Building Independence for Students with Developmental Disabilities or Autism

What is Independent Work Systems (IWS)

 An educator may consider implementing an IWS for a student  who has an IPRC identification of:  Intellectual: Developmental Disability, or  Communication: Autism, in conjunction with a Developmental Disability. 

Benefits of the Independent Work System:

• Promote independence
• Build fluency
• Maintain previously mastered skills
• Generalize previously mastered skills to new materials
• Support positive self-esteem and pride in work completed
• Develop behavioral regulation
• Maintain engagement with tasks 
• Provide structure for introducing new skills 

Within each work task, only the amount of work expected to be completed is placed in the container

Four Main Components of the IWS 

1. What work do I need to do?

2. How much work do I need to do?

3. How do I know when I'm finished

4. What do I do next?

Planning Activities for the Independent Work System

Activity Ideas: Tasks Galore books

Secondary

Elementary & Secondary 

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