Functional Life Skills

Group Ratio:

Our Life Skills Group maintains a low staff-to-learner ratio of 2 Instructor Therapists for every 3–5 learners, ensuring individualized support while promoting independence, collaboration, and meaningful peer interactions.

Who is this Group For?

This group is designed for learners 14–17 years of age who are ready to build greater independence and strengthen practical life skills. It is ideal for teens who benefit from a structured, supportive environment while developing confidence, autonomy, and everyday functional skills alongside peers of a similar age and ability.

What Does This Look Like?

Learners use individualized visual schedules to transition between supported learning activities and independent workstations. During each session, participants select from personalized activities that align with their individual goals and skill level.

A variety of engaging tasks and novel materials are incorporated to encourage skill acquisition, promote generalization, and maintain learner engagement. Throughout the program, learners are encouraged to independently gather, use, and return materials for each activity, fostering increased independence, organization, and responsibility.

Activities Will Include:

Group fitness routines, social skills activities, and individualized skill-building tasks based on each learner's goals. Individual and supported activities may include colouring, activity folders, worksheets, sorting tasks, educational tablet games, structured individual and cooperative activities, fine motor tasks, and puzzles.

Learners will also develop practical daily living skills, such as laundry, folding clothes, washing dishes, cooking, making a bed, wiping tables, sorting recycling, organizing cutlery, and sweeping or vacuuming. Personal hygiene skills may include brushing teeth, brushing hair, washing hands and face, applying deodorant, drying off after washing, and responding appropriately to household safety cues, such as smoke alarms.

Activities may be completed independently at a designated workstation or collaboratively with a peer, depending on each learner's goals and level of support. This small-group format provides meaningful opportunities for social connection while building confidence, independence, and functional life skills.