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Mini-Schedule: Getting Ready for Bed
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Situation
My daughter takes FOREVER to get ready for bed. She is so easily distracted. I have to keep repeating myself and I often end up helping her with things that I know she can do by herself. How can I help her stay focused and be more independent?
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Summary
Use a mini-schedule which provides picture or word sequence for each step of the bedtime routine. This should help her stay more focused and complete tasks with less prompting.
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Definition
A mini-schedule is a visual schedule or visual sequencing of events for a short period of time NOT a day schedule. It can be in picture, object, word or numeral format. A mini-schedule can give a sense of time and when an activity will end. Knowing what and when things happen can prevent many behavioral issues.
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Quick Facts
- Child's Age: 3-5, 6-10, 11-13, 14-17, 18+
- Planning Effort: Moderate
- Difficulty Level: Easy
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Pre-requisites
Ability to understand pictures, words, objects
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Process
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Identify the steps for the bedtime routine.
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Gather the materials to make visual representation of the steps.
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Make the schedule using pictures/words/objects.
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Present it to your child.
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Model/demonstrate/prompt how to use the mini-schedule during the bedtime routine.
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Reinforce your child for using the schedule.
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Documents and Related Resources
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