Carson will not be going to school this summer. The plan right now is that he will only be going for his therapies. Since I will be babysitting, I want to make the most of the summer. My main goal will be to prepare him for school in the fall but I need a plan! We are working on communication with picture exchange and sign language and I would like to continue that. I would also like to get him used to doing desk work including holding a crayon. Another thing I’d like to work on is feeding himself with a fork as well as potty training. As you can see, we have a lot to do. Will you be able to help to come up with a workable
plan?
Answer:
We can definitely help you come up with a summer plan for Carson! If he currently does not do any desk work at home then we will slowly have to introduce that to him. Since you have a lot that you want to work on let's start with talking about desk work first. I would start with 20-30 minute "sessions" in the beginning. He will not sit the whole 20-30 minutes in the beginning, but I would aim for 5 minutes at the table initially. Before doing work at the table, start with preferred activities! Pick whatever he is in to (ex. sensory activities, reading books, play-doh, coloring, etc.) and have him do it at the table to show him the table can be fun! Set a timer so he can see it, too and say, "We are going to sit at the table until the timer goes beep beep." Do this for a few days. If he is sitting nicely and seems to be having fun then you can start increasing the amount of time he is at the table and throwing some work into your time there (ex. practice holding a crayon). You can also do what we call "mass trials" at the table to work on picture exchange and sign language. For example, if you are working on "more" you can bring his favorite snack to the table, but only give him a small amount. If he reaches for more, prompt him to sign for "more" and you can do this several times by giving him small amounts of the snack at a time.
For meal skills (ex. using a fork) I would make sure at least one meal per day that you are giving yourself enough time to practice this. Make sure he has something cut up that he can use the fork for. Provide a physical prompt, if necessary, for him to stab the food, but try to allow him to be as independent as possible. For example, if he tries to use his hands to pick up the food, hand over hand him to stab the food, but then immediately fade so he can bring it to his mouth independently. Make sure you are pairing this with lots of praise and whatever reinforcement he likes, for example, "Wow nice job using your fork like a big boy!"
For potty training, this will be the perfect time to do the 2-3 day intensive potty training. If you are unfamiliar speak to Michelle or go to one of the upcoming potty training webinars. I think there is also a module for it, as well!
Let me know how this sounds and if you have any additional questions I am happy to help!!
We can definitely help you come up with a summer plan for Carson! If he currently does not do any desk work at home then we will slowly have to introduce that to him. Since you have a lot that you want to work on let’s start with talking about desk work first. I would start with 20-30 minute “sessions” in the beginning. He will not sit the whole 20-30 minutes in the beginning, but I would aim for 5 minutes at the table initially. Before doing work at the table, start with preferred activities! Pick whatever he is in to (ex. sensory activities, reading books, play-doh, coloring, etc.) and have him do it at the table to show him the table can be fun! Set a timer so he can see it, too and say, “We are going to sit at the table until the timer goes beep beep.” Do this for a few days. If he is sitting nicely and seems to be having fun then you can start increasing the amount of time he is at the table and throwing some work into your time there (ex. practice holding a crayon). You can also do what we call “mass trials” at the table to work on picture exchange and sign language. For example, if you are working on “more” you can bring his favorite snack to the table, but only give him a small amount. If he reaches for more, prompt him to sign for “more” and you can do this several times by giving him small amounts of the snack at a time.
For meal skills (ex. using a fork) I would make sure at least one meal per day that you are giving yourself enough time to practice this. Make sure he has something cut up that he can use the fork for. Provide a physical prompt, if necessary, for him to stab the food, but try to allow him to be as independent as possible. For example, if he tries to use his hands to pick up the food, hand over hand him to stab the food, but then immediately fade so he can bring it to his mouth independently. Make sure you are pairing this with lots of praise and whatever reinforcement he likes, for example, “Wow nice job using your fork like a big boy!”
For potty training, this will be the perfect time to do the 2-3 day intensive potty training. If you are unfamiliar speak to Michelle or go to one of the upcoming potty training webinars. I think there is also a module for it, as well!
Let me know how this sounds and if you have any additional questions I am happy to help!!