Trouble with Transitions?
Children with ASD often have difficulty changing from one activity to another because they have:
- a poor sense or understanding of time
- difficulty switching mental “sets”, or
- difficulty being asked to move from a preferred to a non-preferred activity.
Try the following:
Give plenty of warning when a transition is coming up. Making it visual helps. Try the first/then card or countdown strip shown below.
-
- Wait calmly, but expectantly for the child to begin the process of transition. Avoid repeated reminders or prolonged explanations.
- Provide positive feedback to the child when he begins to transition.
- If moving from a preferred to a non-preferred task, use a visual schedule (shown below) to show him when he can do the preferred task again.
For more information on taking the “trouble” out of transitions see the elearning module on Transitions.
