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Independent Living Skills

Adult life takes a variety of skills. Some skills can be learned at home or at school before leaving high school. Some community programs offer classes or practice settings to help you learn skills. Charlottesville Park & Recreation Therapeutic Program offers classes in cooking and arranges social activities . Some people may need Assistive Technology to accomplish some of the activities of daily Living. You can learn more about yourself and skill level by using these online assessment tools:

Hale Online Personality test

This is an adaptation of the world's most popular psychology test, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) personality test, to understand yourself better. This test takes about 5 minutes, but does require some serious thought.

Ansell-Casey Life Skills Assessment (ACLSA)

The Ansell-Casey Life Skills Assessment (ACLSA) is an evaluation of youth independent living skills. It consists of statements about life skills that the youth and his/her caregivers complete. All assessments and the scored reports are free of charge. There are ACLSA versions for four suggested age ranges:

• ACLSA-I for ages 8-9 (37 questions)
• ACLSA-II for ages 10-12 (56 questions)
• ACLSA-III for ages 13-15 (81 questions)
• ACLSA-IV for ages 16-and up (118 questions)
• ACLSA Short form for ages 11-18 (18 questions)

Other links:

Emotional Intelligence Test - 2nd Revision (fee to purchase full report)

Leadership Test (fee-based test)

Developing these skills with the assistance of a professional will involve a considerable investment of time and resources. In addition to Vocational Rehabilitation Programs, a list of local programs where you can acquire these skills can be found here. For a listing of skills you need to develop to be successful as an adult, click here.