What are self-care skills?
Self-care skills are those we use in everyday life, also referred to as Activities of Daily Living
(ADL). These skills include feeding ourselves, using the toilet, dressing and undressing, washing (including hand washing), grooming (including teeth and hair brushing), and taking care of belongings. Children develop these skills as they develop and grow. Sometimes they need to be taught these skills. Children with ASD may need additional support to learn some self-care skills.
Strategies to teach self-care skills
Self-care skills can be taught using a variety of teaching approaches and strategies. When teaching these skills it is important to:
 understand the steps involved in each skill
 provide lots of opportunities to practice the skill
 ensure your child has the time they need to successfully complete the task
 use strategies that are appropriate for your individual child
 provide a lot of specific and positive feedback and praise.
These skills can be difficult to learn and it is important to be patient and not to move on to the next step until your child is ready. For further information on specific teaching strategies that may be appropriate for your child, speak with staff at your child’s early childhood education and care setting or school and/or occupational therapist.
Self-care skills that are important for the transition to school include:
 taking care of belongings
 dressing
 toileting (including using public toilets).

Taking care of belongings
Why is this skill important?
Children will have many items that they are responsible for at school. Losing belongings such as a school bag, lunchbox or hat can cause high levels of frustration and anxiety for children. At school, children will have many items that it is their responsibility to care for. In Prep all children work towards identifying their own belongings and it is important that your child develops this skill as well.
Strategies to assist children to develop this skill
Talk to your child’s teacher about how to develop this skill and reinforce what is being learnt at school. The teacher may be using objects, photos of items, pictures, symbols or letters to support learning and you may also be able to use these strategies at home. Regardless of which support strategy you use, always ensure all items your child takes to school are clearly labelled. This will help lost items to be returned quickly (e.g. if you are using pictures as a prompt to help your child recognise their belongings, place a picture of your child’s favourite animal on a tag with their name as well).
Obtaining the ability to recognise belongings can take a bit of creativity and lots of time to practice. Practice at home selecting the correct object from a selection and make the activity a game that is exciting and rewarding when the item is found.
Use the following strategies if your child is able to recognise:
 familiar objects: pick distinctive items for your child in colours or patterns they prefer so they can work towards recognising their belongings due to their features
 photos: try attaching a photo of your child to their belongings so they can identify their belongings by recognising the photo (it may be helpful to compile a small flipbook with pictures of your child’s belongings to remind them of the items that they own)
 pictures: use pictures of your child’s favourite toy/character/animal icon to label belongings
 letters: clearly print your child’s name on their belonging in a visible and obvious spot
(e.g. do not write their name on the inside of their lunchbox, attach a clear label to the lid).
Dressing
Why is this skill important?
At school, children may need to change clothing for a range of reasons e.g. for sporting activities. There is a range of strategies that can assist your child to develop dressing skills in preparation for school.
Strategies to assist children develop this skill:
 practice getting dressed at home as often as you can

 choose clothing that is easy to put on
 consider using coloured dots to help identify left and right shoes and the front and back of clothing
 a visual work system can help children remember the steps to dressing (see Tip sheet for daily schedules and routines for success )
 it may be helpful to seek the advice of an occupational therapist if your child has ongoing difficulty with dressing.
Independence in toileting
Why is this skill important?
Independence in the toileting routines is important as children grow and develop. Many children of Prep age are still learning to be independent in this area of self-care. Lack of toilet training is not a reason to refuse enrolment of a child in Prep (or any other year level), and it is not a criteria for considering eligibility for enrolment in school.
The department has developed a fact sheet to assist in developing independence in the toilet
( http://education.qld.gov.au/studentservices/inclusive/prep/docs/prep_factsheets08_6.pdf) .
A range of resources are available to assist your child in developing skills related to toileting. If you have concerns about independence, hygiene and skills in the toilet, it is important that you discuss these with the school.
As with most self-care skills, toileting is best taught by breaking the whole routine into smaller and achievable steps.
The strategies below provide information on the steps to toileting independence. A child health nurse and/or occupational therapist may also provide more specific information and strategies for you and your child.
Strategies to assist children to develop this skill:
 Prior to toilet training, keep a record of your child’s toileting habits so you know how often and what time of the day your child tends to urinate or have a bowel movement.

Choose a time to start toilet training when you have the opportunity to spend time at home, perhaps on school holidays or over a weekend.

Consider ways to make the toilet environment appealing and relaxing to your child (e.g. posters of favourite characters on the wall) and ensure your child feels secure on the toilet seat. Placing a foot stool under your child’s feet and using a toilet insert/frame with handles may be helpful.
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Dress your child in clothes that are easy to take off (e.g. pants/shorts with elastic waistbands) and that they can feel when they are wet (e.g. underpants).

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Consider introducing a visual schedule or work system that outlines the steps in the toileting process. Story based interventions and video modelling can also help your child understand the toileting process.

Positively reinforce toileting success with rewards. This can be done by adding a picture of the reward to the end of the toileting sequence.

Give your child specific and positive feedback for each step in the toileting process achieved. For example, for going into the toilet, for sitting, for managing clothing, for urinating in the toilet etc.

Try to remain calm and positive when your child has an accident or setback. Remind your child that ‘wees and poos’ go in the toilet.
Toileting and using public toilets
Why is this skill important?
Using public toilets can be a new experience for young children. For young boys, using a urinal can be a new experience and boys may need to be taught skills to successfully use them in public toilets.
Strategies to assist children to use public toilets:
 make sure you visit the toilet block your child will be using and introduce your child to the space to allow them to become familiar with the toilets and hand washing basins
 use a different toilet cubicle each time you visit to ensure your child is comfortable using more than one toilet in the toilet block
 practice waiting in line for the toilet
 visit a range of public toilets with your child
 focus on teaching one new skill at a time to avoid toileting becoming a stressful experience for both you and your child
 praise your child for toileting success
 a portable work system can be helpful when using public toilets to remind children of each step ( see Tip sheet for daily schedules and routines for success )
 it may be helpful to seek the advice of an occupational therapist if your child has ongoing difficulty with toileting.
Further information
 Raising Children Network: Toilet Training for children with autism spectrum disorder http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/autism_spectrum_disorder_toilet_training.html
 The National Autistic Society: Toilet Training http://www.autism.org.uk/living-withautism/understanding-behaviour/toilet-training.aspx

 Victorian Continence Resource Centre: One step at a time - a parent guide to toilet skills for children with special needs http://www.continencevictoria.org.au/node/102
Read:

Wheeler, M. (2004). Toilet Training for Individuals with Autism and related Disorders .
Future Horizon: Arlington.

Wheeler, M., & Kranowitz, C. (2007). Toilet Training for Individuals with Autism or Other
Developmental Issues . Future Horizon: Arlington.

Batts, B. (2010). Ready, Set, Potty! Toilet Training for Children with Autism and Other
Developmental Disabilities . Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Minda Incorporated, & Department for Families and Communities. (2009). Tom’s Toilet
Triumph DVD.
Department for Families and Communities: South Australia.

Minda Incorporated, & Department for Families and Communities. (2009). Toilet Time –
Parent Package (Emily - for girls).
Department for Families and Communities: South
Australia.

Minda Incorporated, & Department for Families and Communities. (2009). Toilet Time –
Parent Package (Tom
– for boys).
Department for Families and Communities: South
Australia.

Minda Incorporated, & Department for Families and Communities. (2009). Are You
Ready? Toilet Training Package.
Department for Families and Communities: South
Australia.