Artefacts for Transitions
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Kobi's Morning Schedule
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Kobi's Check Schedule Card
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Kobi's Visual Schedule with "Finished Pocket"
It is hoped that Kobi will be less reliant on a consistent daily routine as the schedule itself will provide the consistency and routine he requires to successfully function throughout the day. Individuals can better manage variations in routine when they have schedules knowing that regardless of the activity, they can determine what will happen next from the information in this schedule (Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Centre, n.d.).
The implementation of a daily morning schedule has been discussed with Kobi’s parents and they are happy to assist in any way to alleviate Kobi’s anxiety. They will utilise a morning schedule for Kobi to assist him in transitioning from home to school and avoid him starting the school day with heightened anxiety.
The schedule designed for Kobi has been broken into several steps which are represented by pictures; this is the format Kobi will best respond to.
A visual transition cue has also been developed to use with Kobi. Educators will give the Kobi a visual cue to transition to the schedule; this will take the form of a “Check Schedule Card” displaying his name and photo and the words “Check Schedule”. In the beginning the teacher will bring the schedule to Kobi, however as he becomes more proficient in transitions, it will be placed in a central location.
Kobi will transition to the next scheduled activity by taking the relevant scheduled item card off the schedule and carrying it with him to the next location where he will give it to the teacher. The schedule will remain with Kobi when transitioning into various environments within the school so the schedule is used consistently throughout the day.
At the time of transition Kobi will place the completed activity card in the “Finished Pocket” which is attached to the bottom of the schedule. Research indicates this assists in creating well-defined and expected transition sequences, decreasing transition time and increasing positive behaviour (Dettmer, Simpson, Myles & Ganz, 2000). An important tip to remember is when preparing Kobi for transitions, use only relevant language, identifying the location where he is going for example “Play Area” rather than “Come on Kobi, we’re going over to the play area for a little while” (National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder, 2010)
The implementation of the visual schedule will not automatically denote significance. Therefore it is essential to employ sufficient prompting to ensure Kobi gets there, however fade out prompts slowly so he moves to the schedule with increasing independence.