Disability Coordination Office ACT - Negotiating the Maze

Functional Skills Checklist

Download checklist in a worksheet format:

 Home Life Skills Worksheet (410 Kb) MS Word format

 Home Life Skills Worksheet (308 Kb) PDF format

The checklist work-sheet includes the following goals: ^[1]

Goals

• Identifies and undertakes financial, legal and social responsibilities associated with different types of accommodation (including rights and responsibilities of a tenant and landlord)
• Pays their portion of the bills, rent/board, food, electricity
• Shares responsibilities such as cleaning and cooking
• Manages with social issues such as compatibility, conflict, private and communal space
• Selects, purchases, cleans and maintains own furniture and home accessories
• Participates in household/family decisions
• Plans outings with household/family/friends
• Cares for pet(s)

Home Safety and Security

• Assumes responsibility for personal items (wallet, diary/day-planner, shoes, bags, clothes etc.)
• Maintains home/rental insurance
• Secures house (keys and locks)
• Identifies and takes action to correct/avoid potential hazards in and around the home
• Uses safety measures when using electricity and gas
• Demonstrates safe use, storage and disposal of household cleaners and chemicals
• Knows fire exits and emergency procedures
• Knows where and how to turn off water supply
• Knows how and when to call emergency services
• Knows where emergency supplies are kept (flashlight
• Uses household appliances
• Identifies situations when appliances
• Identifies and demonstrates how to attend or hold a safe party (noise restrictions
• Answers the door
  • Finds out who is there before unlocking the door
  • Uses appropriate social skills if they know the person
  • Knows how to respond if they do not know the person (couriers, salespeople etc.)
  • Knows how to respond to door knock appeals (rights, credentials, scams...)

Downtime at home with flatmates

• Shares items
• Initiates activities with housemates, friends and family
• Listens to music, watches TV, plays games
  • Identifies and maintains acceptable volume levels
  • Checks to see if housemate is studying, sleeping, talking on phone, listening to music already, etc.
  • Uses headphones, if appropriate
  • Checks to see if housemate is "not in the mood"
  • Negotiates with housemates what music/show/game will be played
• Handles conflicts between housemates
• Picks up subtle cues from housemates
• Gives housemates space and privacy (and is given space and privacy)
  • Avoids going into others' bedrooms if they are not around
  • Knocks on doors before entering
  • Uses appropriate levels of touching
  • Avoids interrupting if another person is involved in an activity
  • Asks before entering someone's bedroom

Phone Etiquette

• Knows/finds phone numbers
• Makes phone calls
• Asks for correct person
• Identifies self-using first name
• Asks if the person is busy
• Responds appropriately if person is busy
• Raises subject to discuss
• Initiates appropriate casual conversation
• Follows/maintains a one-topic conversation to completion
• Answers questions asked
• Makes appropriate requests
• Makes thorough plans
• Initiates closing/winding up the conversation
• Identifies and responds quickly when other person winds up the conversation
• Says good-bye once
• Leaves appropriate message on answering machine with phone number
• Answers phone calls for self and others
  • Takes messages for housemates
  • Knows how to respond to telemarketers/cold callers

Cleaning the house

• Identifies when and how often to do specific chores
• Negotiates and develops a household duties/chores schedule
• Does their share of household duties/chores (without reminders)
• Identifies and uses appropriate equipment and cleaning products for each cleaning task
• Vacuums the carpet
• Sweeps the floor
• Mops the floor
• Dusts the furniture
• Changes the sheets/bed linen
• Cleans the bathroom
• Washes the windows
• Understand the different cleaning requirements for communal space vs. personal space
• Carries out routine house maintenance
  • Changes light bulbs
  • Replaces batteries in smoke detectors
• Arranges for specialised house maintenance
  • Identifies what maintenance needs to be carried out by a qualified tradesperson
  • Identifies the type of person/agency to contact
  • Reports problems/need for repairs to person/agency
  • Arranges for maintenance to be carried out (carpet cleaners, pest control, plumbers, electrician etc.)

Laundry

• Uses the washing machine to wash clothes, bed linen, towels etc.
• Hangs up the clothes / uses clothes dryer
• Plans for possible changes in the weather (when to take washing off the line)
• Folds clothes
• Irons clothes
• Mends clothes (buttons, hems...)
• Puts away clothes

Bedroom

• Cleans room
• Strips bed sheets
• Washes bed sheets
• Makes bed

Garden

• Plants a garden
• Weeds, prunes and fertilises the garden
• Rakes the leaves
• Sweeps the pavement
• Mows the lawn
• Trims the hedge
• Uses and maintains garden tools appropriately (fork, rake, shovel, trowel, clippers etc.)
• Maintains a compost heap/worm farm
• Waters the garden - providing an appropriate amount of water
• Understands and follows water restrictions

Grocery Shopping

• Decides what to eat
• Recognises, selects, prepares and eats foods that are nutritious
• Understands the relationship between diet, physical activity and health
• Identifies the food components of a balanced diet
• Reads and understands food nutrition labels
• Develops weekly eating plans suitable for different occasions such as a regular week, a holiday, a time when you may be recovering from an illness
• Identifies items needed (including quantity needed)
• Plans menus
• Checks/chooses fresh food
• Checks/chooses low fat and low calorie foods
• Avoids buying excessively
• Manages grocery budget
• Compares unit prices
• Asks shop employee if they can't find something
• Identifies and demonstrates appropriate behaviour when shopping
• Identifies open checkout lane (different types of checkouts -cash only, limited number of items, self-scan check-out)
• Exchanges money
• Gives correct amount of money
• Checks to make sure right amount of change is received
• Pack items away
• Returns shopping trolley
• Unpacks and stores food appropriately once home (food hygiene)

Meal preparation

• Washes hands
• Decides what to cook
• Cleans and cuts vegetables
• Operate appliances and other kitchen tools. This may include:
  • Stovetop
  • Oven
  • Grill
  • Exhaust fan
  • Microwave
  • Toaster
  • Kettle
  • Dishwasher
  • Electric beater
  • Food processor
  • Blender
  • Sandwich maker
  • Coffee maker, grinder, plunger etc.
  • Can opener
  • Bottle opener/waiters friend
  • Knifes
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Grater
  • Timer
  • Colander
  • Juicer
• Locates cooking utensils/tools
• Follows a recipe
• Follows/reads directions
• Sets the table
• Makes sure appliances are switched off
• Demonstrates food preparation time-management skills

Clean-up after meals

• Clears the table
• Puts leftover food away
• Washes dishes / stacks dishwasher
• Wipes counters
• Empties dish washer
• Puts clean dishes and cutlery away

Heating Leftovers

• Identifies when leftovers are no longer edible
• Uses microwave
• Uses microwave safe bowls etc., if using microwave
• Determines when items are hot
• Cleans microwave, if required

Garbage and recycling

• Identifies (and recycles) materials in the home that can be recycled
• Replaces kitchen tidy bin liners as needed
• Takes out garbage and recycling
• Wheels garbage/recycling bins to street before pickup
• Knows when it is garbage collection day
• Knows when it is recycling collection day
• Stores garbage/recycling bins away after pickup

Mail

• Mail bills and letters
• Buy stamps
• Collects mail

Energy Conservation

• Identifies and demonstrates strategies to conserve energy in the home
  • Turns off lights when area not in use
  • Reduces length of shower
  • Uses energy efficient lights bulbs
  • Uses/purchases electrical appliances with high energy efficiency ratings etc.

[1] Includes sections modified from Appendix G: Functional Analysis of Behavior Baska, L, Kaufman, A, Gaumer, A, Morningstar, M, Lattin, D, and Peterson, T 2003, The Community Transition Program: Experiences starting a community-based program for students ages 18-21, University of Kansas, Department of Special Education. accessed 14/8/2006 www.transitioncoalition.org and
www.transitioncoalition.org/~tcacs/new/files/47365_FINAL_WEB.pdf (7.6MB)