​Most people have a hygiene routine that is comprehensive. They do the same thing regularly and rarely miss an area. The routine they create is based off instruction from parents and siblings, experience (end up smelly without deodorant), and learned skills. It would be easy and, frankly, understandable for those people to assume that others have learned the same routine. That simply isn’t the case. People learn different things with the same information. For example, two people can hear, “Brush your teeth twice a day” and pull two different things from that simple instruction. One can hear this and brush their teeth properly twice a day. The other may hear this and brush their teeth twice a day, without toothpaste. If you asked the second person if he brushes every day, he would say yes. But he doesn’t realize that he is not doing it properly. People with intellectual/developmental disabilities may not have received or perceived the same information as others. It would be beneficial to check for understanding of the expectation.

There is a socially acceptable approach to hygiene. Most people would agree that wearing clean clothes is important. Wearing unclean clothes gives others an impression that one is dirty. An impression could alter how someone is treated. Therefore, wearing clean clothes can give others a positive impression of a person. This may not be inherent to everyone and may need to be explained at times.

Another aspect to consider regarding basic faulty assumptions is that thoroughness is a given. It may be easy for you to see each step involved in a task. That is not the case with everyone. When describing a task such as showering, make sure to be thorough by describing each step in the process. For example, when teaching showering, we may be quick to say something like, “hop in, rinse off, soap up, rinse again, and get out”. In that description, we said nothing about turning on the water, addressing the whole body, using shampoo and conditioner, the difference between soap for the body and soap for the hair, or drying off with a towel when finished. Thoroughness may seem redundant or silly, but it may be necessary. And you may find that this is a key component that has been missing from the routine.

Nobody likes to fail. This is going to be the same for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities.  Sometimes, failing in a safe environment can provide an important educational experience. However, if we can teach and support individuals towards success, it builds ability and confidence. An easy way to succeed is to create and follow a routine. I don’t have to think to brush every tooth in my mouth, because I have a good brushing routine. Following my routine helps to make the process routine. I can complete the task of brushing my teeth without having thought through the actual process, and confidently know that I brushed properly, all because I have practiced to make this a routine task.

There are so many benefits to creating and implementing a consistent routine. It may sound easy enough, but how do I really teach someone to develop a hygiene routine? It is important to teach and train in such a way that you can assure the individual is accomplishing a successful hygiene routine.

To read more about Hygiene Routine, click here.

Crossing the street, appropriate attitude, and riding a city bus are some of the many challenges for those with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and other intellectual/developmental disabilities. That’s why there is a need for Authors, people like you and me, to write social stories that will or may enhance these life skills.
 
Social stories, created by Carol Gray in the 1990’s, are a science and an art that describes a context, skills, and an achievement. Social stories may help children with ASD because of the hypothesis that individuals with Autism lack a “theory of mind” (Baron-Cohen, Leslie & Frith, 1985;Frith & Frith, 2003). A theory of mind is being able to understand your own beliefs, intentions, emotions and ‘put yourself in another person’s shoes’. The Salley Anne Test has been used to test the theory of mind of those with ASD. See example of the Salley Anne Test here: http://www.educateautism.com/infographics/sally-anne-test.html. Some individuals with ASD may pay attention to irrelevant details and fail to understand the whole meaning of those situations, also known as having a weak central coherence (Kokina & Kem, 2010, p. 813). The goal is not to change the behavior but to clarify the social/life expectations that lie before them. 
 
Now, a social story is not just like any other story. An author of a social story needs to follow specific directions for it to be a successful social story. They can be a fun learning experience, if done well. From my own experience and thanks to Carol Gray’s resources, I have compiled several pointers and the 7 types of sentences that can be used in a social story. At the end, you will be able to read my very own social story on how to cross the street.
 
How to write a Social Story?

• They need to have a title, introduction, body, conclusion, and positive language.  We as authors describe what should happen versus what should not.
• For young adults and older adults, authors use third person (they, he, she). Along with third person, I like to use the audience name for it to be more real to the user. Language and presentation (including pictures) should be adjusted accordingly to age.  One thing that I like to do is allow the student to draw the pictures out. This allows us to assess their understanding of the story. 
• Teach with the title! The title needs to display the most important concept of the story.
• Present it in a positive and calm way.

  
There are 7 types of sentences authors can use:
(Note: Authors are encouraged to use at least Descriptive, Perspective, Directive, and Affirmative in their social stories)

• Descriptive- Answers the ‘wh’ questions (where, who, what, when, and why) EX: She leaves for spring break on Friday, March 18.
• Perspective- The opinions, feelings, ideas, beliefs, or physical/mental well-being of others. EX: The Res Life staff likes it when students respect each other.
• Directive – Gently offers a response or range of responses for behavior in a situation. Avoid using “I must and “I have to”.  Authors should use statements such as “I can, “I will”, “I will try”, “I might like”. 
• Affirmative – Statements that enhance the meaning and importance of previous statements.  EX: This is very important.  This is okay.
• Co-operative – What can help me?  Sentences which identify how others may be assistance to the audience.  EX: Miss Schumacher can help me with my conflict resolution skills.
• Partial – Fill in the blank sentences which allow the audience to guess the next step in a situation (great use for an assessment) EX: My friends like it when I am _____ (talking to them in a calm voice).  

 
Carol Gray created a specific resource to help authors re-check and improve their social stories.  It’s found here: http://carolgraysocialstories.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/It-is-NOT-a-Social-Story-if....pdf
 
Now for my social story!  Drum roll please…
 
Bethany Crossing the Street
 
Bethany is going to Dollar General to buy a candy bar. She can get there by crossing the street. She will stop before the crosswalk. She will try to listen for cars and traffic. She will look left, right, and left. This is very important. She will wait for the road to be clear with cars from all directions. Sometimes, cars can be seen far, far, away. This is okay. Sometimes, cars like to stop for her. This is okay. When the cars are clear from all directions or stopped, she can walk with her eyes across the crosswalk. When she reaches the other side of the crosswalk, she will walk across the parking lot with her eyes so that she is aware of all cars. 
 
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We'd love to hear your social story! Please feel free to share yours with us below.

​There’s a difference between daily living skills and life skills. Daily living skills include hygiene, laundry, or any task necessary to maintain health and cleanliness. Life skills, however, include the ability to make the best choices for our lives, our friendships, our jobs, our health and our appropriate independence. Any teacher will tell you that they learn as much about life from their students as their students learn from them.
 
Something I am currently (re) learning from my student, Karilyn, is everyone likes to have a little control of their own life. When we set goals, guidelines, and expectations for the good of our students, we think we are doing a wonderful thing for them, but what about their choices? When I set an expectation for a student, it’s because it is the healthy or best choice for them, and oftentimes, my students need a gentle reminder, or accountability. Those are necessary. However, if a student feels as if they have no control over a situation, they’ll rebel, despite the fact that what is being done is meant for their good. Involve a student in the decision making process, and you’ll have a much better chance of successfully teaching them how to make the best choices.
 
Karilyn has struggled to make healthy food and exercise choices. She would rather eat and drink what she wants, when she wants. Because of this, Karilyn had been given certain restrictions to help manage her weight, such as no soda and exercising at the gym. Because Karilyn hadn’t wanted these guidelines, she struggled to manage them. Rather than continuing to give her restrictions that she rebels against, we are now working to include her in the decision making process. We are going back to the drawing board, sitting down with Karilyn and asking her what she thinks, including her in the decision making and support team plan for her health. While she will continue to need coaching, training, and a guide through this process, including her from the beginning will give any health “plan” a greater rate of success. She takes ownership from the beginning, which is the ultimate goal anyway. The more we include Karilyn in the decision making process now, the better she’ll be able to make good choices when she graduates and continues to pursue Appropriate Independence
 
Isn’t that the same for anybody? If I’m told “Erin, do ___,” I cringe and I do it begrudgingly. But if someone  says to me, “Erin, this is what we are thinking. What do you think?” I am much more likely to jump on board and work hard to accomplish the task.  Having at least some control over a situation or a decision is vital to its success or an individual’s growth, whether we are talking about my student or me; a good lesson for all of us to remember.
 

​While the concept of budgeting can be difficult to understand, having a budget is so important to managing money well. Because budgets tend to be abstract, they can be even more confusing for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities. So how do you teach this concept? You teach it with a lot of consistency and, you guessed it, repetition.
 
One important element to teaching money management is to simplify.  Sometimes we make this topic more than it is, confusing our students further. In order to help them make a budget, I need my students to know what a budget is.  Let’s simplify: A budget is a plan for your money. And what do you do with a budget? You write down where you will spend your money. Dave Ramsey says, “A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.”
 
Once my students know what a budget is, it is important that they learn their individual budget. This can be difficult for those individuals who have always had access to finances or whose parents will happily purchase anything for them at anytime. At Shepherds College, students receive a monthly budget, determined between them and their parents.
 
Now, let’s combine the two concepts: how much money do you have to plan with? It can be difficult to know what you need to spend money on for the entire month, so we break down our budgeting anywhere from once a week to once every other week, depending on the needs of the student. At a consistent day and time, students sit down with their advisor to discuss their needs and what they’d like to/need to spend their money on. This discussion is important, especially in the beginning, as students learn the difference between want and need. Students complete their budget on a “Student Money Request” (SMR) form that includes budgeting for personal items (shampoo, deodorant), activities (zoo, movies), and extras (haircut, snack). Once they know what they need money for, they add up the cost. On the back of the sheet, students are able to see how much money they have left for the month after they spend the budgeted money.
 
As students begin the process of learning how to budget, they may require prompting. As they learn the process, they’ll gradually become more independent in determining need and balancing their budget. Intentional training, consistency, and repetition are vital to teaching our students to manage money well. As a reminder of what they’ve budgeted, students finish the process by completing a “Mini SMR” and simply copying what they’ve budgeted for on a sheet small enough to fit in their wallet.
 
Included in this post are pictures of the SMR that our students use to create their budget.  More in my next blog on how to effectively utilize the local bank to help students budget.

We would love to hear any tips on how you budget with your son, daughter, or students! Feel free to post techniques or pictures of what has worked for you.