Continuing with the video game theme, an analogy I like to use with parents is introducing a Life Meter into their child’s routine. A Life Meter or Life Gauge measures the characters amount of health, represented usually in the form of Hearts, consisting of two fractions. Whenever the player takes damage, either by an enemy attack, a hazard, or by falling from a high altitude, the players loses a certain amount of Hearts. When the character loses all their Hearts, the game ends with a Game Over.
How does this relate to me?
Well, when your child wakes up in the morning their Life Gauge is at maximum capacity and they are ready to begin “their quest.” However, especially in the case of children on the spectrum or school refusing, each request or instruction you give them is the equivalent of them taking damage. They lose a Heart.
So take the following list of instructions:
- Go downstairs
- Put on your uniform
- Have breakfast
- Brush your teeth
Each of those is the equivalent of an attack and our player is already down 2 hearts before the have started school.
So, what is the point?
In simple terms, it is about making each step as simplified and easy for them, so they keep as many Hearts as possible before school. Looking at the school uniform, its best to have it already laid out the night before, so the kid isn’t using up his previous Life Gauge trying to work out which socks to wear.
Then it’s about placing that “obstacle or challenge” as close as possible to the next step. Imagine all the effort, thinking, planning and strategising goes into a player trying to make it the next level? You want to those obstacles for them so they can get to school with maximum number of hearts as possible.
The takeaway
If getting dressed in the morning and breakfast follow each other, why not try placing the uniform next to the breakfast table? That is one less step they have to process.