Instrumental
Activities of
Daily Living.
The higher-level life skills that enable independence in the community — shopping, cooking, managing money, using transport, and more.
What are IADLs?
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living are the complex, multi-step skills that enable a person to live independently in the community. Where ADLs address the body — bathing, dressing, eating — IADLs address the world: shopping, cooking, managing finances, using transport, and organising a home and social life.
IADLs require the integration of multiple abilities simultaneously: planning and sequencing, communication, money management, safety judgement, and social flexibility. For children and young people with autism, these skills represent the frontier of independence — and they need to be explicitly and systematically taught.
The earlier IADL foundations are laid, the more opportunity there is to build genuine community independence over time. Petals believes this work belongs in childhood — not as an afterthought, but as a central goal.
“The measure of independence is not what a person can do in a therapy room. It is what they can do on a Tuesday morning, alone in the world.”
ADL vs IADL
ADL — Activities of Daily Living
Personal, body-focused self-care skills performed every day. Necessary for basic physical health and dignity.
- Bathing & grooming
- Dressing
- Eating & self-feeding
- Toileting
- Sleep routines
IADL — Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
Complex, community-oriented skills for independent living. Require planning, judgement, and multi-step sequencing.
- Shopping & errands
- Meal preparation
- Managing finances
- Using transport
- Home maintenance
Eight domains of community living.
Click any domain to explore what it involves and how it is taught.
IADLs are not “advanced.” They are essential.
Too often, IADL teaching is deferred until adulthood. By then, years of learning opportunity have passed. The seeds of community independence are planted in childhood.
Start early
IADL foundations — basic cooking, simple errands, money concepts — can begin in the toddler years through play-based activities.
Embed in real life
The supermarket, the kitchen, the bus stop — these are the classrooms for IADLs. Teach there, not in a separate session.
Think longitudinally
Each IADL skill takes years to fully develop. Begin the threads early and let them grow alongside the child.
Communication as IADL
Every card is a bridge to the community.
IADL foundations, built at home.
Petals products lay the groundwork for IADL independence long before formal skill instruction begins. Communication tools, sorting activities, and scheduling aids all build the cognitive and behavioural foundations that IADLs depend on.
Ready to build toward true independence?
Explore Petals products grounded in EFL, ADL, and IADL principles — all designed for the home, by parents who understand the journey.