To properly prepare students with disabilities for independent living, the Gateway School has developed a complete life skills curriculum for special education. We are educating students in domestic living chores, financial literacy, personal grooming skills, and community living skills focusing on transition and succeeding in future adult environments.

One of the best things about teaching life skills is that it can be a lot of fun, providing increased motivation to our students. In addition to offering the full range of academic instruction based on the New Jersey Student Learning Standards, we also prepare our students for impending adult situations by teaching practical, daily living skills, such as self-care, shopping, cooking and laundry. The life skills curriculum also features a wide variety of home, community and workplace skills, including pre-vocational, career exploration, and work-related behaviors. Still other classes focus on community-based instruction, leisure and recreational activities. For our more cognitively-challenged students, we also provide functional reading, such as learning to complete job applications and read bus schedules, and practical math, such as learning time and money skills.  

Although each individual diagnosed with ASD is unique and persons learn at different rates, an integrated life skills curriculum for special education can help identify areas in which a child needs to grow in addition to areas of strength. Outlining these areas provides an opportunity for collaboration among students, teachers and parents to determine appropriate interventions. It is designed to be motivating not only for the student, but also for the surrounding support system.