In this episode, we review the importance of incorporating functional skills and a functional curriculum in our children's daily lives.  

A functional skill is a skill that a person needs to live independently and a functional curriculum focuses on the life skills a student needs for independent living.  Teaching our children how to function in the world is just as important if not more important than teaching academic skills.  These “functional” skills are what they will need to live as independently as possible.

Think about activities of everyday life. These include communication, social skills, appropriate behavior, hygiene, safety, transportation, and self-help skills. Life skills go hand in hand with development and these skills can be incorporated into their daily routines. Functional skills are the skills that are necessary for daily living and if they are not done by an individual, they will have to be done by someone else.

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