Regimental Routines...

I think I have mentioned before that our second son, Master D, has Asperger's Syndrome (AS). Every child with AS is different.

AS children are often referred to as "little professors" who are experts on a certain topic and will talk non stop about this subject, whether you are interested or not! They don't pick up on typical non verbal social cues very easily.

Master D is terribly disorganised and has problems internalising processes that involve more than two steps. It takes him longer than the average child to acquire and maintain any type of skill set. Just setting the table and gettting knives and forks in the right place are a struggle.. and yet he is such an intelligent kid!

He can also have meltdowns that are earthshattering for him, and exhausting, for us also. He does have difficulty managing extreme emotions and will often talk himself into an episode, saying negative things over and over, spiralling out of control.. He usually only has these episodes at home and keeps it together at school. It must take a lot of energy for him to do that, we often see him unravel after school when something doesn't go the way he expects it to.

As he heads towards the teen years at a rapid rate his emotions are becoming stronger and harder for him to manage. I have no doubt that hormones are going to cause havoc there too.

Most AS kids need strict routines to help them cope with everyday life. Master D needs routines to keep him on track more than anything, and keep him accountable.

We have started to slowly increase his responsibilities with helping out around the house, much to his disgust. He often has a meltdown about this fact, convincing himself that he shouldn't have to do jobs.

It may sound purely like bad behaviour pure and simple, but trust me, there is more to it than that. Dealing with him in the same manner as a normal child does not illicit the usual or desired outcome.

We have had to start using his treasured possessions and activities as "currency"... if he ticks off the jobs on the checklist then he has the "freedom" to engage in his chosen activities. In the early stages this worked, Master D saw it as a novelty, but it soon wore off. It's also hard for us as parents to consistently enforce this system too, and we have been lax at times.

Now it has come to a point where it has to be re-introduced and adhered to regimentally. I have found some daily routine cards that are pretty cool.. and at there are also chore cue cards too..


I shall have to post an example of a chart that I come up with.. that's going to have to be later.

So, I shall head off and make a start on it now.

TGBTG

Anje xx