Understand Your Child

Skill Development - Self Help Skills

What are they?

Self care skills are the every day tasks undertaken to be ready to participate in life activities (including dressing, eating, cleaning teeth etc). While these are typically supported by adults in young children, it is expected that children develop independence in these as they mature.

Why are they important?
Self care skills act as precursors to many school related tasks, as it is through these experiences that children learn to organise themselves, plan and sequences actions and tasks, and develop physical control. Self care is important for independence and managing life in an autonomous manner.

Building blocks necessary to develop self care skills:
• Appropriate alertness and attention levels
• Efficient sensory integration
• Organization
• Sequencing and planning
• Physical control
• Gross and fine motor skills
• Experience and exposure

You tell there are problems with self care skills if the child:
• Has difficulties dressing themselves, doing up buttons, putting shoes on etc
• Has difficulty manipulating and using utensils to feed themselves (ie. knife and fork)
• Is a messy eaters
• Depends on others to assist with self care tasks at an age older than normal
• Shows poor completion of teeth brushing, bathing/showering, washing hair etc
• Displays slow performance of self care tasks
• Is a poor sleeper
• Becomes distressed when performing hygiene tasks

When self care skills are less than ideal, you might also see difficulties with:
• Organisation
• Independence at school
• Separation from parents

What can be done to improve self care skills?
• Enhance and develop the underlying skills that impact on successful self care
• Structure and present activities so that they are fun and motivating
• Use visual strategies to promote independence

Activities that can improve self care skills include:
• Specific strategies for learning to tie shoelaces
• Threading and lacing
• Practice knife and fork use in play environment
• General manipulation activities