The Incredible 5-point Scale

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Registered: 03-26-2003
The Incredible 5-point Scale
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Fri, 12-29-2006 - 12:13am

Hey all,

I have just gotten this book and have been trying it out for Mike. So far so good. It is a really great idea.

Basically it is like a mini social story with a 5 point scale to help kids realize and self monitor behavior. There are tons of examples of scales and stories and how it was used. Then there are blank form in the back to make your own scales.

Mike was resistent but I have been using it all day and he is picking up on it. He is finding her really likes to be on "1" (calm and happy on his scale)

Renee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Wed, 01-03-2007 - 10:21pm
Betsy, how did you like "how does your engine run?"
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-04-2007 - 11:32am

I actually didn't teach it to him-- the OT at our other school in WI did the teaching (and taught me as well). Weston was so off and out of control w/ sensory seeking that he was doing almost nothing in the classroom and getting hurt all the time at recess or when playing outside at home (he broke his nose at least 2x and banged his face up tons of times, had some stitches and tons of xrays). At school, he would swing between throwing himself on the floor out of his desk to curling up into his hooded sweatshirt so none of his extremities or face were visible. At home, he would lay around very lathargic for hours, then go outside and throw himself around on the jungle gym or race around the cul de sac on his bike at breakneck speeds. This combined w/ his speech delays pushed us to find a Dx.

Now, 3 years later, Weston sits in the classroom like an almost normal kid-- he still will climb into his clothes when he's stressed (and the teachers are taught by the OT that this is one of his signs that he needs a break) and he often will go and swing on our swingset and jump out of the swings or ride his bike really fast (but it's much more controled). He didn't talk so much about how he was feeling but he could tell the OT if he liked something she tried or if he hated it-- he could also identify fairly quickly if it made him high or low.

We also talked about what situations were appropriate for low and high, so that it made it ok, to be low sometimes and ok to be high sometimes. Weston didn't say much but he took lots of it in-- we used visuals to discuss everything (a movie theatre or a picture of a family watching TV or going to sleep for low; and a football game or bike race or hiking for high; classroom situation, church, dinner/supper meal for just right). Weston also had a VERY difficult time going to sleep and once asleep wouldn't wake up so we had to work on getting to the low at the appropriate times as well.

I think it's good to let them know that being in control is most important. Sometimes we need to rev our engines, sometimes we need to idle, sometimes we need to cruise at 55. every level can be good or bad, the just right is what is good for the situation we're in. It took a very long time for Weston to understand that, probably 1 1/2 yrs of doing the system w/ him and labeling what he was feeling or how he was acting all the time, but once we got to that point it got MUCH easier (until we moved to the 5th grade and the teachers didn't get him and we are teaching them from scratch). Now we're working on self monitoring. Currently the teachers or therapist or mom & dad often have to tell him to take a break or to go stim or to do whatever, but once he's told he knows that this is what he needs and does it. We need to work on his being able to do this by himself all the time. He is able to do this to some extent at home, not so much at school or when we're away.

I think adding a 5 point scale could help him w/ what is just right (when he was younger he would always put every emotion into a 100% scale, this was the only way he could express how he was feeling).

Betsy

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