How do I help my child with behaviors at a restaurant?

While eating in a restaurant may be our idea of a good time, our kids may need a little more practice at it. After all, so many skills go into the activity of going to, and enjoying, a restaurant — practicing good communication, making choices, sitting still, ordering food, learning about what things cost and how to pay for them, not to mention budgeting.

Sarah Cacciato, a special education teacher and educational therapist at L&S Special Education Consulting and Services, recommends practicing by creating a diner experience at home, including ordering from a menu and counting out money. For printables to practice all these important skills at home, check out our article Teaching Functional Life Skills: Diner Edition!