Independence Tip #3: Support Decision-Making

October 29, 2022

Do you ask your loved one what they want or need to do?

-OR-

Are you in the habit of making decisions for them?

Learning to make decisions is essential for independence, whether it is ordering from the menu, deciding what they are going to wear, how their room is designed, what they are going to do today, and the list goes on…

I invite you to check out the 3-minute video & written article where I go deeper on this tip for you.

Get all 12 Independence tips now (for free) by tapping the link below:

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Written Article/ Transcript:

Tip #3: Supporting Decision-Making

“The thing that has increased my son’s independence the most is: Asking what he wants to do!” – Florence B. (Mother)


Do you ask your loved one what they want? OR are you in the habit of making decisions for them?

Learning to make decisions is essential for independence, whether it is ordering from the menu, deciding what they are going to wear, how their room is designed, what they are going to do today, and the list goes on…

We all make decisions. Some good, some bad, and some in between. I’ve often wanted to protect my sister from what I consider a ‘bad’ decision. But the reality is that we all make ‘bad’ decisions, and then we have the opportunity to learn from them. This is how we learn to make ‘better’ decisions.


In 1972, Robert Perske published the idea of ‘the dignity of risk.’ He said, “In the past, we found clever ways to build avoidance of risk into the lives of persons living with disabilities. Now we must work equally hard to help find the proper amount of risk these people have the right to take. We have learned that there can be healthy development in risk-taking and there can be crippling indignity in safety.”

I’m Eric Goll. Together, let’s take a step forward.

Get all 12 Independence tips now (for free) by tapping the link below:

Get the 12 Tips Independence Guide

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