B3C: Building Independence from the Inside Out: Essential Home Skills that Foster Work Readiness and Self-Determination

What if the strongest foundation for independence isn’t built in therapy sessions or classrooms—but in the routines of everyday life at home?
Too often, independence, work readiness, and self-determination are addressed too late or in isolated settings, limiting meaningful real-world outcomes. This session reframes the home as the most critical environment for developing the skills that truly matter across the lifespan.
In this engaging and practical presentation, Denise Barnes demonstrates how everyday activities—completing chores, managing time, making choices, solving problems—can be intentionally used to teach essential life and work skills. Drawing from a range of evidence-based practices, including behavioral strategies, skill-building frameworks, and family-centered approaches, this session equips professionals and caregivers with tools to build independence in natural, sustainable ways.
Participants will leave with actionable strategies to help individuals move from dependence to autonomy, from external prompting to self-initiation, and from supported participation to genuine self-determination.

Learning Outcomes:

Identify key home-based skills that support independence, work readiness, and self-determination.

Apply a range of evidence-based strategies (e.g., task analysis, prompting hierarchies, modeling, naturalistic teaching, and reinforcement) within everyday routines.

Develop simple, sustainable home-based plans that promote responsibility, accountability, and autonomy.

Support the development of self-determination through choice-making, goal-setting, and increased self-management.

Speakers