Building a scale of life skills for children with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Life skills are the skills that help the individual manage his life, cope with its requirements, deal positively with problems, face the challenges imposed by the times, and communicate effectively with others. Since the scales previously prepared to measure this variable were developed in light of different diagnostic manifestations or different environments, the study aimed to build a measure of life skills among children with an autism spectrum disorder to identify the level of life skills of the research sample and the differences in the level of life skills among children. Descriptive method using the survey method. The research sample also included 125 children, which constitutes a sample of the research community represented by children on the autism spectrum in Babylon Governorate, which numbered 350. The life skills scale consists of 25 items. The items are answered by choosing one of five alternatives. The tool has indicators of face validity, construct validity, and factor validity, and indicators of internal consistency using the Cronbach alpha method and external consistency using the retest method. The study included a statement of the descriptive statistical characteristics of the tool; it also concluded with a number of recommendations and proposals, the most important of which was the use of the tool in the process of diagnosing children on the autism spectrum.