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A note about your child not stopping what he/she is doing when asked

Resource Type

Parent Handouts and Info - Parent

Description

A note about your child not stopping what he/she is doing when asked

Ages

All Ages

Web Address

http://resources.childhealthcare.org/cocoon/dtw/parent-text/family/doesnt_stop_when_asked_36_up.html

Languages

English

A note about your child not stopping what he/she is doing when asked

A note about your child not stopping what he/she is doing when asked

In a questionnaire you indicated that (child's name) has trouble stopping what (he/she) is doing when asked. Sounds like once your child is really engaged in something interesting, like playing with electronics or enjoying doing things over and over, it is very difficult to switch to something boring like going to dinner or washing up. It is great that something can catch his/her interest so much. This is common, especially for kids with good imaginations. But, it is important to first be sure you have your child's full attention and eye contact when asking to shift attention. It is often also necessary to use something like a loud ticking timer to give them some time with limits.
For some children singing or playing a brief tune on a M3P player or phone for each transition can help create a habit for getting ready in the morning or other routines. Remember that habits take weeks to instill. It takes a long time for some kids to learn to shift without being prone to an upset. If it becomes an angry struggle - natural difficulty can gradually become a kind of stubborn defiance that can be avoided.

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