embedded in every lesson plan within this sequence.
📘 CEC (2017). High-Leverage Practices for Students with Disabilities.

2. American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) – Supports Model

The AAIDD model emphasizes building adaptive behavior in real-world contexts. ADL instruction directly supports the adaptive behavior domains of personal care, domestic skills, and community use.
📘 Schalock et al. (2010). Intellectual Disability: Definition, Classification, and Systems of Supports.

3. ASHA – Communication Bill of Rights

"All persons, regardless of disability, have a basic right to affect conditions of their own existence through communication."
This framework supports the integration of AAC and communication development into ADL tasks as seen throughout this scope.
📘 National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities (1992). Communication Bill of Rights.

4. Light & McNaughton – Communication and AAC Integration

"AAC intervention should occur within the context of meaningful, engaging, and motivating activities and routines."
This directly supports embedding communication goals into ADL instruction like brushing teeth, making a snack, or doing laundry.
📘 Light, J., & McNaughton, D. (2012). Supporting the communication, language, and literacy development of children with complex communication needs.

5. Karen Erickson & David Koppenhaver – Comprehensive Literacy for All

"Literacy and communication instruction must be embedded within functional, meaningful routines across the day."
Their work underpins the use of story-based learning, modeling, and core vocabulary integrated in ADL routines.
📘 Erickson, K. A., & Koppenhaver, D. A. (2020). Comprehensive Literacy for All: Teaching Students with Significant Disabilities to Read and Write.

6. Transition Planning and IDEA Requirements

Instruction in ADL and communication skills is required under IDEA for transition-aged students (age 14+), with emphasis on post-school outcomes.
📘 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. §1400 (2004).

7. State and District-Level Guidelines

The structure of this scope and sequence reflects common state-level life skills and extended content standards, particularly in functional academics, adaptive behavior, and transition planning domains. These include the following:

Functional Academics

Instruction should integrate practical application of academic skills into daily living tasks:

  • Reading and following picture-supported recipes
  • Writing grocery lists or schedules
  • Understanding time and money (e.g., budgeting for meals or clothes)
  • Reading signs, labels, and safety instructions

2. Adaptive Behavior Domains

Based on definitions from AAIDD and used in most state assessments (e.g., Georgia’s GAA, Tennessee’s Alt Portfolio), ADL and social skills fall within the adaptive behavior domains, including:

  • Personal Care: hygiene, grooming, dressing
  • Home Living: cooking, cleaning, doing laundry
  • Community Use: navigating public spaces, using transportation
  • Health and Safety: recognizing emergencies, taking medication
  • Social Skills: interpersonal interactions, self-regulation, conflict resolution

3. Transition Planning Domains (IDEA-aligned)

Instruction in these areas is required to begin by age 14 (or earlier in some states) and must prepare students for post-secondary life:

  • Independent Living Skills: cooking, cleaning, healthcare management
  • Employment Skills: dressing appropriately, personal hygiene, managing time
  • Self-Advocacy and Communication: expressing needs/preferences, understanding rights

8. Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

UDL principles are reflected in the multimodal supports provided (visuals, AAC boards, written steps, hands-on tasks), giving students multiple means of engagement and expression.
📘 CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2.

Summary

The ADL & Communication Scope & Sequence is designed to:

  • Align with national standards (CEC, AAIDD, ASHA)
  • Incorporate evidence-based instructional strategies (visual supports, modeling, repetition)
  • Support functional communication across all daily tasks
  • Meet transition goals as defined by IDEA
  • Foster inclusive and developmentally appropriate practices

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