These notes are by parents, Megan and Jim Sumlin (pseudonyms), who feel strongly that this information should be freely available to all who might benefit from it. They ask only that these drills belong in the public domain, and are not to be claimed or copywritten by any person who is or will in the future be seeking monetary gain for wide distribution of same. Feel free to re-distribute this document, but please include this preface.
We did some form of turn-taking drill (started with blocks actually) for three years. These started when we were a few months into therapy (and into the block drill) with two drills called MY TURN / YOUR TURN- BLOCKS (MT/YT), and another called MY TURN / YOUR TURN - MATCH. It wasn't until three months having both of these drills before we started MT/YT with board games.
The original sheet for MT/YT - BLOCKS was just one page, with therapists signing in with a date/initials with no other data or information taken. Just a yellow sticky on the one page that they signed in on during the total length (3 mo) of the drill which says:
MY TURN/YOUR TURN--BLOCKS
AFTER BUILDING TOWER, BUILD ANOTHER PILE WHILE TAKING ORIGINAL TOWER DOWN [w/a hand-drawing here of two piles of blocks -- one short and one tall with an arrow pointing from the top block of the tall pile to the top block on the small pile]
MY TURN / YOUR TURN - MATCH
The OTHER turn-taking drill that started at the same time (and lasted 3 mo as well, at which time the board games came out) had a similar cover sheet (w/no loose-leaf page sheets behind it -- just a sheet the therapists initialed/dated on the side) that looked like this:
[You: Your turn [don't let him have card until he says....]
Him: My turn [he takes card]
You: What is it?
Him: It's _______
You: Match [he matches]
My turn [you take card]
Him: What is it?
You: It's _______ . Match. Your turn.....
[instruction for ea time ea therapist did it]: Do 5x and sign (initial) / date on side of this page.
near the end of the above sheet, after 3 m of the above, a yellow sticky says: "Begin CandyLand and Teddy Bear Bingo. Sign in with what you play"
there are a few sign ins w/date-initial-game and then a new sheet:
YOUR TURN / MY TURN - GAMES
CANDYLAND
TEDDY BEAR BINGO
TIC TAC TOE
[each was played six times by various therapists and on the bottom of the page it says:]
next....DUCK DUCK GOOSE & CHUTES AND LADDERS
[a new sign in sheet (graph w/hash marks for when each game was done), and a second instructive sheet that read:]
CONCEPTS TO WORK IN:
1. Thrill of Victory - Prompt: "Yay!", "Hooray!", "Alright!", "Wow!", etc. with appropriate affect!
2. Agony of Defeat - Prompt "Aw!", etc. with appropriate affect.
3. Having him teach (tell you) "how" to play or explain the rules/object of the game.
4. Setting the rules and adhering to the rules.
5. Having him verbalize his performance.
6. Ready, (on your mark, get) Set, Go !!!!!
7. Being a good sport.
handwritten: EACH OF YOU DO MEMORY GAME 1X PER WEEK (See Megan/Jim for Rules)
GAME LIST
Try different games and make a hash mark next to THAT game (no initials on this page -- only IIII, II, etc.) Later, after he "gets" games, keep the # of times you play each game fairly equal!
[List of games as **** above in graph]
-----------------------------------------------------
[an even later sheet -- probably MUCH later]:
BOARD GAMES
1. PLAY SOME OF HIS BOARD GAMES WITH HIM
2. FOCUS ON WHATEVER BEHAVIORS WE'RE CURRENTLY
WORKING ON (and have notes reflect this):
* Sitting still (relaxing body)
* Grimaces
* Noises
* Babbling / word salad
* Listening to adults
* Getting the message
* Empathy
* Self-motivational statement
* Accepting help from grown-ups
* Gentle Tone/Manners
* Interrupting
* Clean-up
3. ADD BEHAVIORS OF THE WEEK TO THE MIX (e.g., good sportsmanship / not being a sore loser, etc.)
4. DRO 5:1 (as always) THE ABSENCE OF ALL THESE BEHAVIORS This drill gives us a golden opportunity at DRO since his behaviors tend to diminish when he's occupied in something as reinforcing as this....our therapy has always been about replacing inappropriate behaviors with appropriate ones so DRO, DRO, DRO!!!!! Thanks!
5. EMPHASIZE FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS (Rules)
6. HAVE FUN!
Some therapist notes from all of the above:
Candyland - I didn't let him use the blue playing piece. He might perseverate on how the game is like the Wizard of Oz. Did pretty well but has trouble understanding in which direction to move his piece.
Chute and Ladders - I think it's a bit too complex at this pt. He had trouble moving his piece the correct # of squares & had no concept of the objective of the game.
P.N. - Wait on Chutes - Play Candyland, Teddy Bear Bingo and write entries.
Played Candyland - He did pretty well. He didn't know which way to move at first, but then caught on.
We played Candyland - Didn't let him use the blue piece and he kept talking about the Wizard of Oz, otherwise he did well.
P.N. - You can play this slowly through therapy and use as contingency his being "good".
Candyland - He couldn't answer "what happens when you get to the end?" "I win" He got stuck on one of the dots - I explained it to him, then he picked a yellow card (needed red to move). Asked him if he could go, he said "No, I'm stuck in the red" Throughout game I made big deal about his being in the lead and my trying to catch up.
Teddy BB - Played well. 1/2way through had him count bears & tell me who was winning (he was) - at the end (he won) asked him why he won.
Teddy BB - Kept running narrative - What do you need to win? in excited tone - "I only need ONE more!" How do you win? Get 4 in a line, etc.
Teddy BB - He played well & made a # of strategic moves w/o prompting.
Still doesn't seem to understand how you win and what you need to win (which colors are left).
Intro'd TIC TAC TOE. Don't think he gets the idea yet. He needs prompts re: blocking and getting 3 in a row.
TIC-TAC-TOE - First I drew various already filled-in tic-tac-toe grids and had him point out the winner in ea. Once he understood, we played with ea. other and he did very well.
TTT - He was great at planning his moves, but not so aware of blocking mine.
P.N. - Try Connect 4, Animal Match, Pie Face and Peanut Butter & Jelly next (and do one or two TIC TAC TOES each time please).
Worked on having him block my TTT moves. He's beginning to understand. Just needed to prompt him before his turn by saying "Don't let me win!"
Tried Peanut Butter & Jelly. He doesn't completely get it yet (i.e., doesn't know about sandwiches yet!) He did a good job. Also played Pie Face. Needs "Your turn/my turn" prompts b/c he's very excited about this game and tends to keep pulling pieces out.
We (w/Megan) played Trouble. He did really well and is getting the concept of the game.
.N. - Play Trouble three or four more times.
Did Trouble again b/c word is that he was really close to getting it so we wanted to firm it up. I didn't know how to play so [other ther. who was there -- we were overlapping them by this time for five 1/2 hours a week] had him explain the rules to me. During the game we worked a lot on affect. He did great job overall, however he needs to work on sitting still during the game. He's lying on his back, rolling around, etc. We eventually made him sit crossed-leg -- maybe we should require his sitting like this to play all games.
Combined with Play-Doh/Moldables drill. Made tic-tac-toe board out of Play-Doh. Doesn't play strategically. I won 1st game and prompted him to win next.
Played Perfection. Didn't get excited, kept trying to turn timer. Didn't even flinch when board popped up.
Perfection - Go one at a time. Person who gets the most pieces in wins. He's perseverating on the time and start/stop switch.
P.N. - Tickle him to get AFFECT when he wins, etc.
We played Mickey Mouse Poppin' Magic w/Dolls. He took turns well. Affect was poor in relation to game. Tickling is fine to make him happy, but what about when he's losing or worried?
Played Perfection and Squiggly Worms. His affect was low. He didn't win but he's getting more efficient at using two hands.
Mr. Potato Head (Sharing drill also) w/both kids. We each took turns putting on pieces [our younger son was 1 1/2 yrs old at this time].
Played Pie Face - He wasn't able to determine when I won. Still no real enthusiasm except for dirty sock pie (funny). Needed to be prompted for his turn twice.
Played GO FISH. He's getting it. He knows cards. Need to be prompted s/times to put down his pairs. Gets general concept.
Played Connect 4. He didn't block and lost every game.
P.N. - Try again.
Tic-Tac-Toe. He's really finally getting this so I wanted to do it again. He lost every game but was really trying & making some strategic moves (all on his own!) He chose (x's and o's) which he wanted to be - never chose same letter/pattern!
Did great job w/Animal Memory game. Got a lot of matches correct and he "cheated" one time and I told him it wasn't fair and that I would tell the teacher on him. He said he was sorry and continued to play with enthusiasm and honesty. We did a little sustained conversation. He asked appropriate ?s he was great.
Animal Memory game - He won. Looked very nicely. Got really into the game and was very enthusiastic about playing. He was also really (appropriately) excited whenever he got a match. Great e.c.!
Candyland w/[playdate]. Nice job taking turns and talking about what color he got and that she got some color. Memory game - He played well but at end became rigid and wanted to count his cards but it was time to put away game. Threw a small fit but able to be redirected quickly and started to play w/dolls and furniture w/her.
PIE FACE - Good job. He was enthusiastic about playing the game and winning. He was teaching me. He loved telling me about the dirty sock piece of pie. Great e.c. & attn. and proper affect when winning. DRO.
P.N. - Is the dirty sock glee a perseveration?
Played Chutes & Ladders. He did nice job. Wasn't distracted by #s. Focus was on good things kids did and bad things kids did (chutes). He laughed when girl wrote on wall and had to go down chute. Beware --- he may get stuck on this one. Lots of DRO for playing well.
Dinosaur game and first time we played - He really didn't get the object yet, took turns nicely and showed appropriate reactions.
Played CRACKERS IN MY BED b/c he was great today. Played well. Took great turns, appropriate comments & reactions (e.g., when he didn't get a match said "Oh well, maybe next time"! Helped me set up the game - playing w/little cardboard pieces & sticking them in bed. I stopped him. Also wanted to put wrong smaller cards in the bed and they would slip through. I told him he could do it if he wanted to, but that he would just have less pieces to play with. He stopped. Later, after I put game away, he took plastic baseball cap off his head because "he finished playing crackers in my bed" Told him we don't only wear this hat when we play this game. Asked him to keep it on & he did, but he's obviously connected that hat with the game. Be careful!
Played Spaghetti Scatter. He did well. It's a very easy game. Appropriate talking. DRO. He cleaned up very slowly and said "I have to clean up and stop talking. What do I have to stop talking?" I ignored him, then a bit later I said, "You could talk about stuff but not putting game away."
P.N. - ONLY PLAY NEW GAMES - ASK MEGAN/JIM FOR IDEAS.
Played KERPLUNK. He was perseverating on sticks at first. Needed help getting them in. Can do it but purposely not listening. Started getting idea and managed to pull out a stuck w/o dropping marble.
P.N. - PLEASE ASK ME (MEGAN) BEFORE YOU CHOOSE GAME. I'LL CHOOSE IT (I MAY WANT HIM TO MASTER SOME GAME). THANKS!
[Some games mentioned in later notes: STACROBATS, puzzles, other matching games incl. CANDYLAND BINGO]
Candyland Bingo - Don't know if he was out of it or what, but he had no idea what a row was. We went over rows. I had him point out rows. Then as game progressed, I used concepts of how many and how many more to illustrate what was needed. He never really got it this time. Last time I played he got it. I think this time he changed rules for himself. He was concentrating on getting all the blues.
P.N. - It seems that he never gets concept of "in a row" so before doing any games where the object is to get X in a row, pls model before starting. Explain - e.g., show him 4 checkers in a row before you start Connect 4 and tell him this is "in a row" and this is what you need to win. Notes please!
Connect 4 - Explained how to win as above. He's sort of getting the idea but still not exactly the sense of how to go about winning.
Connect 4 - I had him demonstrate rows of 4 before we began game. He got up and down but needed me to demonstrate across. He's got at blocking up but not across.
Connect 4 - Worked on blocking across. He showed me 4 in a row b4 we started on Connect 4 board and on floor. It was really funny. When I blocked him across he tried to pick my checker out. I told him I wanted it where it was. He thought ---_ was four in a row. We said it was 3 in a row, then we did 2 in a row and 5 in a row. We played a prolonged game. I blocked him 2x and he blocked me once. DRO. He chose both red and black - he didn't care. There was no pattern and he wanted to stop playing after a few games. He got bored and asked to play something else instead of stimming out and getting inappropo!
We played TEDDY BEAR BINGO. He won. Great job, great enthusiasm. Asked him how we play, what we need to win, what the rules were, etc. He was able to elaborate on all. Very good job following directions. He wanted to play using the #s but I wasn't exactly sure how the #s are used. Instructions weren't in the box.
Played with "THINGS IN MY HOUSE". We ea had houses to win a card and match pix to houses, he had to describe the main idea of each of them. For the most part he did really well, identifying main actions/ideas. Sometimes talked some meaningless details before describing important aspects of pix, but generally did ok. Talked about being "tied" with four pixs each. DRO.
Emotions Matching Game - Not such a big hit and Old Main - Confused at beginning about rules and then
got it w/prompts & questions. E.C. was good - DRO. Still not sure about rules - He got Old Main at end & lost -- but wasn't really upset. I made a big deal about winning but he still didn't seem to notice that he lost.
Chutes & Ladders - aka the never-ending game. This is what he chose to do on break (for good beh 1h30m in). Constant verbal prompting about the rules & various pictures. He tried to cheat a few times by changing the arrow spinner b/c he wanted to land on a picture. Told him that other children won't want to play w/him if he cheats and then I prompted him to say it back [btw, this is well over a year BEFORE we started social stories/role plays... he was still learning language at this time.]
Don't Spill The Beans - Full prompting rules of the game, reactions to winning, losing, why I was winning and he was losing, etc. T.O. for looking and phys intervention for holding beans weirdly.
Played Teddy BB - Good job w/excellent looking & recip convers/ He accepted prompt but would also spontaneously add his own comments to ?s asked. Lots of DRO for looking and following the rules of the game.
Fishin' Fun - Prompted fully. Needed phys interv for e.c. He was stuck on the #s and on the fish.
Peanut Butter & Jelly - Worked w/prompts to get him to say stuff like "we have the same thing" "Hope I get bread so I'll win", etc. Needed a couple prompts for e.c. but not enough to T.O. DRO'd good e.c.
Squiggly Worms - We played a new version & he was fine w/this. No resistance. He followed directions very well. Needs help w/the concept that once a person wins, the game is over. Beware of his touching ea item before placing the cover back on the box when cleaning up.
P.N. - We've also noticed both points above so pls. all be aware: 1) He needs help w/the concept that once a person wins the game is over; and 2) Beware of his touching each item before he puts it away.
He played Squiggly Worms with me too. Once he won (we tried to let him win), I got all excited that he won and he became excited also. Then I yelled "Cool! Game's over" and he had no problem with this. This was last drill we did when I was here and he had to make so Jim put game away.
Old Maid - Went over at beg with prompts. How does the game end? Worked on getting him to put all his matches in one pile (match pile). No prob cleaning up b/c there was really nothing for him to do. DRO'dsitting & waiting patiently.
Played CHUTES & LADDERS. Needed some prompts w/looking but otherwise nice job. He won. He was appropriately enthusiastic at the end when he won - I tickled him & dro'd him for saying he won w/such nice affect. His face turned yellow b/c he had an instant bowel movement. He knew what he'd done & said to me "why did you make me to diarrhea?" I laughed and said "I didn't make you do that" and rushed him to the toilet. I think he linked my tickle to the timing of his release. Quite interesting!
Played Stacrobats. Wanted to be blue. So we used green & yellow. He appropriately said "you lose" -- said to him "what happens when someone wins?" "The games over!" Then what can you do? Start another game or put it away, etc. We played again & he appropr. Said "I win!" Lots of DRO. Prompted - "I'm so proud that I won" Good e.c. during game - prompted "I have so much control", etc. "I look right at you when I talk to you" - Had a problem accepting that I didn't want to play w/him anymore. Said "Now you could play with me" Prompted "You don't feel like playing with me so I'll stop asking" --- DRO'd.
W/[playdate] played Perfection and Fishing Fun. Both kids needed prompts to wait turn. He was really nice to her. He sorta got stepped on and really needed adult prompts to stick up for himself. Gave great reinf to her. He REALLY watched what she was doing. DRO. Prompted controlling self when waiting for her to go (she really didn't DRO in - her older sister did).
w/[playdate] played Squiggly Worms - He took charge & suggested what colors to be. [Playdate] wanted to be another color. They resolved the conflict on their own. Great job. He wasn't rigid about it at all. Very flexible - DRO'd flexibility. They took turns very well and enjoyed the game. BIG DRO for great e.c. & turn-taking.
Chutes & Ladders. He played w/Megan and me after he controlled himself for a long time. He had a little bit of zoneyness. Needed some prompting for e.c. Reinforced concept of winning & game end. He still doesn't get it immediately.
P.N. - Hammer in concept of winning. Define what it takes to win before you start ANY game ("the object of the game is to ......") E.g. - whoever has the most wins, whoever gets there first wins, etc. and have him repeat it back. Notes on this please!
Played Headache. Started out w/explan of rules & how to win. He was confused as to how to win but as we went along he started getting the concept. DRO for looking, even though he needed constant prompting for it. Affect was appropriately. Curious about learning.
Played Safari/Fisher Price game. He did great except kept saying "yuck - I get a piece of bread" when a chip w/no point went into his animal's mouth, but very appropriately got excited otherwise. Great e.c. - DRO and self-pride (prompted), also for teaching me game. Good job. He said "dumb old game" 3x. Prompted a control statement here, then he said "What will happen if I say it again - Q #3, then I think you'll call mommy - Q #8 [prob Q&As on predicting, the prereq to social judgment and later social stories].
P.N. - Keep emphasizing the rules (what it takes to win) before you begin.
--- Work on more/less - most/least (whoever has the MOST wins) How many more do you need to win / catch up / tie, etc.?
--- Also start all games with a choosing game (eenie, meenie, augie-doggie, once-twice-three-shoot, one-potato, or any other ones you know).
Candyland w/[playdate]. We didn't choose. She went first b/c she was quieter. Worked on who was in lead, who needed to catch up. Great job. He was competitive: "you're not winning" "I'm gonna get all the way to the end" and was aware of who was winning. At end excitedly yelled, "I'm winning!" At end we chose (one potato, two potato) to see who could use Barbie.
Connect 4 - We chose to see who would go first & he won and I prompted him to say "I won 'cause I have a hand that's still in the middle". He really wanted to win Connect 4. Told me at one point: "let me win", but I won b/c he wasn't concentrating on blocking me. At end we discussed why I won & what he could have done to h ave a better chance of winning. Commented on who was in the lead (had more in a row) as we were going along.
Started out with Eenie Meenie - I went first. Asked him to explain rules to me (we played Swinging Snakes). He wasn't able to really verbalize HOW to play & what rules to follow, but he accepted all prompts. DRO'd looking. The concept of winning was different from other games. We didn't need more or less of something. It was whoever made the snakes fall first LOST and the other person WON. He grasped the idea after I prompted him to repeat how one wins. Great job thereafter. DRO'd looking & affect i.e., excitement & fear when putting the snakes on & not making them fall.
Quick game of Old Maid. We didn't choose. He went 1st b/c I dealt. He had hard time paying attn. b/c he was distracted by [baby bro]. Scripted him through this [we did this w/low-whisper prompts of full sentences]. At end I won & scripted him thru statements. Maybe if I paid better attn. I would have won, etc.
Teddy BB - Chose to see who would go 1st. He needed prompts to keep hands fisted & in front of him for entire time. Needed prompts to say who won. Heavily worked concept of leading & winning. He was getting really into it & cheated at one point: stopping the spinner in the color he needed to tie me! Great attn. & control, even when I made him re-spin after he tried to cheat. Fun game & he won. Still needs some excitement prompting at end when he wins.
Stackosaurus - Cool job! He was very geared up & motivated to play. I had him explain the rules. He did it pretty well he also suggested I read the directions. Affect was fantastic and so was turn-taking. Nice job. Great e.c. too.
Honey Bear, Funny Bear - I made him choose. He had a hard time w/hand movement but knew words. Got the hang of it w/lots of prompting. Needed lots of prompting of all concepts "in the lead". Also needed prompting not to sit on the game board. Utilized prompts well. Excited at end b/c he won. DRO'd sitting quietly & not sitting on game.
Taught him 1,2,3,shoot -- he won so I let him play the game of his choice -- PIE FACE. Then did 1,2,3,shoot to see who'd go 1st and to see who'd get to be Billy Blueberry. Had him explain rules to me and he had appropriate affect. Set up game again when he got dirty sock pie and I thought he lost -- said we have to finish playing, explained rules. DRO. Worked on "in the lead" -- I think he's got it. Got concept of a "tie".
Played Chutes & Ladders. Did Once, Twice, Three, Shoot. I won so I went 1st. He was great. Really into the game. Scripted feeling statements about winning/losing & being in the lead, etc. He really picked up on this & spontaneously commented on his place w/feelings. Tons of praise. Game went on sorta long & he started to get a little antsy. Beginning to sit in postured way & starting to make sounds. Extended scripting to get this under control. Praise & self-pride for gaining control. DRO.
Played Matching Game. 1,2,3,shoot to see who went 1st. Kept using two fingers so I scripted about how it's important to change so other person doesn't know what finger he'll put out. He was excited that [playdate] was coming over. Used extensive scripting to calm him down. Fake laughing continued - checked b/r for a T.O. and this got him under control.
____ and [playdate] played Swinging Snakes. Great interaction betwn the two. You can actually see him get excited & nervous when placing snakes in the ring - he kept whispering (like [playdate]) "I hope it doesn't fall" - lots of dro. Also scripted feeling/thinking of how he'd feel about winning/losing and who he thought might win and why. Great job. I let them continue playing as I wrote notes.
Headache - he's not sure of the rules so we went over these before & as we went along. One potato, two potato to start he was a little zoney today. I prompted him through who was in the lead & he responded, but not w/his usual enthusiasm.
P.N. - Don't allow him to do his version of eenie, meenie....let him know that there could be lots of variations on this.
I did different version of eenie meenie to start. Played Squiggly Worms. After Parallel Play he was starting to get rigid b/c I played by different rules but scripted statements got him through this & we talked about how it was my game & I chose the rules and if he didn't play by my rules, he couldn't play. Responded w/enthusiasm once he got into it.
Played hopscotch in park. I picked one potato, two potato and he did the choosing. Gets confused when he only has left hand. Played w/stick. Had to aim & then hop and jump. He was very involved. Responded w/appropriately affect. Took turns well. Really nice job. And he almost has the hang of hopscotch.
One potato, two... to see who goes 1st. He won and needed prompt to say that he did. Crackers In Bed - Looked at who was winning, who was in tie, etc. Prompted enthusiasm.
Honeybear game - Nice job. At one point he missed his turn b/c he wasn't paying attn. He was upset but understood why this happened. At end he had to put game away quickly so that he could play Chutes & Ladders later.
Peanut Butter & Jelly - Natural reinforcer for other drills. He was really into it & even announced ON HIS OWN who was in the leads and when we were tied! Great hands and sitting too. Tons of praise.
Please note that these files do not contain all of our therapist or parent's notes -- the R+ and DRO we gave therapists in these are always left out and there were always more than twice as many of those type than there were informational P.N.s like the ones we do include. The same goes for all drills we've put up in the past re: P.N.s. BTW, the notes in these last two posts begin at a point nearly two years from the start of the My Turn/Your Turn - Blocks and Match.]
We had a game of DinoZoo. He did a great job for the most part. At one point he picked up pieces of game w/his foot --- DRO for stopping when a grown-up told him. [Bro] joined in the game for a little while. He was mostly great but at one point pushed [bro]. Reminded him to be nice and apologize. Worked on empathy scripting. DRO for getting message and having nice tone throughout game.
Excellent job - played Dino Checkers. He has a pretty solid grasp on strategies, rules & winning. Sitting & paying attn were great. No weird stuff at all. Only thing he did was sucked lips a couple of times but this happened throughout session.
We played Perfection. 1st we took turns trying to complete the board. He sat beautifully when it was my turn with great attn to what I was doing. DRO & ref'd to school. Then we played together & were able to finish the board before it popped up. Reinforced the concept of working together.
Played Dino Zoo. Pretty good game. No noises or grimaces, very nice concentration and following game rules. Sitting was also very good. Nice job reminding me w/rules & turn-taking. He won of course.
Headache & Kerplunk. Nice job following rules. Problem sitting still a couple of times during Headache. Scripted him w/control statements about keeping a quiet body and w/info that he knows he'd do better in the game and feel like a big boy if he could sit still. Grimaces & noises were pretty up.
P.N. - Will ask [consultant] about "body darting" and labeling it as such -P.N. - OK to label as such.
Dinobuilders - He was somewhat hesitant to play by rules. Wanted to just build them. DRO'd flexibility & patience. He was able to play by the rules & he won. Debriefed. Sat quietly. Occasional grimaces but I ignored them.
Played Candyland w/[brother]. They were both very good during the entire game. Constant DRO for being a great role model, great e.c. and taking turns. [Bro] great too! Used him as a kid who's learning off of older and wiser brother. Unfortunately, he ruined the great behavior by throwing all the cards across the board at the end. Debriefed about messiness, rudeness and potential for causing harm if he had thrown other objects. Had him clean up & apologize (tried to work on feeling bad for his behavior) -- didn't really work. Was mad about what I said -- i.e., you should feel sad about this. Labeled his reasoning as "going off topic".
Played SORRY. He had some trouble initially. Wanted me to choose a color first so he could choose the color that goes with it (blue/yellow - green/red). Debriefed as "rule" and accepted grown up help to be flexible. Was also in good control when I pointed out strange way he was holding pawn. "It's OK -- I still have pawn out" -- Corrected himself after this - DRO. Once he got into the game he was great. Used self-motiv/monitor statements: "I'm almost all home" & regularly commented appropriately on the gam e. Needed a couple of "no" equivs for sitting. DRO'd it when it was there. Great job. He won.
Booby Trap - He did great job. Really got into the game. He was making up rules about which colors should be picked up when....I debriefed & he stopped. Lots of DRO. Some trouble cleaning up--singing & walking away. He let me help him get into control. DRO.
P.N. - Remember: the point of this drill is to DRO the absence of inappropriate behaviors since when he's engrossed in a game he acts more appropriately. Your notes should reflect what you're DROing. Thanks!
Dino Checkers. No prob. Very nice behaviors. DRO & praise for calm body, sitting nice, and attn. Great e.c. too! Related to school.
Dino Zoo - DRO'd calm body lots. Also DRO e.c., attn. to game & commenting on what was happening. Also DRO'd staying on topic, self-motiv statements, genuine excitement, tone of voice. Ref to school. Worked on money pieces of game (spinner/board) so they would be as close to him as possible & he did not have to keep moving his body. Really nice game.
Dinomite - DRO'd calm body, great behavior, e.c. He did wonderfully.
Played Perfection w/[bro]. We all took turns. He got excited when board popped up. Worked on not yelling or laughing loud on purpose. He controlled himself as best he could. You should've seen [bro]! "Scary toy, [ther]?" So funny. Had to stop after one turn ea b/c he wouldn't listen 1st time when I asked him to sit down.
Really worked on DROing quiet body & still hands since this was such an issue tonight. Nice job.
Chutes & Ladders w/[bro]. He had some difficulty when it was a longer wait for his turn. Animals were out & he started to touch them & lose concentration. Stopped & debriefed. Ref'd to school. DRO'd great attn. after this & heavily DRO'd calm body. Hand stuff was way down during game!
Did drill b/c he was really good and asked to play Chutes & Ladders [P.N. - Pls. don't let him repeat games]. Tried to persuade him to play another but he said that I "hadn't played this game with him in a long time; only [other ther] did" and he was right. Behavior was great. Nice & calm. One instruction was needed not to tap his piece when he moved it. Otherwise great job - he lost. Worked on empathy, said he felt sad b/c he really wanted to win. DRO'd & told him it's ok and just a game.
Played Dino-checkers again as promised for great independent play. I know we just played it but it was more for a reward & his behavior was beautiful & there was plenty of opportunity for DRO. He's getting really good at playing strategically. We did 1,2,3 shoot.
Dino Zoo - Worked a lot on sitting still & calm body. Tons of DRO for this & e.c. & 1st time response. Nice job.
Kerplunk. Good job - behaved great. Praise all over the place & DRO. At end he got a little silly & "cheated" by pulling all the sticks out at once. I acted upset & sad b/c I'd been having fun and then.... He apologized unprompted. DRO for caring.
Dino-checkers. Prob at beg w/him being bad sport b/c he didn't get the color he wanted. Jim debriefed w/Being a Bad Sport book. DRO'd being a good sport. Also DRO 1st time answ., e.c., staying on topic (not using those words though).
Played Crackers In My Bed. This was a sort of treat for him b/c he was listening/answ 1st time consistently. Nice game. He won fair & square. I sort of acted like a "sore loser" on purpose and prompted him about this (to respond to me) -- i.e., sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but it's ok. Nice sitting & attn.
DinoZoo as reward for good behavior. He set up the game quickly & independently for us. DRO. He won. Plays so strategically & appropriately. DRO.
Connect 4 - DRO'd calm body and 1st time response and e.c. All problematic tonight. Strategy was somewhat off. Talked about needing to focus & concentrate in order to win. Ref'd to school.
Squiggly Worms - Excellent job. DRO'd all his behaviors, calm body, answ 1st time & e.c. He was great!
Dino-Checkers. Sitting still, e.c. & concentration were dynamite! Very nice use of strategies while playing. DRO & praise.
DinoZoo - DRO'd relaxed body & answ. 1st time. Worked on empathy when he did not watch when it was my turn. Good job.
Played TROUBLE - [bro] joined us. He was very good w/calm, relaxed body and a good role model for [bro]. [Bro] behaved for the most part - gave him lots of DRO too --- he was just so happy to be in the room after he had cried up a storm earlier. Let him into room when he was quiet.
Fishing Fun - Played w/[bro]. Nice job taking turns. Calm w/ relaxed body. Used opportunity to DRO for being great mode l for younger brother who was also well behaved as a result.
PB & Jelly w/ [bro]. Nice turn-taking. DRO'd calm sitting & good attn. Worked on flexibility & other people doing things differently. DRO'd.
At [playdate]'s house. He taught her how to play Dino-checkers. He got rigid when she named her stegosaurus Dazzle. Worked on flexibility. They played very nicely together. DRO'd. His voice turned nasty a couple of times when she did something "wrong". Reminded him of his tone & he apologized and moved on. DRO'd.
Dino-checkers - Whoa! What a game. I really had to think hard about how to beat him. Seriously, we was great! Very sophisticated and planned out moves. Lots of praise and DRO for thinking about what he was doing as he played. No probs sitting (DRO) and he was really good at watching my facial reactions to his moves -- he seemed to learn a lot from the non-verbal communication. DRO'd big time.
SORRY with [bro]. Lots of DRO for flexibility re: [bro]'s inability to always execute moves perfectly. He had great attn., sat quietly and calmly. Great. DRO.
DinoZoo. G-d! It'll be another month before I play this one again. It takes an eternity to finish it! Anyway, [bro] played and lasted a good 10 minutes. Lots of DRO for him [brother] and for him b/c he was a real good role model. Sat calmly, took turns nicely, though he wanted to help [bro] a little too much sometimes. Had keep tell him to let [bro] learn on his own. [Bro] had to leave after he purposely broke an arrow on the spinner.
Played OPERATION w/[bro]. New game. Went over rules, turn-taking, etc. He got one bone out nicely but once he discovered the buzz, he did it on purpose (at least he wasn't scared). [Bro] didn't take turn b/c he was too scared of buzz. He was good in the beg. DRO'd being a good model.
PB & Jelly - DRO'd sitting still & paying attn. to my entire move, like listening to whole convers. Nice job. DRO'd no singing the entire time.
DINOZOO - w/[bro], he kept making rules, being inflexible w/[bro] playing w/spinner. I started doing it to him. We discussed how it felt. DRO'd quiet body & mouth.
We played Dinocheckers as SR for good Moldables work. He's great at this!
HoneyBear FunnyBear - w/[bro] in room. Heavily DRO'd space bubble between him & [bro] & table. He was great! Body was relaxed. DRO. Good turn-taking and gentle voice w/[bro] - DRO. Attn. & e.c. were also great. [Bro] did a nice job but faded towards end of the game. He didn't bother [name]. DRO
DON'T WAKE DADDY - w/[bro]. DRO'd space bubble and great tone, even when [bro] wasn't listening to directions.
Dino-checkers. Some reminders needed for personal space, otherwise no probs. DRO'd thinking & attn.
At [playdate]'s - OPERATION. He played out of turn so lost his turn. Then she took his turn so he experienced how bad it felt. Also, when we did 1,2,3,shoot for turn-taking he wasn't listening so me and [playdate] did it and he had to go last. Wasn't very happy. DRO'd for good pers space.
CLUE Jr. Great job - DRO'd tone, space, attn. - staying involved for the whole game. Some probs throwing the die & keeping it on the board. I'm not sure he totally gets the combining of clues to find a solution, but he did a nice job & was very involved. Praise & DRO.
P.N. - Clue is a great game for him. We wouldn't mind this being done a few more times. Read [ther entry/date].
CLUE Jr. - He stayed focused the entire time. No prob throwing die & keeping it on board. DRO - Really worked on combing clues & following solution. Did it together and worked on solving crime. DRO'd quiet body, pers space & turn-taking.
CLUE Jr. - He had to teach me and did a great job at it. He was very careful about not revealing his clues to me. Nice calm body (DRO) and gentle tone. Although [bro] was noisy in the room, he was good at keeping focused. Heavy DRO.
1st played Fishing Fun w/[bro]. Amazing job. Great tone & turn-taking. DRO'd fabulous example set for brother. Then played CLUE Jr w/me. Needed prompt to sit still but otherwise was amazing. DRO'd sitting still, space bubble & great attn. to solve the puzzle.
Dino-checkers. Great behav. Really nice job sitting & paying attn., e.c. & turn-taking were great. Nice strategies used. Heavy DRO.
Connect 4 - Wow! We haven't played this in ages and he was at a totally different developmental level. Really understood the game's concept and how to win. He truly won one game diagonally. Very vigilant w/blocking. Behavior was great. Nice relaxed body & gentle tone - DRO'd.
We played OPERATION even though he didn't want to. Talked about needing to practice to get good at something. He wanted to play CLUE so we flipped coin for it -- he liked that. He was able to take out the butterfly all by himself after three tries. Good fine motor manip - DRO. After clean-up he left a card out and then said "YOU left this out". Had a long talk about taking responsibility for what he does at home and in school (ref'd to chasing in school).
HANGmAN - arranged letters first -- This took a lot of time. DRO'd patience & perseverance. Worked on selecting words, guessing letters in a thoughtful way & arranging letters backwards on top so when you turn around the word it's facing the correct way. Great job picking out word & guess my word!
Spent last 10 min on HANGMAN - only set up letter but really relaxed & calm - DRO. Great focus.
Finally I too played HANGMAN with him. Great game. He was showing me how to play. Great job explaining the rules. DRO. Sitting was excellent -- remembered to put word up R to L. DRO. Had me going on one game he had six letters out -- I thought it was one word turned out to be two - MADDOG. Told him he should have separated it with a space. Went over giving genera l clues, i.e., it's an animal, person, place, thing, etc....
Dino-checkers. Needed prompt and then DRO to maintain appropriate space betwn his body & the game. DRO'd calm body worked on attn. & concentration paired with looking. Somewhat squirmy today. Contrasted this w/relaxed.
We (with [bro]) played Crackers in My Bed. They both did great job. Lots of DRO for good pers space between them and game & great turn-taking. Little impatient when teaching [bro]. Modeled gentler tone & reminded him.
Dino-checkers - Very nice job. Really attentive listening 1st time. DRO. Sitting and behaviors were great. Brother was around (acting noisy). He ignored him and was a good model - - DRO. We also played a quick game of Candyland to make [bro] happy (actually I supervised and they played. They were pretty good at taking turns & communicating w/one another. Hardly needed any help at all. Both helped to clean up. DRO.
PB & Jelly - Worked on sitting still & space bubble, both of which were down somewhat today. Great attn. & e.c. DRO. Problem cleaning up. Sore loser. Listened when reminded that grown-up gave direction and then gave apology (needed prompt -- Is there something else?) Read "bad sport" book. With [bro], worked on personal space. DRO'd space bubble & not touching.
P.N. - No, there's nothing else --just prompts when you don't get it and BIG DRO when you do. It's coming, albeit slowly.
TROUBLE - Played with [bro]. Very nice job. Didn't touch [bro] or try to move/play for him. Heavy DRO for personal space. Attn. was very good and he was flexible (DRO) about ending the game early b/c it takes long. [Bro] was winning and he was ok with that.
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