The first intervention I'm putting in place is the consistent SCHEDULE OF A ROUTINE...going right along with this is to BE PREDICTABLE. For example, I will give my son a 5 min. warning before something changes. ie. "you have 5 min. left to do that activity, then it will be time to eat dinner"
I typed up 3 schedules for my son: morning, afternoon, and bedtime. I put spaces between each step so that it's not visually overstimulating. They hang on the wall next to his light switch in his room.
*Items in colored writing are revisions: things I added and/or changed as we tried this intervention.
MORNING:
1. Make Bed.
2. Say Prayers.
3. Get Dressed. Put shoes and socks by your lunchbox.
*On Sunday put shoes and socks by your scriptures*
4. Eat Breakfast.
5. Brush Teeth.
6. Piano with mom.
7. Book of Mormon story with mom.
8. School work.
AFTERNOON (after school):
1. Shower.
2. Activity(s) (ask Mom)
3. Take out Trash.
4. Dinner.
5. Sweep floor.
6. Family Prayers.
UPDATED AFTERNOON SCHEDULE: (5/15/13)
Monday.:
1. Shower
2. Job: Clean upstairs family room.
3. Wii
4. Read books
Tuesday:
1. Shower
2. Job: Clean upstairs family room.
3. T.V.
4. Piano
Wednesday:
1. No Shower
2. Webelo Scouts
3. Clean and Vacuum upstairs family room
4. Free choice
Thursday:
1. Shower
2. Job: Clean upstairs family room.
3 Computer
4. Legos
Friday:
1. Shower
2. Job: Clean upstairs family room.
3. Bike
4. Movie
BEDTIME:
1. Put Pajamas on.
2. Put Clothes Away.
3. Lay out clothes, shoes, socks for next day.
4. Brush Teeth.
5. Say Prayers.
6. Read Books.
7. Turn lights out.
8. Go to sleep.
Revision #1: "MORNING SCHEDULE: 3. Get Dressed." To this, I added, "Put shoes and socks by lunchbox." Each day he would get dressed, but not put his shoes and socks on. I asked him about this...he doesn't like to wear shoes and socks (hypersensitivity). So he likes to put them on in the car (less time wearing them). So rather than searching for them right before we leave, he now puts them next to his lunch box so we know right where they are when it's time to go to school.
ReplyDeleteA note about the above schedule: I attempted to change the above schedules to more detailed, step by step instructions...thinking more concrete/specific language might be even better for him. When I made this change and posted a new, detailed schedule in my son's room, he pretty much freaked out. He went from liking the charts to hating the charts. I asked him about it and he said that it was just "too many words". Then it dawned on me that too many words on his chart was overstimulating for him. He needs the simplest, shortest words that he can understand to be on his chart. I got the old charts and hung them back in his room and my son went back to liking the charts. It just goes back to adapting to what my son's individual needs are. As long as the language is concrete enough that my son understands it, simpler is better for him...less overstimulating.
ReplyDeleteI'm finding that my son is clinging more to this schedule than I am. I find him reminding me of his schedule. Structure truly must be the glue that holds the world together for him.
ReplyDeleteIt has been 2 weeks since I began this intervention with the consistent schedule. I have found that the morning and evening schedule has been helpful and made a difference the majority of the time. I feel the afternoon schedule needs to be updated. I sat down with my son and made a more specific afternoon schedule, and it will be posted in a new post entitled, "Updated Afternoon Schedule".
ReplyDeleteUPDATE: So it is now October...and we totally don't do this anymore...I don't know WHY...it seems like we often start something like this, do if for a few months and then STOP. I'm actually trying a new intervention: "Notebook Planner"...maybe that will replace the need for this. See the post in October 2013: "NOTEBOOK PLANNER: A LIFE SKILL" for more details.
ReplyDelete