This is what it takes to make it through the morning in my house.
I can yell. I can scream. I can bargain. I can bribe. And it does not a whit of good.
For six years I have been doing not a whit of good struggling with what I can get with what I've got to offer. Recently, that what I've got and what I've got to offer arsenal got a little bit bigger.
It's funny, really. No one EVER recommends to paste up a visual schedule when your child is assumed to be neurotypical but still not getting the morning routine done. Instead you get advice on how to be more consistent, how to let some things go, how to set up a reward system (Ya right, reward system, how do you set up a reward system when your child just forgets the rewards moments later? Unless of course it has anything to do with Harry Potter or for the first time in weeks you offer something you JUST DON'T HAVE out of desperation.) And it just doesn't work. It doesn't work one bit.
But I'll be damned if this stinkin' little visual schedule I've been concocting every morning (or night before) isn't getting it done. Instead of 20 - 30 verbal reminders (those hopeless verbal reminders that fall on ears involved with something else and only cause my irritation to mount!), I have 5-7 verbal reminders, and amen sisters, we are out the door on time.
All I have to say about this is this: Why didn't anyone tell me about this sooner?
8 comments:
You're brilliant! I love that sign. Good for you for thinking of the simple, perfect answer.
Awesome! Many more of these epiphanies and you will be writing a book. =) I am glad you are finding things that work for your crew.
This is a great idea. And I'll bet it works for 4 and 5 year olds who can't yet read.
Hmmm, is it too late to patent it. :-}
Hi there,
My name is Tina and I have an Autistic son who is 5 years old. Nice to meet a fellow Autism Blogger Mommy.
Love your blog, I look forward to reading more in the future. Thanks for visiting my blog. Happy New Year!
Visual schedules are wonderful things, and I have no idea why they're not a regular parenting tool. So many people, autistic or not, are visual learners and visual doers...it's amazing what adding a little "special" spice to your routines can accomplish!
I'm sorry, I didn't think about it. We put ours on 3X5 cards for Therin so that we could switch the routine around if needed (take out "put on jacket" for the summertime) without having to redraw the charts.
We made a bathroom routine for him where we took photographs and printed it on regular paper. Just print out another copy when it gets too water/toothpaste splatered and he sees himself brushing his hair and for some reason he is more likely to do it than when i draw stick people. Go figure.
What a super idea!
One of those things where you wonder why the heck didn't you think of that earlier!
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