The Glove

Okay so Ted didn't do so well yesterday.  His behavior chart showed all red lights for drawing on his chair in the afternoon because he was bored. Of course he is very smart, so he did not hit things with his hurting hand.  He decided to head butt. Interesting challenge, I guess. So we spoke this morning, and he really doesn't want to wear the glove.  I told him it is not a punishment, it is a reminder.  I know that working in the autistic sphere we encounter tactile discomforts and comforts.  That is why I wanted to do the glove.  But I don't want him to feel punished or bad all day.  So what do I do?

I thought I could start with a rubber band around his wrist for the hurting hand.  Not so awkward of a reminder.  I sent him to school yesterday with a poster we worked on that read "Don't Expect to See Change if You Don't Change Yourself".  We drew it in bubble letters and the kids colored it and then Ted drew various characters he made up all around it. I thought it could help as a visual aid. And T was very proud of it. The poster didn't go up yesterday, but that's fine because I am sure the classroom was busy.

So then we got the three red marks in the afternoon. Here is how it went down (through play acting I did this reconnaissance).  Ted gets back from lunch and pokes a hole in the divider they use to shield desks while testing.  He gets a red mark.  He has already started drawing on his chair, but the teacher hasn't noticed.  Then a couple of hours go by and the teacher notices the chair and is upset, so he gets two red marks for the afternoon periods. He goes to gym class and pushes someone because he figures he is already in the red...why not?

So I did write an email saying the behavior chart is not supposed to work that way because it can be counterproductive, as shown in this example.  The behavior chart is supposed to be for every hour of behavior, which might be too much for the teacher. I was a teacher, so I totally get it.  I sent him to school today with crossword puzzles and worksheets games to do if he is bored.  He has a list of things he can do when bored (draw only on paper, read, crosswords) and what he should not do (distract other kids, make noise, take away from instruction).

We will see how this works today.  I am hoping we can get him on track.  Any feedback is much appreciated!