Life Skills Checklist for Transition Planning

Document whether the student can independently complete steps such as bathing, deodorant use, oral care, and menstrual or shaving routines. This is often addressed through daily living IEP goals using task analysis, visual schedules, and least-to-most prompting, especially for students with autism, intellectual disability, or multiple disabilities.

Teach students to select weather-appropriate, clean, and work-appropriate clothing and to manage fasteners, laundry sorting, and basic stain checks. Align instruction to transition goals related to independent living and use video modeling or picture supports as accommodations when needed.

Students should know their allergies, medical conditions, emergency contacts, and how to request help with medications if they do not self-administer. This supports safer adult outcomes and can be tied to IEP goals for self-advocacy, health literacy, and related services coordination with nursing or counseling staff.

Assess whether the student can identify healthy food choices, read simple recipes, prepare snacks or meals, and safely use kitchen tools. Evidence-based instruction includes systematic prompting, repeated practice in natural environments, and modifications such as adapted utensils or simplified recipe cards.

Include tasks such as making a bed, wiping surfaces, taking out trash, organizing personal items, and following a chore schedule. These skills connect directly to independent living postsecondary goals and can be measured through completion rubrics and generalization across school apartment labs or community settings.

Students should know what to do in emergencies, how to identify trusted adults, and how to respond to unsafe situations, including online contact or exploitation. Instruction should include role-play, explicit teaching, and accommodations such as scripted responses or social narratives when appropriate.

Students need functional understanding of cash, debit cards, and common payment screens to participate in adult life. Link this to math-related IEP goals using explicit instruction, community-based practice, and supports such as calculators, visual cue cards, or enlarged materials for students with visual impairments.

Move beyond worksheets by teaching students to buy items at school stores, vending machines, grocery stores, or job sites. Community-based instruction and graduated prompting are evidence-based methods for helping students generalize this skill across real environments.

Teach students to plan for food, transportation, phone bills, hygiene items, and recreation using actual or simulated income. This supports measurable transition goals in financial independence and can be scaffolded with color-coded budget templates or digital budgeting apps.

Use shopping lists, store ads, and online comparisons to build decision-making and consumer awareness. This skill aligns well with self-determination instruction and can be embedded into IEP objectives addressing problem-solving and functional academics.

Students should learn to verify totals, identify change given, and monitor spending to reduce vulnerability to financial mistakes. Use repeated practice with authentic materials and accommodations such as highlighted key information or simplified transaction logs.

Many students need direct instruction on protecting PIN numbers, recognizing suspicious offers, and knowing when to ask for help. Include this within transition services for students who are developing independent living goals and document instruction as part of safety and self-advocacy programming.

Students should recognize places such as grocery stores, health clinics, workplaces, banks, libraries, and government offices relevant to their postsecondary plan. This supports person-centered transition planning and can be taught through maps, community walks, and photo-based instruction.

Instruction should include reading schedules, using GPS or transit apps, and identifying landmarks or transfer points. For students with executive functioning needs, provide checklists, color-coded route cards, or travel training with fading adult support.

Students need explicit teaching on crosswalks, signals, traffic awareness, and what to do when lost. Community-based instruction is especially important for students whose IEPs target safety, mobility, or independent travel skills.

Include how to obtain transit passes, request paratransit, use rideshare safely with family approval, or coordinate transportation with vocational placements. This is a high-impact transition skill for students pursuing employment or postsecondary training.

Teach waiting, asking for assistance, maintaining personal space, and following location-specific rules. Social narratives, video modeling, and role-play are effective accommodations and instructional strategies for students with social communication or behavioral needs.

Students should know when to use an ID card, medical alert information, contact list, or communication card. This is especially important for students with communication disorders, autism, or health needs and should be practiced across settings to ensure generalization.

Use age-appropriate transition assessments, interest inventories, situational observations, and family input to guide vocational goals. IDEA requires measurable postsecondary goals based on transition assessment, so this step should inform instruction, services, and course of study.

Students should practice arriving on time, clocking in, following schedules, and notifying supervisors when absent. These are common employment-related IEP goals and respond well to visual schedules, timers, self-monitoring checklists, and reinforcement systems.

Break workplace tasks into manageable steps and collect data on accuracy, independence, and speed. This evidence-based approach is especially effective for students with intellectual disability or autism and helps job coaches document progress toward vocational IEP objectives.

Students need direct instruction in greetings, reporting problems, requesting breaks appropriately, and responding to feedback. Pair role-play with sentence starters, communication devices, or visual cue cards to support students with speech-language or pragmatic language needs.

Even students entering supported employment benefit from learning how to describe strengths, experiences, and accommodation needs. Use modified applications, mock interviews, and supported writing tools to make this instruction accessible and relevant.

Students should understand basic expectations related to safety, dress, behavior, and who to talk to about needed supports. This is a strong area for self-advocacy instruction and can connect to Section 504 and disability disclosure conversations in age-appropriate ways.

Students should be able to describe what helps them learn, communicate, stay organized, or regulate behavior in school and adult settings. Self-determination instruction is research-backed and supports stronger participation in IEP meetings, employment, and postsecondary education planning.

Have students share goals, preferences, progress, and support needs using scripts, slides, videos, or communication devices. Person-centered planning practices increase engagement and help ensure transition services reflect the student's interests rather than adult assumptions.

Students should learn to set short-term goals related to employment, living arrangements, education, or community participation and review progress regularly. Use student-friendly rubrics, self-monitoring charts, and clear success criteria tied to measurable annual IEP goals.

Students need specific language for asking for extended time, visual directions, sensory breaks, assistive technology, or clarified instructions. This bridges the gap between school-based accommodations and adult self-advocacy, especially for students transitioning to college or training programs.

Teach students to leave messages, answer calls appropriately, write basic emails, and schedule medical or service appointments. For students with communication needs, incorporate AAC systems, scripted supports, and repeated practice in authentic scenarios.

Transition teams should help families understand vocational rehabilitation, developmental disability services, community colleges, supported employment providers, and independent living centers. Document referral steps and timelines so the handoff from school services to adult systems is clear and legally sound.