What are Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL)?
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL’s) are activities related to living independently in the community. These activities could include creating a schedule, using the phone, preparing meals, shopping, money management, and cleaning the house. IADLs require problem-solving, organizational, and executive functioning skills. These skills involve remembering key information to complete a task, adjusting to unexpected changes, and understanding how you are doing at the moment.
Activities to Improve IADL’s:
Complete simple meals
Prepare 3-4 step meals such as mac ‘n' cheese or a sandwich
Follow this link to access visual step-by-step recipes for common meals https://accessiblechef.com/
Play money management games
Practice identifying coin value and dollar amounts with a board game such as Monopoly
Use an app to organize daily tasks
Use Google Calendar or the iPhone calendar to set alarms and reminders for upcoming doctor appointments, medication times, chores, meetings, or events
Grocery shopping
Practice creating a grocery list and finding each of the items in the local grocery store
Roleplay phone conversations
Create a story with pictures to practice how to have conversations on the phone and who to call during emergencies
Consider reading more about instrumental activities of daily living with these evidence-based resources.
Resource:
Auld, C., Foley, K. R., & Cashin, A. (2022). Daily living skills of autistic adolescents and young adults: A scoping review. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 69(4), 456-474. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12806