Focused intervention targets a small set of skill deficits—typically one to three that need improvement or development for functional use. This approach acknowledges that some children, teenagers, and even adults may require support in certain aspects of their social or daily functioning. However, support should ultimately lead to building these skills so they can be used independently.

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The primary goal is autonomy in everyday life. The more independent a person becomes, the better they tend to feel—and the less time caregivers need to spend on direct support. Instead, that time can be invested in helping the individual develop even more practical and valuable skills. As comedian Zarna Garg, a mother of three, humorously puts it: “When one of us has to pass an exam, the whole family takes preparatory tests.”

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We can set both short-term and long-term goals, with long-term goals often focused on achieving broader or more complex skills over time

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Some examples of long-term goals fall under the category of life skills development. These may include toilet training (a skill that can be learned at any age), as well as eating and dressing independently, bathing and grooming, sleeping problems, practicing health, safety, and basic first aid, preparing simple meals by following task lists and recipes, using household appliances, washing dishes, doing laundry, managing housekeeping and daily chores, and learning what to buy and how to shop in a supermarket. The list is not exhaustive. 

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Other examples fall within the areas of communication and learning. These may include learning to read—provided that all prerequisite skills are in place—developing communication through speech devices such as PECS or AACs (augmentative and alternative communication), learning to make requests or ask for items, identifying and labeling pain or discomfort in specific body parts using two- or three-word phrases, developing social skills, and building the ability to read body language.

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We should also remember the importance of transition-related skills, such as moving from school to the workplace, following directions, learning to operate machinery or tools, completing tasks by following step-by-step instructions or a task list, establishing and maintaining routines, developing effective time management skills and many more.