"I Don't Want to Do Five Things!"

We're slowly returning to our "normal" school routine, the one we had before we left for our vacation. Our first week back I unpacked, last week we had visitors and it was Samuel's birthday, and yesterday I had to take my daughter for a doctor checkup. So, today was one of our first days back to work!

I made up an ambitious work schedule to start Samuel's morning. I had his token board ready with the reinforcer of raisins after each time he earned four tokens. I figured Samuel might balk at the schedule and, sure enough, he did. He pulled out his negotiation tactics and said, "I don't want to do five things!" I wasn't about to bend first thing in the morning so I replied, "Yes, you are going to do five things, they're easy things!" I knew I was stretching things a bit for Samuel. We often start the morning with only 3 or 4 tasks. My goodness though, he got to sleep in this morning and I gave him some TV time before breakfast, he needed to be challenged a bit! I had to coax Samuel here and there, and had to wait him out a bit, but he got through all five things!

Challenging Samuel in his negotiations doesn't always work. In this case if it had not worked out and he had a meltdown, I would have sent him with his personal attendant up for a "break" in his room. Taking a "break" was a strategy introduced to us by the in-home helpers we used to have. It is a means of letting Samuel cool down a bit before he returns to the task that he is expected to do. A "break" icon sits up in the corner of his visual schedule for him to remove whenever he needs one. We had to teach him how to remove the card (we would model for him, "I need a break," hand-over-hand have him remove the card, and assist him in going up to his room).

The going was a little rocky this morning, but I was happy he got through the work without requesting a break! Five tasks, that's great for first thing in the morning!