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Strategies and Resources for Chores at Home

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1. Setting the table

Involving the child/ young person in setting of the table will help with picture and object association and organisation in addition to giving them a sense of responsibility. It may also encourage them to sit at the table to eat meals with the rest of the family.
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2. Washing dishes

Visual instructions for washing dishes can be used which includes as much or as little detail as the child/ young person requires.
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3. Loading/ emptying the dishwasher

As each dishwasher is different it would be advisable to make a specific visual schedule for your dishwasher.
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4. Laundry

Not only is it important that the child/ young person understands how to wash their laundry either by hand or using a washing machine, but also why this is necessary from a personal hygiene point of view.

Within the topic of laundry, ironing can also be explored. As the iron is hot it is important to take the safety of the child/ young person into consideration.
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5. Cleaning windows

When considering the cleaning of windows, take into consideration safety when dealing with warm water and also balance issues if it is necessary to climb up on steps.

To make the task more achievable, you can initially mark off a small area of the window to be washed. The area to be washed can then be increased as the skills are mastered.
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6. Tidying their belongings

Giving children and young people responsibility for their own belongings whether that be clothing, toys or school resources will help with their executive functioning skill of organisation and also independence with dressing. This can take many different forms whether labelled coat hooks, drawers, boxes or shelves.
Labelled drawers: Labels for toys:

Labelled boxes: Named coat hooks:
Visual instructions for tidying bedroom:
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7. Taking out the bin

The young person could be responsible for taking out the household rubbish to the wheelie bin as part of their chore tasks.
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8. Recycling

Materials which need to be recycled can be put into individual boxes/ bags or bins which are labelled or colour coded. Images of items which can be put into each bin can be stuck on (see recycling sorting cards).

This practice can also be adopted in school. If possible use the same system to avoid confusion.
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9. Brushing the floor

In order to gain control of the brush it may be necessary to practice as a table top exercise using a tray initially before moving to the floor.

To make the task more achievable, you can initially mark off a small area of the floor to be brushed. The area to be swept can then be increased as the skills are mastered.

Sweeping practice as a table top activity:
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10. Hoovering

As each hoover varies it is best to create a set of visual instructions which is specific to your own hoover, using photographs if possible.
The noise made by a hoover could be overwhelming for some individuals with autism so wearing ear defenders could be helpful. It may also be comforting for them to know that they can turn the hoover on and off.

Additional note about ear defenders:
Ear defenders should be used as part of a desensitisation programme. The child/young person can wear them to block out an unpleasant noise but should be prompted to remove them for the last 5 seconds of the noise and then for gradually longer periods until they can fully tolerate the noise.
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11. Making the bed

As with any sequential task visual instructions could be of benefit when completing this chore. Making the bed could also be included into a schedule for the child/ young person to tidy their bedroom.
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12. Cleaning the bathroom

When exploring personal hygiene, you could also tie in cleaning the bathroom furniture. You can start with the easier tasks first such as cleaning the sink before progressing on to the shower or bath.
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13. Grocery Shopping

This can be a daunting experience for some individuals due to the sights, sounds and smells.

A trip to the supermarket requires several skills such as planning a list, selecting the necessary items, paying for the shopping (money management) and communicating with the supermarket staff if you cannot find something and also at the checkout.

Prior to the trip, it is advisable to have visual instructions of the steps involved from collecting the trolley to packing the groceries and leaving the shop and a social narrative if the child/ young person is anxious.

You should also prepare a list of required items (start with a small number on the first few visits and build up to a larger shop). If possible have the correct money counted out so that there will be no confusion on the first few visits. As there are various brands of some items you could show the required item on the list.
As they become more confident with the task you can use this opportunity to teach flexibility by adding an item which you have forgotten after getting all those on the pre-prepared list.

Apps to help with grocery shopping:

1. Boardmaker symbols

2. Social Narrative -Tony goes shopping, An Autism story by Valerie Sheehan

3. In Store assistance from Asda

ALF Trolley

The ALF (Autism Lifeskill Friend) is a shopping trolley designed to help children and adults with autism. The aim of ALF is to improve the experience of grocery shopping for individuals with autism and to promote independence in this life skill. The ALF trolley has a fixed clipboard to which the shopper can attach their own shopping list, or they can choose to use the symbol based one provided. If using the laminated shopping list provided the shopper can also bring their own visual supports (words/symbols/photographs to attach to the list. There is a 'finished' compartment beneath the clipboard for the shopper to place the laminated pictures once the corresponding item has been placed in to the trolley.

ALF trolleys are currently located in a number of Supervalu stores in Ireland.

For further information please contact: Tony Donovan autismlifeskillfriend@gmail.com
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14. Food Storage

After the skills required to complete the grocery shopping are mastered the opportunity can be taken to teach correct storage of food items in the home.

Food storage

Video showing a successful grocery shopping trip to the grocery shop:

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15. Meal Preparation

This is an essential skill for the child/ young person to master to foster greater independence and potentially independent living in future years.
This can be started off at a basic level initially for example how to butter bread or pour cereal and more complex recipes can be explored at a later date when the skill of following a recipe has been developed. Video modelling or prompting can also be used to assist or teach the child/ young person the necessary skills.
Visual instructions: Apps:

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16. Chore Checklist/ Chart

To help with organisation and so the child or young person is given a choice (ensuring that they feel empowered) a checklist or chart can be used.
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17. Other helpful resources
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Involving the child/ young person in setting of the table will help with picture and object association and organisation in addition to giving them a sense of responsibility. It may also encourage them to sit at the table to eat meals with the rest of the family.

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Chores interactive and downloadable worksheet. You can do the exercises online or download the worksheet as pdf.

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How To: Wash The Dishes - Point of View Video Modeling

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Click on link to access story about chores at home. You can read to child before starting chores.

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After child completes chore, they can color in box or make a checkmark.

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Checklist for older children who are more independent in chores at home. Children should be able to follow 3-4 step directions.

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Click on link below for a chore checklist template. You can type in the chores you want your child to complete.

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Life Skills Chores Template - Interactive worksheet

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interactive and downloadable worksheet. You can do the exercises online or download the worksheet as pdf.

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Chores At Home:          Matching Activity

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Chores At Home:          Matching Activity

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Click on link below to listen and match to the correct picture.

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Household chores - listen and drag worksheet

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Household chores online worksheet for Elementary. You can do the exercises online or download the worksheet as pdf.

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Chores At Home:               Visual Questions 

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Chores At Home:               Visual Questions 

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Click on link below to answer questions about chores using pictures.

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Liveworksheets transforms your traditional printable worksheets into self-correcting interactive exercises that the students can do online and send to the teacher.

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Click on link below to match the pictures of what you need to complete the chores.

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What do you need to do these house chores? - Interactive worksheet

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Household chores interactive and downloadable worksheet. You can do the exercises online or download the worksheet as pdf.

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Youtube Video about cleaning in the kitchen with step by step directions and picture symbols.

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WIPE IT CLEAN! Educational Video for Students with Autism & Intellectual Disabilities (w/Boardmaker)

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Put tasks in order

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Household chores online worksheet for Any. You can do the exercises online or download the worksheet as pdf.