Puzzle Piece Rewards System

Weeks of sticker charts!
DLTK's Custom Chore Charts!

For a long time, we have been doing the typical sticker chart to encourage Ethan to use manners, maintain good hygiene and become more independent. After a sticker chart was completed, Ethan would get $1 for his bank. That worked for awhile but then the novelty wore off. Getting a sticker for brushing his teeth was no longer worth it to him....and the battles returned.

So, we began to up the ante! Each night, we would count his stickers & he would earn 1 coin per sticker. And when his sticker chart was full, he would still earn a dollar.

Want to know a secret? I would just re-use coins already in his bank, so it didn't cost us any extra money. Shhhh....don't tell Ethan!


Well, that worked for awhile, but soon that began to wear off too. The battles were beginning to start again....fighting to brush teeth, fighting to self dress, and I was losing my currency with Ethan!

24 piece puzzle from Dollar General. 

And, once again, the Changing Challenging Behaviors Workshop from Easter Seals came through for us!!! Ms. Dona, leader of the workshop & Ethan's ITAP program, showed the class several strategies & examples. Corey & I immediately knew that we had found our solution.....puzzles.

How do puzzles work in place of a sticker chart? For every demonstration of desired behavior, Ethan earns one puzzle piece....instead of one sticker. Once Ethan has completed a puzzle, he gets to pick a prize/toy out of the prize bin I've put together. Things from the dollar store, happy meal toys, garage sale finds....nothing that costs more than $1 each. ETHAN LOVES IT!!!!

In the middle of a puzzle!
Almost time for a trip to the prize bin!

It has been working longer than anything we have tried before! He loves gaining a puzzle piece, loves putting the puzzles together, loves digging for toys in our prize bin! Initially, I was cutting up the cardboard boxes of his fruit snacks, cereal, pop tarts, and other recognizable logos. But once Ethan got the hang of it, we needed to go to more puzzle pieces so he wasn't earning a toy EVERY day. 

I am thrilled to report that this is STILL going VERY well, and he loves earning puzzle pieces!!! Now our battles are diminishing! Picking up toys, brushing teeth, turning off the computer, trying new foods, behavior in new places, and other issues are able to be a managed so much better with this new form of "currency." HOORAY FOR PUZZLES!

My Behavior During A Meltdown....It Needs To Change!

Have you ever had an "Ah-Ha" moment? A moment, conversation, story, or event that opened your eyes to things happening in your own life which changed your behavior/way of thinking forever? I had a very key parenting ah-ha moment last night regarding Ethan's meltdowns.

Last night, Corey & I attended a workshop provided by our local Easter Seals branch. It was entitled, Changing Challenging Behaviors and was taught by the director of Ethan's ITAP program. This woman has so much experience & is so educated.....I wish I could have her on speed dial!!!  But I will settle for spending a couple of hours listening to her talk about this particular topic.

During the workshop, she gave us so many new ideas & resources, and we are excited to try them with Ethan. The woman is truly brilliant! But my big realizaton came almost at the end of the session. All workshop long, Ms. Donna was telling us how to change unwanted behaviors, but thankfully she included a section of what to do WHEN meltdowns occur anyway....despite all our efforts.

I was pretty proud of myself as she was describing how to react to a meltdown....I knew most of them & felt that I was pretty good at them....being calm, don't take it personal, don't use it as a time to teach, and so on. However, one thing she said was, "limit touch or talk during this time. It is like adding fuel to the fire."

The Movement of Imperfection

Last Friday night, I planned a date night for my husband and me. The last time that Corey & I had date night was................hum..........well, it's been so long that I can't even remember when it was! Needless to say, it was long overdue.

After my mom picked up Ethan for their "date", Corey & I headed off to a neighboring town. We were attending a dinner & presentation for parents of special needs children. Here is the flyer for the event......

For more information about the Sisters of Imperfection, click here.

It was such a wonderful night. When we walked into the conference room, there were vendors set up.....free massages, a health information table with free healing tea samples, Thirty-One, and the authors table of stuff for sale. Our dinner was SO good! I definitely went over my calories on this one! Salad (with cranberries! That always freaked me about before, but it was really good!), grilled chicken with HUGE cheese & spinach filled ravioli, sauteed green beans, and the best chocolate pie EVER MADE!

After dinner, we heard from Gina & Patty, the authors as well as mothers of kiddos with special needs. They were sharing their stories about their kid's diagnosis, their frustrations, their victories, their lessons learned.....it was great. Regardless of the differences in diagnosis, it simply amazes me how I can quickly connect to other parents of children with special needs. We are all on a similar path, and it was really nice to be able to connect with these speakers as well as the other parents at our table. We laughed a lot, cried a little, and celebrated our kids & how blessed we are to be their parents. It was great!

The concept of the Movement of Imperfection: "Today, more than ever, our society is obsessed with achievement and perfection. This is especially true when it comes to our children. It seems you can’t go anywhere without hearing about how someone’s child scored the winning goal or reading a bumper sticker that says, "My honor student loves me." 
 
So what’s a parent of a child who's not a star athlete or Rhodes scholar to do?
 
You can join The Movement of Imperfection. This long-overdue movement invites parents of "non-perfect" kids to come out of their messy closets and talk about the accomplishments of their children. With bumper magnets like "My Bipolar Kid Loves Me AND Hates Me," we're wearing our badges of imperfection and telling the world with humor and grace, "We're not always O.K., but that's O.K." I love this idea so much....whether you have kids with special needs or not, and have officially joined the Movement of Imperfection. If you would like to know more about this or want to join the movement, visit their website www.shutupabout.com or find them on facebook here.

Here we are listening to the Sisters of Imperfection. I have the teal scarf on in the back, and my husband is sitting in front of me.

Introducing "The Movement of Imperfection"

I know I said I was backing off on reading about autism, but this book is full of laughs....so I had to buy it! Here Patty is signing my book.

After dinner, Corey surprised me with an overnight stay in the hotel. It was a great rare opportunity for us to talk & connect. We even had breakfast just the two of us! When we got back to get Ethan, he had had a GREAT time with my mom.....Grandma is WAY more fun than Mom & Dad! It was a great date night for everyone!!!!!

Adaptations for All Learners

This past Monday night, I attended a workshop that was given by Project CHOICES titled Adaptations for All Learners. It was a 3 hour workshop, and we covered a variety of topics. It was very interesting for me as Ethan's mom but also as a teacher....the material spoke to both groups. I learned a lot...here are a few of my notes....

1. There are laws in place to protect students with disabilities.

*The Federal Law protects students with disabilities - "The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation."

*The State of Illinois also provides similar protections. Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has a Least Restrictive Environment's policy for schools that states "students with disabilities aged 3 through 21, in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled. The ISBE will monitor programs and institutions that serve students with disabilities to ensure that the first placement option considered is a regular education environment, with the use of supplemental aids and services as needed. Special classes, separate schooling, or other placements by which students with disabilities are removed from the regular education environment should occur only if the student's Individual Educational Program (“IEP”) team determines that the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in a regular classroom setting, even with the use of supplemental aids and services, cannot be achieved satisfactorily."

*Those who spend more time in regular education experienced better results after high school. US Dept of Eduation 1995. Basically, what can we do to grant our kiddos "full membership" into the regular education room.

2. IEP notes. An IEP is an Individualized Education Plan that is a legally binding document which spells out exactly what special education services your child will receive and why. These are created by the student's team. Ethan's was done with many teachers & therapists as well as family members. He will be having his year end review in April where we can revisit his plan & edit if needed.

*The parent or guardian can request an IEP review meeting at any time, but it must be for a valid reason or concern. The school has the option to deny this request. If this happens, which is rare, the parent or guardian can take the next step of requesting a due process hearing.

*Write specific adaptations in the IEP. Things such as requesting study guides to come home before a test or even before the class begins to study that topic in order to preview material, providing the textbook on CD that comes with the teacher's manual, supplying visual aids, etc. The important thing is to implement a process of what will best help the student learn.

3. Adaptations. There are 2 categories of adaptations....accommodations & modifications. Accommodations changes HOW a student learns (providing a book on tape, changing how a worksheet is laid out, adding pictures to word-based materials, etc). Modifications are changing WHAT a student is expected to learn (having the student label the 3 main parts of flower instead of all of them, shortening a student's spelling list, etc.)

4. Examples of accommodations......my favorite section! We made/used...

Word Wackers

Squishy Bags or put them together & make a Squishy Book

PVC pipe phone. A child can hear themselves read.

Plastic Plates as dry erase boards

Foldables

and lots more! I also met several new parents & teachers, and had a wonderful time. I even won a book! I am so glad I attended this workshop because I have so many more ideas that I would like to incorporate into our home life (visual aids & games). Plus, it was just a big motivator as those things tend to be.

One thing that I was really excited to learn about was an upcoming event for parents! It's an evening with the Sisters of Imperfection, Gina Gallagher & Patty Konjoian, authors of Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid - A Survival Guide for Ordinary Parents of Special Children. If you are interested in learning more, you can go to Heart of Illinois Down Syndrome Association or register at www.brownpapertickets.com.