The Component Model of Functional Life Routines provides a systematic structure for the specification of behaviors relevant to student competence, thus providing guidelines for determining meaningful forms of participation in functional activities and meaningful assessment of progress in these activities for severely disabled students. (CB)

Acquisition, discrimination, and review training were used to teach four severely retarded adolescents to tell time to the nearest 5-minute interval. All subjects acquired the target behavior, and three of four maintained appropriate responses after 8 weeks. Discrimination errors and the social relevance of the skill are discussed. (Author/JW)

The Life Skills Program has six modules designed to meet the needs of inmates at different stages. The first module introduces the program; the second develops interpersonal communication skills and personal responsibility; the other four concentrate on goal setting, employability, personal planning, and stress management. (Only the second module,…

The study examined the perceptions of 106 handicapped and nonhandicapped high school juniors and seniors concerning the vocational, leisure, domestic, and school skills they considered important and used frequently. Handicapped students were more likely to consider specific vocational skills as important than were nonhandicapped students.…

Are camps solely in the business of providing fun, or are they facilitators of crucial life skills? A social worker explores the fun versus character-building debate, concluding that though camp is not group therapy, it contributes to overall personal growth and to the social and emotional development of all children. (JMM)

Describes Home Visit, field assessment of elderly clients which involved interview, observation, and direct assessment of performance of routine tasks, rating performance to identify major obstacles to independence: attention/motivation, memory, language, and visuospatial deficits. Notes approach can help clarify diagnostic issues in dementia and…

Fifty-two visually handicapped persons (mean age 48.8 years) were identified in 21 of 82 rural villages surveyed by trained local field workers in India. Assessment, rehabilitation planning, parent/trainer counseling and education, and training in such areas as daily living skills and orientation and mobility were provided as appropriate. (JW)

This investigation examines the problems of low ability readers and proposes possible solutions including a series of reading strategies. Additionally, it shows that using vocational reading material in adult education classes gives students a survey of occupational areas, imparts life skills, and prepares them for job entry by giving background…

Strategies for teaching life skills are presented (such as role playing). Specific topic areas covered in the course are presented (career awareness, life-style determination, budget preparation, insurance, consumer law, and investments). The author also discusses interjecting other life situations, handling student departures, and developing…

The author states that marketing is a basic skill that is important in the workplace and in various social contexts. Thus, he advocates that a basic marketing course be required of all high school students. A plan to achieve this goal is presented. (CH)

The "latchkey" child who spends time at home alone is vulnerable to a variety of crisis situations. Suggestions are offered to help this child become more self-reliant and better able to deal with fears, boredom, and danger. (DF)

A three-step assessment and quantification procedure is described that determines the goodness-of-fit (congruence) between a person's behavioral capabilities and setting-specific performance requirements. Concurrent validity and correlational data are presented, as well as potential uses of the Goodness-of-Fit Index (GOFI) procedure. (Author/JW)

Children often come to school with undesirable social skills. To help the classroom operate more smoothly, good manners are necessary. Activities and ideas to help teachers develop acceptable behaviors in students are offered. (DF)

This article explains the research phase of the Adult Performance Level (APL) project, providing a brief history of how the APL life coping skills curriculum and Competency-Based High School Diploma Program evolved from the project's research and national survey of adult functional competency. Focuses on APL programs implemented within a…

Examined the efforts of relatives, friends, and professional caregivers in serving the homebound elderly. Results indicate that although the informal support network was perceived to be the preferable source of most home care aid, formal intervention was seen as best for housekeeping functions, specialized duties, and repetitive tasks for the…