When deciding on which skills to target with your child, it is best to focus on skills that he partially can do!

Which skills does your child seem to able to do but finds frustrating thereby causing him to feel frustrated? Using systematic teaching strategy work on mastering these skills to give your child the confidence and independence he deserves.

 For example: if your child already knows the beginning steps of tying his shoes. Use forward chaining to teach him all steps necessary to tie his shoes.

A sample task analysis, written by Sarah Goldsztein, MS BCBA, one of our very own BCBAs, that can help your child with this is:

step one:  take two laces in your hands

step two: cross the two laces

step three: make a knot by pulling one end under

step four: pull the knot tight

step five: make a bunny ear and hold with one hand

step six: make another bunny ear and hold with the other hand. 

step seven: pull the knot tight

A visual schedule can be helpful in teaching this.