Friday, October 19, 2007

Desperate Times Part 2


Well I haven't posted for awhile because I've been sick. As I mentioned before we are dealing with a new infatuation with G; Wario who's claim to fame is passing gas. This is common for people on the spectrum check out Maddy's post on chihuahuas and you'll see what I mean. As g-dub so nicely put it, I've been trying to "bribe G" out of this habit by paying him a dollar for each day he makes it w/o referring to or gracing us w/ his various bodily functions. Now I don't see this as bribing I see it as positive reinforcement... Anyhow, my grand plan has failed.
It's failed for a couple of reasons:
  1. Every time I define what G must do to gain a dollar he moves slightly outside of the definition and somehow refers to or brings passing gas into the conversation.

  2. Once G fails for the day, he then goes for it. He figures he has nothing to lose and so it is an all out Wario, passing gas frenzy. Oh my dear friends, you just don't know how badly I want to escape this. Why oh why can't he just go back to Star Wars?!

So now my new plan is that every time G refers to or passes gas however minutely he owes me a quarter. I will continue to take quarters even if I have to start taking them out of his US Quarter map. (I pray it doesn't get to that point, because I predict an all out melt down... ) Please let me know if you have any other suggestions.


10 comments:

Carol said...

If the main difficulty is the fact that he only gets one shot a day you might try a token system instead. If you break the day into sections, 4 parts for example, you would give him a token for each part he makes it through. When he earns 4 tokens, he gets his reward. That way a flub doesn't set you back a whole day... he's still got the chance to work toward his reward. You can also easily increase the number of tokens he needs to earn to get the reward.

LAA and Family said...

I suggest a token system also. I sometimes use this for getting Samuel through his school work. The advantage is that you can increase or decrease the number of tokens he needs to earn. You can also be flexible with the division of time that a group of tokens might cover.

Casdok said...

Sorry to hear your plan failed, i will have a think!!

Anonymous said...

They find a way around everything don't they!!!

Carols idea sounds great. We also use a system where our son earns stars towards a reward or 'prize'. We keep the chart on the wall so that he can track his progress and as a constant reminder of what his behaviour choices can bring.

Best of luck - hope for your sake it passes soon!!
xx

PS - thanks for your birthday party preparation tips!

Anonymous said...

Except for tokens I have no idea. The were using the "screw up and fail" system with my eldest for a little bit last year until the PDD teacher put in the token system. They had a lot more success in the hands to himself, keeping quiet skills. 10 tokens and he got 10min of computer time.

It wasn't just him, there was a problem with the teacher and control in the classroom. This year he's not having the problems. Better teacher.

Worth a try. Otherwise... ignoring... although IMO that rarely works.

S.

walking said...

The other thought is that he finds this funny; obviously you and most of the planet do not find it funny. So, are there other forms of humor that you both share OR movies you both find funny OR even types of humor you could learn to like if it meant purging the other four-letter F word?

Laughter is great, but it is even more rewarding when shared. Perhaps, if G learns to enjoy shared laughter more, the other thing will pass (pardon the pun).

Marla said...

Love the picture. I have went from system to system with our daughter for various issues. it seems that when one does work it never works for long.

Jen P said...

We use a ticket system similar to carols. Get a ticket throughout the day for acceptable behavior, lose a ticket for unacceptable.

We had a gassy incident and I just explained to the Elder that if he wants to do it he may, BUT he had to go to another room. I would say "It's ok to pass gas, but you must do it in private." We used the same for picking his nose. Keep in mind he's only 4 so pretty moldable for the time being. So I'll keep reading to see how you solve your dilemma for future reference.

Gary said...

For the record, I didn't say that you were "bribing" G; I said that you had made "Not Passing Gas" his occupation. Sort of like in the late 80s, when all of those farmers were being paid federal subsidies for "not growing corn" to keep corn prices high. I thought the idea of getting paid to NOT do something was funny, and attractive, since NOT doing things is my favorite hobby.

As someone who has no kids, I know better than to offer anyone parenting advice, much less someone so passionately committed to her kids as you, Bonnie. I'll let the good suggestions of others stand, and continue to hurl stones gently from afar.

The token thing makes sense, though. Something about the non-monetary rewards I like.

Katherine said...

So... how's it working out? Have you landed on any successful strategies?