Adaptive functioning relates to daily life activities and are categorized into three areas: 1. conceptual ("language, reading, math, reasoning, knowledge, memory"); 2. social ("empathy, social judgement, communication skills, the ability to follow rules, and the ability to make and keep friends"); 3. practical ("independence in areas such as personal care, job responsibilities, managing money, recreation, and organizing school and work tasks") (Parekh, 2017).
Elementary, middle school, and high school teachers will observe students for any adaptive functioning disability (Parekh, 2017). Signs may include difficulty with the following: "communicating with others; taking care of personal needs; health and safety; social skills; reading, writing, and basic math; as they get older, skills that will help them in the workplace." (Therapy Travelers, 2019).
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