Shopping
Shopping is an important life skill. I know sometimes the weekly grocery shopping trip feels like a long trip for your little one. So, if you want to practice some of these important skills, make a list of two or three things you need at CVS or another drug store.
Your child can get their toothpaste, body wash and pick out a snack. Then, he or she can practice paying.
Card Payment
At this stage in Mikey’s life, we were working on counting money, rounding up to the next dollar and giving the cashier the right amount of money. But, in real life, this is tricky and sometimes you don’t have exactly $17. You might need to give the cashier a $20 bill. It is less predictable than card payment.
We decided to teach Mikey how to swipe a credit card. We felt like this skill might be more universally applicable. He still practices this skill. You can decide if you want to practice both cash payment and card payment with your child. Also, this is something you can ask your child’s school to put on the IEP so that this skill is practiced throughout the school year.
For a list of skills we address while grocery shopping, click the link below.
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About the Author
Erica Mauro is a mom to two teenage boys, Will who is neurotypical and Michael with Autism and cognitive delays. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colgate University and a Masters of Psychology in Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. Before staying home with her children, she worked as an elementary school teacher. For five years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation, a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children with special needs. In partnership with her husband Dave, she aspires to parent by using daily life as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention, seizing on real experiences as opportunities to build skills and strategies for Michael in a joyful, loving home environment. On the tougher early days, she just tried to get everyone safely to bedtime and start fresh in the morning. *wink* 
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