How can you use a to-do list to support appropriate grooming and dressing?
To-do lists are an extremely important tool for the grooming and dressing routine. To-do lists provide specific information about what the student needs to do, giving the student structure and organization.
You may choose to use the to-do list in conjunction with the schedule, or you may choose to add the to-do list directly into the schedule. Or, if the student does not need a schedule for their morning routine, but still needs guidance in the areas of grooming and dressing, you may choose simply to use two different to-do lists, one for dressing, one for grooming, to meet the student’s needs.
For example, this to-do list below might be posted in the student’s bathroom in a visible place, such as the bathroom mirror, so that he can use it to get ready for work or school:
Consider whether the student needs times attached to this sequence of events to keep him focused.
Then, there should be another visual cue or to-do list on the closet door to help the student with the dressing process.
What type of to-do list is most appropriate for the student: A written to-do list, a to-do list that combines words and pictures, a picture-matching to-do list, or an object-based system?
The type of to-do list used for the student will depend on their level of functioning. The to-do list above is designed for a student who is a solid reader. However, another student may obtain more meaning from pictures or bins (an object-based system).
An object-based system could have 5 small bins lined up from left to right, each including the item they are to use in their grooming routine. In the first bin, the student will find a toothbrush and toothpaste; the second bin contains shampoo, which serves as a cue or transition object that the student then carries to the shower; the third bin contains deodorant, the fourth bin contains a comb, and the last bin contains sunscreen. At the end of the line, is a photograph card of the person’s room, indicating that it is time to go to their room to get dressed.
As with the schedule, the to-do list should be geared towards the student’s most difficult day; that way, if they are stressed or frustrated, they can still obtain meaning from their to-do list without having to put forth effort and additional frustration.
Does the student’s to-do list answer these four questions?
How will the student interact with his to-do list to ensure that he is consistently using and referencing it? Will he check items off, delete items, place completed items in a folder, place items in a “finished” bin to represent completion of a task, etc.?
If a written to-do list is posted on a bathroom mirror, some students are motivated and excited to actually check off or cross off items on the mirror itself using a dry-erase marker. One downside to this strategy is that the items on the to-do list can be erased easily.
What additional cues (e.g. images, time durations, highlighting, instructions, reminders) might you add to the to-do list to clarify expectations and promote attention to key elements?
Some students may need more information on their to-do list. Here is an example of a written list that provides explicit guidance on how to complete each step:
Note that the use of times on the to-do list may support focus for some. For others it can have an adverse effect, creating anxiety when the student gets behind. Consider how to present time, how to use a timer, how to use the student’s watch, etc. so that the student self-organizes around this routine.
In order to align this intervention topic area with the unique needs of the student, do you need to create a to-do list in the View2do program?
