Teaching · Related Services

Twelve steps to clean clothes,
each one a little more alone.

Laundry is a transition skill students use for the rest of their lives. Break it into twelve steps, score each by the least help the student needed and note the supports that made a step possible. The organizer shows the share of steps done independently, the steps that still need the most help and how this session compares with the last.

Log a sessionWhat you get

Sessions

The worked example is made up: a transition student at 58 percent of steps independent, up from 33 percent two weeks earlier, with folding still needing physical help. Records save on this device only and use student codes.

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What you get

Teaching · Related ServicesFree

What you finish with
A record per session with student code, date, setting, machine type and who ran it; twelve steps each scored independent, gesture, verbal, model, physical or not done; supports used; four safety checks; notes; the share of steps done independently and the change from the student’s last session; flags for steps needing physical help, steps not done and a drop in independence.
Who it is for
Occupational therapists, special education and transition teachers, paraprofessionals and families teaching daily living skills to students with disabilities.
Format
Browser organizer with a saved record per session. Prints a session for the file, every session as a table for progress reports or a blank data sheet for the laundry room; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file to share with the family.
Access
Free. No account and no sign-in. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Related Services space in Caveat Teaching.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Practice with the same machines when you can.
  2. Wait a few seconds before helping on each step.
  3. Score the least help the student needed.
  4. Note the supports that made a step possible.
  5. Fade one support at a time, and compare sessions.

Log a session

Prompt levels

From most help to leastPhysicalHand over hand or a light touchModelYou show it; they copyVerbalA short spoken cueGestureA point or a nodIndependentNo helpFade toward the bottom of the stairs; score the least help needed.From most help to leastPhysicalHand over hand or a light touchModelYou show it; they copyVerbalA short spoken cueGestureA point or a nodIndependentNo helpFade down the stairs; score the least help.
A common prompt hierarchy. Teams agree on the order and definitions so every adult scores the same way.

Why task analysis

Breaking a routine into small, observable steps and scoring each one shows exactly where a student is stuck and lets every adult teach it the same way. Teaching the whole routine each time, with help faded step by step, is one of the best-supported ways to teach daily living skills.

Laundry pods

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that laundry detergent pods can be dangerous if bitten or swallowed, especially for young children and adults with cognitive impairments. If a student’s home uses pods, teach and check safe storage; liquid or powder with a marked cup is easier to measure.

Sources

  1. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 34 CFR 300.43 and 300.320(b): transition services, including daily living skills, from age 16 or earlier.
  2. Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., and Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied Behavior Analysis (3rd ed.): task analysis, chaining and prompt fading.
  3. National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative (NTACT:C). Effective practices for teaching daily living skills (transitionta.org).
  4. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Laundry packet safety warnings (cpsc.gov).

The worked example is made up. This organizer records practice toward a goal; it is not an assessment of independence for any other purpose. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.