THERAPEUTIC
PRODUCTS



























   Play N Learn Tools

We offer
Communication products on this page

How to create your own PEC's Products









 

We offer
Communication products on this page

How to create your own PEC's Products

Self-Help Skills

Self-help skills are much easier to master if they are broken down into small steps and shown visually. Shown below are various ways that you can present the steps. Many of the methods below use velcro-backed cards and a "finished" or "all done" box. Students can place completed steps into the box, so that they feel a sense of accomplishment as each step is done.

How to Create a "Get Ready to Go" or Sequencing Daily Living Skills Strip and Associated Boxes

To help tame the chaos in the home environment when you are getting ready to go, you can create a "Time to Go" strip. You should also create matching pictures which are placed in the proper locations about the house. In the example below, the child must complete the following steps before leaving:

• Go to the bathroom
• Put on your socks
• Put on your shoes
• Put on your coat
• Get in the car

These individual steps are cut out, laminated, and attached to a velcro strip. Another set of pictures is then created using the 20-card per page mode in Picture This... Leave a blank spot below each picture as shown in the example below.

Laminate each strip and attach a piece of velcro to the blank spot.

You can then attach a small box to each strip. In our example, the clear box is made from a travel-size Qtip box.

Now place the strips with boxes in the appropriate locations around the house. For example, put the bathroom box in the bathroom, the socks box on the dresser drawer, and the shoes picture next to the front door.

How the Strip Works

Now comes the exciting part -- Teaching your child to use the strip.

When it is time to go, hand him the strip with the step cards. Train him to go to the bathroom, then tear off the bathroom card.

Picture This Software available here

Other Self-Help Ideas

You can make separate self-help booklets or step cards to address various self-help skills. Some examples are shown below.

These dressing books help to remind people what steps they need to take when getting ready in the morning.  These samples are spiral bound, however, you can easily create similar books using small photo albums.  The velcro strips on the bottom corners make it easier for someone with fine-motor difficulties to turn the pages.

Self-help skills and academic cards can also be placed on binder rings so that they can be carried around easily.

This hand washing strip was creating using a plastic name holder.

This dressing board was created using plastic holders found at any office supply store.

Behavior Management

	Both the Functional Living Skills and Behavioral Rules and the School Routines and Rules CDs contain "no rules" which can be printed out as reminders for students with behavior problems. Reward/Token Board directions are below For more on behavior management click here

Token Boards

Front side of Token Board	Back of Token Board with Available Choices

A token board is a visual reward system which allows a student to clearly see what he will receive after completing a certain amount of work. In the example shown above, the student needs to earn 10 tokens before being allowed to watch a video. Token boards teach delayed gratification, and allow a student to feel in charge of what reward he will be receiving. They also allow the student to see when a less-desirable activity or chore will be done.

How to Create Token Boards

Supplies you will need

Most of the following supplies are available at an office supply store:

1. Velcro dots and a fuzzy strip of velcro
2. Laminating sheets, clear contact paper, or card stock
3. 1 piece of construction paper
4. Plastic name holder (found in literature display section of office store)
5. Scissors 
6. Glue Stick
7. Picture This... Pro

Before you create a token board, you must know what motivates your student.  Once you know what your student likes, use Picture This... Pro to print 3" x 3" copies of the favorite motivators.  You can either laminate these pictures, print them on heavy card stock, or glue them to card stock.  On the back of each motivator card, stick a prickly velcro dot.

Now, use Picture This... Pro to create a grid of 1.5" x 1.5" squares with colored borders.  Cut off the top two rows and glue them to the bottom right corner of your colored paper.  Using the same grid, fill it with 10 copies of each of your student's favorite reinforcers (for example, video).  Print the page; laminate it; cut it; and stick prickly velcro dots on the back of each little reinforcer.

Now create a 3.5" x 3" square that says "I am working for".   Glue this to the bottom left corner of your colored paper.

Cut the colored paper so that it will fit in the plastic name holder.  Slide the paper into the holder.

Stick a fuzzy velcro strip to the back of the name holder  (the side away from the grid).

Stick velcro dots onto the front of the holder (one in the center of each square in the grid, plus one on the "I want" card).

How to Use the Token Board

When the student is about to begin a task, ask "What do you want to work for?", and show him the choices on the back. Prompt him to take the card off and place it on "I am working for" square. Each time that he answers a question correctly while you are working with him, hand him a token that he can place on the grid. Occasionally ask "How many more tokens do you need?" and count the blank squares. Depending on the child's ability level, you can create token boards with more squares or fewer as shown in the following examples.