Guest post by Jennifer Hock, Illumination Learning
I think every parent struggles at some point or another with teaching their children to complete chores successfully. How many times do we find ourselves reminding our children to get started on their chores? How many times do we walk into the room to see that the chore wasn’t even remotely done correctly? Couple this with the hurdles of a special needs child and it’s enough to make a parent question their ability to stay sane some days.
Identifying the problem
One of the first things to assess when teaching your special needs child some basic life skills is to thoughtfully discern where they are struggling. What is preventing them from completing their chores correctly?
Three of my sons have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. One of the major hurdles for them is not being able to remember what I asked them to do. They genuinely forget quickly, especially as the number of steps to complete the chore increases.
I found some picture frames at Ikea that would enable me to break down a chore into individual steps. I used these Tolsby frames so I could attach index cards via a loose leaf binder ring. Each individual index card had one step of the chore and my kids could flip each card over to the back of the pile after they completed that task.
This method helps the child not be overwhelmed by the number of steps in a task. In front of them, they have only one step to complete and then can move on to the next step by themselves without having to be prompted for what comes next.
Individualizing the tasks
This method is highly individualized based on the capability of the child and the needs of the parent. It can also be adapted at a later time to include more steps when the child is ready for more.
For example, when you’re wanting to teach them how to pick up their room, but your child is not able to clean the room to the level you’d like yet, give them three tasks to do:
1) Put all of your Legos in the green bucket.
2) Put all of your cars in the blue bucket.
3) Put all of your books in the white bucket.
The room isn’t going to be clean but you’ve picked a starting point and are looking to help your child successfully reach the goal you’ve set before them.
Later, when they have sufficiently mastered these three tasks, you can expand the steps:
1) Put all of your dirty clothes in your hamper.
2) Put all of your toys in their buckets.
3) Turn off your light when you leave the room.
The goal here is to have them successfully complete a doable number of tasks for their capabilities. As their ability to do more increases, so can the number of task cards, as well as the difficulty level. I’ve found that having my children complete a small number of specific tasks, when all other attempts have failed, has had long term success for us. If you find your child still struggling, it’s worth evaluating if you need to break down the tasks to even simpler steps.
This approach may not be the quickest way to teach a special needs child basic life skills, but the frustration level for both child and parent is substantially lowered. When the stress level goes down, then we have more patience to work with our child and help them learn to successfully take care of their basic life needs – because, after all, that’s a huge goal of ours.
About the Author
Jennifer Hock is a mom to six children. She and her husband adopted three boys with multiple special needs from foster care over a decade ago and have strived to find ways to help them overcome their struggles. You can find more posts from her at Illumination Learning at www.illumination-learning.com.
Read More
Disability and special needs: Architectural barriers can be a problem for people with disabilities. But the larger problems are barriers of the heart.
The Suitcase: A Review: A story about Thomas, a boy who was “maybe just a little bit different,” it’s also a story about love and acceptance.
The Boy, A Kitchen, and His Cave: A Review: In this story, St. Euphrosyne struggles to learn. He finds peace and stability as a monastery cook, until the other monks realize he spends time in Paradise.
Buy the Books!
Catherine’s Pascha
FINALIST IN THE 2015 USA BEST BOOK AWARDS
Catherine doesn’t like vegetables. She doesn’t like naps. She doesn’t like it when her mom combs her hair. She loves hot dogs, chocolate cake, and her best friend, Elizabeth. Most of all, she loves Pascha! Pascha, the Orthodox Christian Easter, is celebrated in the middle of the night, with processions and candles and bells and singing. And Catherine insists that she’s not a bit sleepy.
Celebrate the joy of Pascha through the magic of a book: Catherine’s Pascha. Available on Amazon, Bookshop.org, and my webstore.
The Saint Nicholas Day Snow
Shoes or stockings? Horse or sleigh? Does St. Nicholas visit on December 6 or on Christmas Eve? Will a little girl’s prayer be answered? When Elizabeth has to stay at Catherine’s house, she’s worried about her grandmother, and worried that St. Nicholas won’t find her. The grownups, though, are worried about snow.
Celebrate the wonder of St. Nicholas Day through the magic of a book: The Saint Nicholas Day Snow. Available on Amazon, Bookshop.org, or my webstore.
