I’ve posted before about how a visual schedule helps Michael move through his day more easily than just verbal prompts. Well, he has still been having difficulty off and on with the specials—art, library, and so on—mainly when something is different than the week before or when he is not clear on what he is supposed to be doing or how long he will have to do it.
So his team decided to implement a micro schedule for specials. The plan was to have each teacher write it down when Michael arrived at the class. It would be very basic; for instance, the gym micro schedule might read:
- run
- stretches
- relay race
On the day of our team meeting, the behavior specialist happened to have just given Michael’s shadow a small whiteboard to write down directions as the teacher was giving them. So we decided to have the micro schedules written at the top of the board, which would still leave room for directions at the bottom.
One week into this, the reports I am getting are good overall. The teachers are enjoying Michael’s improved behavior, although some have commented that the micro schedule seems “intrusive.” (Hmmm, more intrusive than him lying on the floor to protest that it’s not his turn to make up a song this week? I don’t think so!)
Either way, it seems to be helping, and I’ve learned that they have now given a whiteboard to each teacher so the micro schedule can be written down ahead of time and not detract from getting started. Hey, maybe by Christmas I can convince them to just use the schedule with the whole class!
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Trish can be found writing here at 5MFSN every Friday in addition to hosting Try This Tuesday. You can also find Trish at her blog, Another Piece of the Puzzle.