Where's the off switch?

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Registered: 03-25-2003
Where's the off switch?
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Wed, 01-10-2007 - 10:47am

I think my DS has a faulty off switch :-). He cannot stop doing things even after being told repeatedly. Lately, one problem has been burping. Now, I know that 8 year old boys love to burp, but he does not stop. Here's a typical conversation: "Taran, stop. -pause, more burping -I need you to stop burping now. - pause, more burping- Stop burping and listen to your swimming teacher. -pause, more burping - If you do not stop burping now you will have no video games when we get home tonight." The video game threat finally got through to him, but of course he was back to burping later in the swimming lesson.

It's not just burping though. He likes to sing (annoyingly at times) and he can be the class clown X100. At school, he's in a self-contained classroom where they get warnings before getting a color drop, which counts against their daily points. It's like he doesn't process the warnings. His teacher wrote that with as many warnings as he gets, he should not have so many color drops.

Anybody else with this problem?

Misty

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 01-10-2007 - 1:08pm

yup yup yup.

There is no off switch which is accessable, it is completely controlled remotely by some unforseen force I have yet been able to figure out how to access. Mike has 2 gears, 5th and park. I am still trying to figure out how to get him into a nice steady 3rd gear or so but alas to no avail.

Renee

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Registered: 06-25-2003
Wed, 01-10-2007 - 2:04pm

...and it's not like you can take the battery out either...


Sometimes when I talk to my son, I think of that Far side cartoon when the guy is lecturing his dog:


In the first panel, labeled WHAT WE SAY TO DOGS, the man is lecturing the dog – "Okay Ginger, I’ve had it! You stay out of the garbage! You understand Ginger? Stay out of the garbage or else!"


The second panel, with the headline WHAT DOGS HEAR, looks just like the first, except the master is now saying – "blah blah GINGER blah blah blah…blah blah GINGER blah blah blah blah..."


Sometimes I think Peter and Ginger have a lot in common.


I am wondering if a visual cue might work better than words?

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
Avatar for bright_star
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Registered: 03-25-2003
Wed, 01-10-2007 - 2:55pm

Hmm, might have to try a visual signal. He's definitely a visual kid. I can just see pulling a little stop sign out of my purse and waving it in his face!

Misty

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Registered: 06-25-2003
Wed, 01-10-2007 - 3:01pm

That might work. I woudl combine it with a hand signal -like the police "stop" signal.

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 01-10-2007 - 6:12pm

No Laugh! This stuff does work! I show Mike his "scale" and it works much better than a verbal from me.

This morning Mike wouldn't "talk" to me about some school stuff but we had a great conversation based solely around his making up his own hand signs for yes, no and I don't know. LOL.

Renee

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Registered: 03-20-2003
Wed, 01-10-2007 - 9:34pm

I have a funny question....reguarding your last comment about the number of warnings he's getting.

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 01-11-2007 - 12:10am

Funny you mention this. I was talking about this to the Special Olympics dude today (who btw is very young and handsome, ;-))

He was saying how they have a zero tolerance policy. Any misbehavior is straight to timeout. We have found that works best at home for Mike too.

Not that I am against warnings, it is just that the verbal warning never even makes in into his ears. It honestly does nothing toward change the behavior. The closest I can get is similar to 1,2,3 Magic but only then in certain situations.

Renee

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Registered: 10-03-2004
Thu, 01-11-2007 - 7:11am

Just a quick word here to note that our ds is MUCH more accessible for warnings and understanding which behaviors we are talking about -- now that he is being homeschooled and his frustration and anxiety levels are way, way low. Also we can quickly discuss whether or not he needs any assistance to cease and desist, like in our case, gum in exchange for chewing on the shirt!!!

Now if we could find a way for Mom and Dad, the homeschoolers, to get more relaxed...

Sara

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Registered: 02-20-2001
Thu, 01-11-2007 - 9:47am

I can totally empathize wtih you!

 


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Registered: 01-19-2005
Thu, 01-11-2007 - 10:28am

Thanks for the visual cue idea, ladies. I will try that since we also do not have an off switch and seem to have energizer bunny instincts!

We have just started something not so much to stop behavior as to encourage good behavior. It's "Eric does it the 1st time." He has a chart with 10 boxes. Every time he does something we ask on the first time(go potty, get dressed, get in the car for school) he gets a check. When he gets all 10 he gets a little treat or privilege. So far it's going well, he loves to mark the checks in the boxes.

The stop sign and hand signal seem like really good ideas! I'm going to try them too.

Katherine

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