Life Skills Education for Students with Special Needs: A Systematic Review of Functional Curricula, Adaptive Pedagogies, and Transition Outcomes

Abstract

For students with special educational needs (SEN), achieving self-determination and independent living requires a fundamental shift fromabstract, standard academic tracking toward highly targeted, functional LifeSkills Education (LSE). This systematic review synthesizes global peer-reviewed literature evaluating the operationalization, pedagogical delivery,and transitional impact of LSE programs tailored for neurodivergent andcognitively diverse cohorts. Drawing on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA),ecological inventory frameworks, and the Universal Design for Learning(UDL), the paper critically analyzes how structured task analysis andnaturalistic instruction alter student independence profiles across daily living, functional academics, and vocational readiness. The review evaluates specific delivery architectures, contrasting isolated clinical instruction withCommunity-Based Instruction (CBI) models. Concurrently, the paperidentifies persistent systemic barriers that inhibit authentic transition planning, including rigid state-mandated academic standards, severe deficits in specialized vocational educator training, and a lack of granular, individualized tracking metrics. The empirical findings demonstrate thatfunctional, ecologically valid curricula generate statistically significantimprovements in student self-regulation, community navigation, and taskexecution, substantially lowering long-term dependency rates. Finally, thisreview highlights critical research gaps regarding digital assistive promptingtechnologies and proposes an integrated, multi-tiered transition framework to support equitable educational governance. KEYWORDS: Special Educational Needs (SEN), Functional Curriculum, LifeSkills Education (LSE), Transition Planning, Community-Based Instruction(CBI), Task Analysis.