In our recent blog posts, the team at Functional Living Skills has been offering insight into the six different protocols that make up the Assessment of Functional Living Skills. The perfect resource for people with autism spectrum disorder, the AFLS is designed to offer a pathway to independence. Whether you’re a parent or a teacher, if you’re looking to build an independent living skills checklist to set your learner up for success, we’d like to help!
That’s why in today’s post we’ll be taking a look at our School Skills protocol. We believe that people are always capable of making progress, and this is particularly true for those with developmental disabilities who attend school. Figuring out how to incorporate and measure certain skills can be a challenge, however. So what can you expect from the School Skills portion of the AFLS? We’ll be breaking it down below, so keep reading to learn more.
What Makes the AFLS One of the Best Autism Resources Out There?
The School Skills protocol covers everything from common knowledge to core academics. It also covers classroom mechanics, routines and expectations, meals at school, social skills, technology, and applied academics. In other words, it contains everything your learner might need to improve in independence.
Perfect for all education levels, it allows parents, teachers, and caregivers alike to track progress and come up with a completely custom curriculum designed to suit the needs of your learner.
What Is In Our School Skills Protocol?
Social skills are a crucial aspect of being in a school, and there is a section specifically dedicated to helping you foster independence in your learner. For example, a common task might be asking others for permission to join in an activity. A typical question might be something like, “Can I play ball with you?” The task can be scored from 0 to 2 points. A single point would be given if your learner ask others for permission to join in play with only verbal points. 2 points would be given if your learner routinely asks others for permission to join their play.
For many, initiating conversation can be a challenge. Another task would be to strike up conversations with an objective of initiating at least 5 conversations each day with any of 3 or more peers. Scored from 0 to 4 points, there are plenty of opportunities to measure progress and track growth.
In this day and age, applied academics are also a crucial part of the experience of learning in school. A common task is using diagrams and charts to graph data. The question posed in the AFLS is “can the learner demonstrate use and understanding of diagrams, charts, and graphs?” Once again, this is a skill scored from 0 to 4 points. 2 points would be given when the learner provides enough information about the content of bar graphs and pie charts. A 4 would be awarded if the learner provides information about the content of diagrams, charts, and graphs, and draws or creates graphs when given a set of values.
Help Your Learner Take a Step Towards Independence
Whether your learner is in elementary school, middle school, or high school, regardless of classroom placement, the School Skills protocol assesses over 300 different skills across 8 different skill content areas. Each area is designed to help learners gain the skills they need to move forward confidently and independently in their daily life.
The AFLS Guide is the perfect companion tool, containing task analyses, teaching suggestions, and prompting strategies that perfectly complement their corresponding protocols. From scoring to developing programs to setting objectives, this guide allows you to come up with a plan benefiting the specific needs of your learner.
We believe that a learner’s ability becomes reality in the areas of functional, adaptive, self-help, and practical life skills and that these are necessary to thrive independently. At the end of the day, the goal is to foster a pathway to independence, and whether you’re a teacher, caregiver, or parent of children with autism, our goal is to help you offer skills and confidence in areas that will help your learner to grow and succeed.
Learn more about the protocols in the Assessment of Functional Living Skills, and feel free to contact us with questions.
