Here are a few hint to help parents to “share the agenda” of what will happen and how it will happen.
1. Write a simple social story about each situation that is new or different. (Use last Tuesday’s post as a model for your social story
2. Read it often and make sure to go through it as you are on your way to the event.
3. Ask your child questions about what will happen and how she is going to behave. This is called “checking for understanding.” Don’t assume your child understands….find out if she does!
4. You may want to bring visuals to cue her during the event of the expectations. During the situation, anxiety rises and it is hard for some children to do what they’ve talked about… A visual support will cue her quickly so she is able to follow through even though it is hard.
Remember, these strategies won’t insure success but without them there is a much lower chance of it.
