Below is a general skill sequence for teaching learners to fold a pair of pants.

Once learners can put on their own pants and hang up clothes, folding is a natural next step toward caring for their own clothing. This skill area teaches each fold one at a time: laying the pants flat, folding one leg over the other, and folding the pants in half. The learner then puts the steps together, practices with different types of pants, and finishes by stacking the folded pants and putting them away. Folding builds fine motor skills, following a sequence, and independence at home.

How this skill area relates to your assessments!

This skill area aligns with various assessments and their respective domains, with milestone and domain codes provided for reference. Additionally, DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Autism are included to help clinicians identify how this skill area potentially supports medical necessity in relation to the diagnosis.

VB-MAPP (Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program)

• Listener Responding, LR 4-M, Performs 4 different motor actions on command without a visual prompt (e.g., Can you jump? Show me clapping)

AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)

• Basic Communication, BC1, Follows instructions
• Clothing and Laundry, CL7, Hangs clothes to dry (as needed)

DSM-V Diagnostic Criteria for Autism

• A2, Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.

CDC’s Developmental Milestones

• 5 years, Social/Emotional Milestones, Does simple chores at home, like matching socks

Treatment Plan Goal Ideas

Select treatment plan goals that accurately encompass what you think the learner can accomplish in this skill area over the course of an authorization period (usually 6 months).

Treatment plan goal ideas for this particular skill area are as follows:

Learner will lay pants flat and fold one leg over the other with no more than 1 gestural prompt.

Learner will independently fold a pair of pants from start to finish across 3 different types of pants.

Learner will independently fold and stack 3 pairs of pants and put them away (on a hanger or in a drawer).

Component Skills

Your learner may need to be fluent in these component skills first before introducing this goal/skill area. Component skills for this skill sequence may include skill areas that are fundamental to other areas. Fluency in the skill areas listed below may increase the likelihood that your learner will succeed in this skill sequence and those afterward.

Start at the top. Each indent is the next step.

• Intro to Reinforcer/Preference Expansion (RD-010)
• Single Actions with Common Toys (PL-010)
• Intro to Dressing (SC-060)
• Putting On Pants (SC-110)
• Intro to Hangers (SC-120)

📍 YOU ARE HERE: Folding Pants (SC-160)

Skill Possibilities

Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to fold pants. Note that every learner is different and that you likely will need to tweak and vary some programming to their needs. Click the triangle icon to view the full description for each skill in the sequence/area.

Concurrent Skills

Working on these skills at the same time could help with goal mastery. Maybe your learner has mastered these skills already. Perhaps they are already listed as component skills above. That’s okay! Targeting other learning channels might help your learner.

Dressing Self (Simple TA) (SC-130)

Composite Skills

These are the possible next steps for learners who have mastered, or are mastering, the skills listed above. Note that new skill areas may require fluency in other component skills not listed above. Also, you can introduce composite skill sequences prematurely to keep your learner progressing, as generativity may occur earlier than expected.

Folding Shirts (Coming Soon!)

Putting Away Laundry (Coming Soon!)

Follow the link below to better understand component-composite analysis.

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