Replacing the Countdown for Young Kids With Autism

Counting down is one of the most commonly used strategies for transitioning children from one activity to another. At school, children often hear their teachers say something like, “In five more minutes, we’re going to line up and go back to class.” However, as those of us who work with children with developmental delays are aware, children with communication disorders, sensory processing issues and autism can experience more difficulties transitioning than other children. And for these kids, because of issues with language and flexibility, a countdown might actually make them more dysregulated and upset. What can end up happening when you try the countdown in sessions? SLP: One more minute until we clean up … 10 more seconds … five… four … three … two … one … . OK, time to clean up! Child: [Insert kicking and screaming here] SLP: [Insert stress and frustration here] After experiencing this frequently, I had an idea: Let children transition themselves by coming up with a time frame and answering questions about what will happen next. Here’s an example of letting the student lead the way: SLP: We have to go back to class soon. How many more minutes do you want to play with the trains? One more minute or two more minutes? Child: Two more minutes. SLP: OK, and after two minutes, what are we going to do? Child: Go back to class. SLP: OK, it’s been two minutes. Now where should we put the trains? Child: On the shelf. SLP: Where are we going next? Child: My ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Autism Spectrum Disorder Early Intervention Source Type: blogs