Self-Care Skills

Abstract

Children with autism or related disabilities may develop self-care skills in a different progression than children identified as neuro- or developmentally typical, and often require direct intervention to acquire self-care skills (Flynn and Healy, J Autism Dev Disord 49:582–616, 2012). Another group of children who may not develop self-care routines according to a more typical progression is those diagnosed with Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). Children with ARFID may require intervention to develop self-care skills, given their unique medical history (e.g., painful or invasive procedures near the mouth and face leading to oral aversions), developmental progression (e.g., skill deficits), and the environmental conditions (e.g., change-resistant behavior; history of negatively reinforced behavior during novel or uncomfortable tasks) that contribute to feeding difficulties (Manikam and Perman, J Clin Gastroenterol 30:34–46, 2000). Ultimately, it is important for children to develop self-care skills to increase their general independence, reduce reliance on caregivers, and promote general health, hygiene, wellness, and safety. This chapter reviews the current literature on teaching self-care skills and provides implications for future research in this area. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)