Autism, RPM, Communicating Feelings

In order to have a sense of how Aiden is feelings, I usually begin our day with checking in to see how he’s feeling emotionally and where his anxiety level is when presented a number line from 1-10.  He’s given a laminated card with colors on one side and numbers on the back.

The colors are:

·         Black—melt down time

·         Red—I’m angry and mad

·         Yellow—I’m a bet frustrated

·         Green—I’m happy

·         White—I don’t know how I’m feeling

I place the card in front of him and he chooses which color he’s feeling in that moment.

I flip the card over to show the number line. It gives him a chance to show me how anxious he feels. He often chooses 5.  After that, I present the number board and ask him to tell me how anxious he’s feeling right now.  After he chooses a number, I ask, “What would make you feel less anxious?”  Then, I show him the letter board and have him either spell a word or a sentence. If he wants to go to the gym to walk, I tell him that’s a great idea.  “Let’s do some work first and then we can go for a car ride to the gym.” If he’s in a fairly good mood, we’ll begin our RPM lesson.

            I often check in with his feelings and anxiety a couple of more times during the day to see if there are any changes.  If his mood fluctuates, showing anger and/or anxiety, I back off and give him more space.  Even when he’s walking around the house or in the garage, we can discuss a history or science lesson. As long as he’s answering my questions, I know he’s listening and processing.