During the festive season, wedding season and even throughout the year there can be unexpected visitors coming home, evening parties or other frequent changes to a family’s routine schedule. For many children with Autism and social communication difficulties these changes can produce great anxiety and changes in behaviour. For these children a change in routine can result in fear, disruptive behaviours, tantrums and great parental stress as well. What to do?
The Problem: Unexpected Changes in Routine
An example situation: It is time for the father to come home but instead there is a surprise visit of close family friends. It could be because of the festive season or a guest to deliver wedding card...
1. Those children who face great difficulty in accepting the change might land up on the floor banging his head or crying breathlessly, shouting, throwing things or hitting people around.
2. Or even the opposite could occur: The child might even jump and run to the guest just like to his father, not realizing the social and physical boundaries with the guests.
The Solution: Narrations & Rehearsal
One of the best ways to help young children is to tell them about what can happen and most importantly, what the child can do in that situation. We often do this through ‘narrations’, a verbal preparation of the possible changes in routine and corresponding changes in expected behaviour. For example, when there is festive season, one can provide specification of the festival and usually how things happen at the house. Such as:
1. Who is likely to come by (friends, family members, neighbours)
2. How to greet them (folded hands, handshake, hug, touch feet)
3. What activities would occur: they come for dinners, exchange gifts and have conversation.
4. When will this happen: come in the evening, spend time till late at night and then leave.
Note: The idea here is that the child should be well aware of what are the different actions that will happen in the house in near future. For the parents it is important to prepare the notes of what might trigger child's anxiety leading to undesired behaviour, what they want the child should know about the events and then have talk to the child in order to bring him in the comfort zone. homework for the parents is to make sure that this talking happens before the changes in routine schedule occur, on a regular basis so that the child is well prepared. You can even practice scenarios & role play so that the child has an active understanding.
The important thing to highlight in your description is that "what can the child do?", "what are mummy and papa going to do differently?", and "what to do or say in the moment?".
In our everyday, practical life it is not possible for a parent to always prepare their lad for the things coming up next in every minute of their day. But general practice and discussion about changes in routine gradually brings heightened awareness to both the child and parent about expectations on both sides and how to react as each change comes along. I am sure this will do a great deal to help parents survive the tough side of change and also to help your child not to struggle in accepting the change.
Therefore, Potentials Therapy Centre takes an initiative to cater to the parents and guide them towards adjusting to last minute changes in their wards’ daily routine. We address the ‘how to’ of narrations in our parent training sessions available to all of our Potentials community. Please watch this space for the dates for our next session!
For inquiry or more assistance the team is always available at contact@potentialsindia.com
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