Transitions

I don't know the official definition of "transition" but for us it is moving from one activity to another and it isn't easy.

It seems like it should be. We do it all the time every day. We take kids to school, go home, go to work, go shoppping, make phone calls and the list conitnues. For us it is a realitively simple thing to do. You finish one activity and start the next but for our kids it is not so simple.

My son does not transition well at all even if it is something he wants to do and enjoys.

I have many examples but here is one off the top of my head:

He has therapy horseback riding on Monday evenings. He loves it and I love watching him. The first time he galloped he had the biggest smile on his face. It was a moment to cherish.

So it should be easy and I wish it was but after school he is usually getting rid of tension by working with wood, stacking wood anything that is active. Then if I don't prepare him when it is time to leave he will put up the biggest fit you have seen. Why - because he can't just leave one acitivity to go to another. I wish I knew why or understood a little bit better but because I don't I've learned to prepare.

You may be wondering how I do that - let me tell you. For horseback riding I start on Sunday reminding him that he goes riding on Monday and I tell him he is going to go and he tells me yes he is going to to.

Again on Monday morning I tell him he has riding and he is going to go. I also remind him that we need to leave by 5:30 and he is going to go. He again tells me that yes, he is going to go riding.

I pick him up from school and tell him yet again that he has riding. As the time draws closer I give him increments of time. We are leaving in 30 minutes, 15 minutes now we have to leave.

During that period when I am infoming him of how much time we have before we leave he is telling me that he doesn't want to go and I can't make him.

He doesn't want to do this any more can't he stay home. And continues until we are in the car, that sometimes is a miracle in itself, and are half way there. Now he is relaxing and thinking about riding.

Once we arrive he is ready.

What is the new normal here? I don't just remind but I have to prepare my son days in advance.

This difficulty in transitioning really was made clear last year in school - changing class rooms every hour. Boy those were hourly challenges for the teachers and if they didn't understand then it was more than a challange.

When the bell would ring he would not leave the current classroom to go to the next class. He could think up any reason to stay. He needed to sharpen his pencil, stop and talk to the teacher about history (one of his favorites) or just stand around.

Some teachers would walk him to the next class and that helped out tremendously. Several teachers would just tell him it is time to go, so get.

It must be a living nightmare for kids with Asperger's Syndrome or any form of autism to transition 7-8 times a day.

Sometimes I even start reminding him that Sunday is coming up and we are going to church.

Preperation is one of the keys. How to prepare is often discovered during prayer to our Heavenly Father.

I have another thought to post so until then

From my world to yours......

Mary