Free ADL Skills Checklist for Autism, ADHD & Down Syndrome

If you are a parent of an autistic child, a child with ADHD, Down syndrome, developmental delay, or sensory needs, you may already know this feeling: your child can do parts of a routine, but not the whole routine yet.

Maybe they can hold the toothbrush but not brush properly. Maybe they can wear a shirt but struggle with buttons. Maybe they know the toilet routine but still need reminders for wiping, flushing, or washing hands.

That is where an ADL skills checklist helps.

An ADL skills checklist gives you a simple way to track daily living skills, notice what your child can already do, and choose what to practice next. It is not a diagnostic tool. It is a practical parent tool for building independence one routine at a time.

This matters because many families need daily routine support. CDC's latest autism data reports that about 1 in 31 children aged 8 years has been identified with autism spectrum disorder, and CDC's 2024 parent survey data estimates 7 million U.S. children aged 3 to 17 have a current ADHD diagnosis.

For parents, the goal is not perfection. The goal is progress.

An ADL skills checklist is a list of everyday self-care and daily living tasks that helps parents track how independently a child can complete each skill.

ADL means Activities of Daily Living. These are the everyday tasks children use to care for themselves, participate at home, get ready for school, and build independence.

A good checklist helps you answer three simple questions:

HealthyChildren.org, from the American Academy of Pediatrics, notes that children with autism and other developmental disabilities may struggle with fine motor skills, sensory processing, motor planning, and self-care tasks such as getting dressed, using a spoon, and brushing teeth.

ADL skills are the small daily tasks that make family life, school routines, hygiene, and independence easier.

Common ADL skills include:

Some children learn these skills naturally by watching adults. Other children need visual steps, repetition, sensory adjustments, and patient teaching.

This checklist can help you organize observations and choose daily practice goals. It can also help you discuss your child's needs with an occupational therapist, speech therapist, psychologist, pediatrician, or special educator.

It cannot diagnose autism, ADHD, Down syndrome, developmental delay, sensory processing difficulty, or any medical condition.

Use it as a starting point. If daily routines are causing ongoing stress or your child loses skills they previously had, speak with a qualified professional.

Use this checklist once a month, or before therapy reviews, school meetings, or home program planning. Do not score your child on one difficult day. Watch the skill across several normal days.

Suggested scoring:

You can also add a star beside skills you want to practice this month.

Personal hygiene is often the best place to start because these skills happen every day.

Track whether your child can:

If your child resists hygiene tasks, think about sensory comfort. Toothpaste taste, water temperature, towel texture, soap smell, and bathroom sounds can all affect cooperation.

Dressing looks simple, but it uses body awareness, balance, hand strength, motor planning, and tolerance for fabric.

Track whether your child can:

If dressing is difficult, start with the easiest step. For example, your child may only pull the shirt down after you help with the head and arms. That still counts as progress.

Toileting is not one skill. It is a chain of small skills.

Track whether your child can:

If toileting is stressful, do not rely only on reminders. A visual toileting routine can make each step clearer.

Mealtime ADL skills include eating, sitting, utensil use, tolerance of food textures, and cleanup.

Track whether your child can:

For children with sensory needs, introduce changes slowly. Pressure around food can increase stress.

Daily living skills also support school routines and family participation.

Track whether your child can:

These skills may look small, but they reduce daily stress and build independence.

The core ADL skills are similar for many children, but the support style may change depending on your child's needs. A child with autism may need more visual predictability. A child with ADHD may need shorter steps and reminders. A child with Down syndrome may need extra practice time and motor support.

The checklist should fit the child, not the other way around.

For autistic children, ADL skills may be harder when the routine is unclear, too verbal, too sensory-heavy, or suddenly changed.

Children's National recommends breaking daily living tasks into small clear steps, using visual schedules, modeling, prompting, daily practice, sensory adjustments, and practicing skills in different places.

For autistic children, add notes for:

Parents can also explore Sarya's autism visual schedule app, which supports visual cards, voice-guided routines, star rewards, and daily hygiene and ADL routines.

For children with ADHD, the challenge is often not knowing the skill. The challenge may be starting, remembering, sequencing, staying with the task, and finishing.

CDC data from 2024 estimates that 7 million U.S. children aged 3 to 17 have a current ADHD diagnosis, and ADHD symptoms can vary in severity.

For ADHD, add notes for:

Sarya's ADHD routine app is built around micro-task breakdown, visual prompts, audio cues, timers, and star rewards for everyday routines.

Children with Down syndrome can build self-care independence, but many need extra time, repetition, and specific teaching strategies.

CDC explains that Down syndrome is a genetic condition involving an extra chromosome and can affect brain and body development. CDC also reports that about 5,775 babies born in the U.S. each year have Down syndrome.

For children with Down syndrome, add notes for:

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia notes that children with trisomy 21 often need additional time and practice to learn new independence skills, and that chaining can help break tasks into smaller steps.

Parents do not need a complicated scoring system. The aim is to find the next helpful skill, not to label the child.

Use the 0 to 3 scale:

A skill scored 2 is often the best place to start. It means your child is already close and may succeed with visual steps, repetition, or small changes.

After you complete the checklist, do not try to work on everything. Choose three skills that are realistic and useful.

Pick skills that are:

For example, if mornings are difficult, choose brushing teeth, wearing shoes, and packing a bag. If bedtime is difficult, choose pajamas, brushing teeth, and putting clothes in the laundry basket.

A checklist shows you the gap. A routine teaches the skill.

Once you pick a skill, turn it into a small visual routine. This is especially helpful for children who struggle with spoken instructions, sequencing, attention, transitions, or sensory discomfort.

Use this plan:

Brushing teeth can be difficult because it involves taste, touch, sound, and many steps.

Break it down like this:

Instead of saying all the steps at once, show one step at a time. Sarya's ADL skills app helps parents build these routines with visual cards, custom photos, familiar voice prompts, star rewards, and progress tracking.

Getting dressed becomes easier when the child learns one part of the sequence at a time.

Try this:

You can also use backward chaining. That means you complete most of the task, then let your child do the final step. As they improve, they do more steps. CHOP describes chaining as breaking tasks into smaller steps and adding steps as the child masters them.

A printable ADL checklist and a visual routine app do different jobs. The checklist helps you assess and plan. The app helps your child practice.

A printable checklist is useful for:

A visual routine app is useful for:

Sarya's ADL page says families can build routines for hygiene, dressing, bathing, eating, mealtime, and chores, using 350+ dedicated ADL visual cards, voice prompts, star rewards, and progress tracking.

Use the checklist to decide what to practice. Use Sarya to help your child practice it every day.

An ADL skills checklist is helpful, but it should not replace professional guidance. If daily living skills are causing ongoing stress or your child is not making progress, speak with a qualified professional.

Consider support if your child:

Families can explore Aaryavart's Autism Therapy, Autism Treatment, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, and life skills support through its services section. Aaryavart's services page lists autism therapy, ABA therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, sensory therapy, life skills training, parent training, and home plans.

Aaryavart's occupational therapy page specifically mentions support for self-care skills such as dressing, eating, toileting readiness, grooming, and daily independence.

Once you know which ADL skills need practice, the next step is making those skills easier for your child to follow.

Sarya helps parents turn checklist goals into visual routines. Instead of repeating "brush, dress, pack, hurry" every morning, you can show the steps visually and let your child follow them one by one.

With Sarya, families can:

Sarya is not a replacement for therapy. It is a home routine support tool that helps children practice daily living skills in a clear, repeatable way.

Start with one checklist item. Build one visual routine. Practice it daily. Then add the next skill when your child is ready.

An ADL skills checklist helps parents see what their child can do, what still needs support, and what to practice next. For children with autism, ADHD, Down syndrome, developmental delays, or sensory needs, this kind of clarity can make daily routines less overwhelming.

Do not try to teach every skill at once. Choose one routine, break it into small steps, use visuals, and celebrate progress.

Sarya can help you turn the checklist into daily action, so your child can build self-care, confidence, and independence one step at a time.

An ADL skills checklist is a tool parents use to track how independently a child can complete activities of daily living, such as brushing teeth, dressing, toileting, eating, bathing, and following routines.

Examples include washing hands, brushing teeth, wearing clothes, using the toilet, eating with utensils, drinking from a cup, bathing, combing hair, packing a school bag, and cleaning up toys.

Yes. An ADL checklist can help parents of autistic children identify which daily living skills need visual support, sensory adjustments, step-by-step teaching, or therapist guidance. Children's National recommends visual schedules, modeling, prompting, routine practice, and sensory adjustments for supporting daily living skills in autistic children.

Yes. For children with ADHD, a checklist can show where the child struggles with starting, remembering, sequencing, or finishing routines. Visual routines and short steps can reduce repeated verbal reminders.

It can help parents track self-care progress and choose realistic practice goals. Children with Down syndrome may need more repetition, time, motor support, and step-by-step teaching for independence skills.

Children start learning basic ADL skills in toddlerhood and continue improving through childhood. The pace varies by child, development, sensory needs, motor skills, and support.

Use a simple 0 to 3 scale: 0 means not started, 1 means full help, 2 means partial help, and 3 means independent. Choose a few skills scored 2 as your first practice goals.

Use a printable checklist for tracking and planning. Use a visual routine app like Sarya for daily practice, visual steps, voice prompts, custom photos, rewards, and progress tracking.

Yes. Visual schedules can make daily living routines easier by showing what to do first, next, and last. They are useful for brushing teeth, dressing, toileting, bathing, meals, bedtime, and school preparation.

Consult an occupational therapist if your child has ongoing difficulty with dressing, feeding, toileting, grooming, bathing, handwriting, sensory regulation, fine motor skills, or daily routines. Aaryavart's Occupational Therapy services include self-care and daily living skill support.

Helpful school-readiness ADL skills include toileting, washing hands, opening lunch items, wearing shoes, carrying a bag, asking for help, cleaning up, and following simple routines.

Yes. Sarya helps parents create visual step-by-step routines for ADL skills such as brushing teeth, bathing, dressing, eating, bedtime, school prep, and chores. It supports visual cards, custom photos, familiar voice prompts, star rewards, and progress tracking.