A life skills program for physically disabled adolescents

Successful management of one's life involves the ability to solve problems, set realistic goals, make and evaluate decisions, and utilize personal and interpersonal skills. Adolescence is that time during which individuals are expected to develop these "life skills" that will enable them to cope effectively with the demands of daily living. Due to many factors, physically disabled adolescents frequently experience delay and difficulty in mastering the developmental tasks of this period. Formalized training in life skills is one approach that has the potential to equip these young people with the skills and strategies needed for adult independence. This paper describes the unique stresses of adolescence as experienced by the physically disabled population and the development of a Life Skills Program at the Hugh MacMillan Medical Centre designed to address some of these issues.