Role Play What You Want Your Child to Do

Since children on the spectrum tend to be strong visual learners, the example you set for them as parents is extremely important. Whenever our son is struggling to learn a task or do what is needed, we try to role play it with him.

For instance, we attend church every Sunday as a family. As part of our Sunday service, we partake of the Sacrament, which is about a 15-20 minute process. So we have role played how we should act during this time. We role play both good and bad behaviors. When my husband shows what we shouldn't do during the Sacrament (ie. whispering, wiggling, poking, etc.), my son loves to point out what his dad is doing "wrong."

During our role plays, we take turns and let him show the appropriate and inappropriate behaviors too. Also, as needed, we add props if it helps us to practice. For the Sacrament example, my husband put little pieces of bread on a plate and little cups of water on a separate plate. My son had been struggling to choose just the "right" piece of bread and cup of water every Sunday (too many options). So we showed him how to pick just one, that it didn't matter which one he chose.

Also, there was a time when our son wouldn't eat any of the Sacrament bread because, in his eyes, it looked mushy (from having been torn into bits). We tried role playing this, giving him the opportunity to break the bread into pieces and eat it, but his sensory issues kicked in and he would have nothing to do with the squished bread. So we just decided not to push it. If he didn't take the Sacrament bread at church, that was fine. Eventually, he decided it was OK and now participates regularly.

Also, when he was really little, he used to be frustrated with the little pieces of bread. He wanted more!!! So I'd always pack a slice or two of bread in his diaper bag, ready to fish out at the opportune time.