Independence

There is an "Independent Life Skills Assessment" in my workbook, which I took, and the results were a bit alarming. I am much further behind than I had anticipated. Nobody can tell, or at least most people can't, because I am using pure horsepower to compensate, but sooner or later I am going to run out of energy to do that and will need real skills in order to survive independently.

Here are the results of my assessment...

Key: A - Always F - Frequently O - Occasionally N - Never

Gets up on own - R
Washes - F
Showers - F
Brushes teeth - F
Combs hair - A
Wears clean clothes - O
Eats - A
Takes medicine - A
Seeks medical care - O
Dresses appropriately for weather - A
Able to remember basic tasks/messages - O
Keeps track of belongings - F
Able to drive or take public transportation - R
Able to get to destination on time - O

Records assignments - R
Completes assignments - R
Hands in assignments - F
On time with virtually no assistance - R
May require accommodations but not monitoring/prodding - O
Is aware of some learning needs - A
Able to advocate for self or obtain an advocate - A
Able to follow academic rules - A
Will follow teacher instruction - A

Uses appropriate greetings with eye contact - F
Able and willing to communicate needs and questions - A
Affect matches circumstances - F
Able to control: Obsessions - R
Self-Stimulation - F
inappropriate responses/meltdowns - A
Able to engage in small talk - R
Able to: begin conversations - F
sustain conversations - O
terminate conversation - R

Able to engage with helping adults other than parents - A
Aware of others to extent that actions and behaviors do not adversely affect them - F
Understands basics of relationships, such as levels and associated rules, the concept or reciprocity, etc. - O


Using that as a guide, I have written myself the following to post on my wall:

Goals

1. Get more sleep.
2. Improve class attendance and overall grades.
3. More time for boyfriend.
4. More time for me.
5. Reduce stress.

Helpful Behaviors

1. Getting up on time.
2. Going to class.
3. Finishing homework in a timely fashion.
4. Taking breaks when they are needed.
5. Keeping myself and my living space orderly.
6. Writing down things that need to be done.
7. Getting chores done.
8. Journaling progress.

Hurtful Behaviors

1. Staying up all night.
2. Spending hours on the internet.
3. Procrastination.
4. Wasting breaks during the day.
5. Trying to do too much.
6. Spending too much money.
7. Losing my patience.

My hope is that by reducing or eliminating the hurtful behaviors, I will have more room in my life to complete the helpful behaviors as I should be. I am thinking after a month or two I will retake the assessment and see how I do. The book suggests anything ranked O or below needs work. We'll just have to see how I do. At this rate I don't know that I'll be able to maintain employment when I am totally out on my own, and I need to be able to do that in order to be independent. Right now I am just scraping by and I can't live like this forever.