Power Cards

Now, you may be thinking politics here upon first sight, but this really has nothing to do with politics. The former president just happens to be one of my younger clients favorite interests. Whether it's learning more about him, watching clips of speeches, finding out facts about his childhood and college years, you name it, my client is interested! Thinking about a favorite topic, person, character, movie, game, show, toy, book, etc., is what we typically call the "preferred interest" of our clients. Recognizing that is a MUST for us. Parents know what these preferred interests are and we have to work together to use them as motivators. When we want to shape behavior, there are several approaches we consider, always starting with the positive. One strategy, which may be for younger clients or those with younger developmental social skills, is called a power card. If you google these or go on Pinterest, you can find samples. Essentially, you take the intense interest and use it as the who or what that gives directions or guidance. With my client, I have spent many hours alongside parents reinforcing expected behaviors and trying to replace unwanted or unexpected behaviors. Here is how I set this one up... First, I coordinated 3-5 behaviors to shape with the family. Once I had a few in mind I thought about how to word them in positive language. Instead of saying what shouldn't be done, always try to say what should be done. With the behaviors in mind and positive language I then spent time with my client first looking for pictures of their choice. This is not my card to use, it's theirs, it should look as they want it to. All three of us find that client involvement is critical to create change in behavior. One photo wanted? Great! 5 photos wanted? Make it work. Once these two were chosen I labeled it with the name it belonged to (ex: Megan's Power Card) to give ownership. We then talked about expected behaviors for the coming school year and what is expected of the age this person is. While we plan and understand developmental delays that come along with autism, we still reference how old our clients are and what age their peers are. That is part of staying out of (legal) trouble. I explained what should be expected of individuals at this age particularly with what we do with our hands and body. Volume is one thing, touching or using others as a sensory tool increasingly becomes more of a problem as children age. By 4th, 5th grade using parents for chairs, touching their parents all over, randomly squeezing them can all look inappropriate or odd even though the client may just be on sensory overload, may not be sure what to do in a social moment, or still wants that affection from parents (maybe even peers). Instead of acting on that impulse, teach to ask. Ask for a hug/squeeze, ask for a break, or ask to leave if on overload. With this card we chose to keep it at 3 reminders. The power card is intended to be short and quick to memorize so that clients can bring them up in their mind easily, reference it quickly to change or shape behaviors and feel confident or proud of themselves. As clients age, they may grow out of this type of strategy, but they will likely continue to have that preferred interest or obsession area. Use it! If you are wondering how, this is exactly what we are here for as social coaches! We would be happy to brainstorm and plan with you. We did not invent this strategy, but we certainly like doing what works.

Wish us luck that the former president is more motivating than I am (for my friend, he totally is)!

​-Coach Megan