I like change. I like discovering new things; but my ASD kids don’t.
As you read in yesterday’s story about my son and the restaurant; change can be and is often a scary thing. Typically, my kids ABA often comes up with social stories, preps them months in advance and will even go as far as pretend scenarios about the up coming change. But what do you do when the change is the ABA ?
That is what we are faced with. Not only is my son getting a new ABA , so is my daughter and our respite worker has been pulled for unknown reasons and will be replaced eventually with someone else. So in one week we are getting three new workers in our home. Talk about change!
So as parents how do we prepare our kids? The same way their therapists do. I created social stories using Microsoft word (if you have advanced warning you can also go onto shutterfly or snapfish photo web sites and create real books. I did this for our long trip to the mainland, Hubs deployment and our trip to Disney). We talk about meeting and making new friends every night before bed and when even a situation arises we work it in (we ran into one of Divas friends today and worked in how Diva will make new friend with her new ABA. We are also have the new therapist shadow the old one for a few sessions to show our kids everything is all rainbows.
Change doesn’t always have to be scary. But even if they cry and have meltdowns. I suggest acting like everything is ok. Show them you are brave and ok with the transition that is coming. Chances are after they see you relaxed about the change they will slowly come around to it. I like to think my kids can smell fear!