Activities of daily living

Self-care, learning, playing and sleeping… they are all ‘activities of daily living’. Your child may need support with these activities.

What are ‘activities of daily living’?

What are ‘activities of daily living’?


We all need rest and sleep. We need to use the toilet and keep ourselves clean. We must dress and eat, and to a certain extent, get ourselves from one place to the next.

These are activities of daily living (sometimes known as ADLs in therapeutic terms), and they are essential to our development, independence, health and wellbeing.

What your child might experience

Right now, it’s likely you meet all your child’s basic care needs. Of course, all children need help with self-care until they become independent. But for children with additional needs, learning these skills might take longer – and sometimes they might need help into adulthood.

How Pace can help

We help you to help your child learn the vital tasks of everyday life, so they can become more independent. Your child should feel proud and satisfied when they achieve these tasks!

We help children take cues from their body – so when they feel sleepy they fall asleep, when they feel hungry they ask for food. We harness children’s interest in copying adults too; seeing us engaged in everyday tasks is a great way to learn.

We support your child to take part in classroom activities, and develop movement which is critical for washing, dressing and using the toilet.